The last post I wrote was on February 10, a bit over 2 weeks ago. I'm not sure why I haven't written as I've been following the same regimen - I think I just "didn't feel like it" a lot of the time so I avoided the blog. So let me try to recap the last couple of weeks and if any highlights come to me, I'll write them down.
OVERALL HEALTH
The last time I did an InBody was February 16 (I would have done it again this past Thursday but my trainer had a family emergency so I couldn't do one). On the 16th I was down another 0.7% body fat percentage and up another 0.4lb muscle mass ... down 1.1lb overall to 194.4lb. Since then I've maintained a similar regimen so I'd imagine I am still losing weight and gaining muscle, I just don't have the documentation. I'm not sure I'm feeling any better than I was when I started a month ago...?
RUNNING
I've kept up with the running group meets, and I'll average about one more day of running on my own, normally a 2-mile route near my house. So that brings me to 2 formal running days (1 long run and 1 short run), 1 running day on my own, 1 day of personal training - legs, and 1 day of personal training - arms. Sometimes I feel guilty when I choose to rest for the other 1-2 days and I need to work on the guilt that I have during these days. Even the best athletes take time off to let their bodies recuperate.
How have I been doing?
- 5 mile run on 2/11 ... average 13:07/mile
- 3 mile run on 2/15 ... average 15:16/mile **
- 2 mile run on 2/17 ... average 13:16/mile
- 6 mile run on 2/18 ... not sure of average because MapMyRun stopped working but, of the couple of miles I did believe, I ran somewhere between 12:30-14:00/mile
- 1.5 mile run on 2/20 ... average 14:02/mile (I remember stopping at least twice for a bit because of shin splints)
- 2.4 mile run on 2/22 ... average 13:05/mile (this was interval training night ... AMAZING ... I can see this technique really helping me with endurance)
- 1 mile run on 2/23 ... average 12:57/mile
- 5 mile run on 2/25 ... average 14:09//mile
** I remember this day. Around 4:30pm all of my energy just left my body and there was no part of me that wanted to go to the running group at 6:15pm that night. I shot a text to the leader and told her how I was feeling; she said to come anyway, and that you won't always feel the best every day you run. So I came, and I ran the 3 miles, and while I was not proud of my times, I was proud that I did it.
While I'm keeping up with the running, what I'm not seeing is my running getting faster. It seems to be pretty consistent in the 13-14 minute mile range. I know I still have 2 months before the half marathon, but I thought I'd be seeing something different after a month of training.
EATING
I continue to track my food and I will say that all of my snacks are now fruits or vegetables; I've also consistently cut down on diet coke and allow myself to drink it once, or twice at the very most, each week. During the week I still have eggs for breakfast, and for most of my lunches at work I grab a chicken caesar wrap that is advertised at 390 calories. My dinners vary.
Weight watchers gives me a 30-point day with 42 flex points per week (and then whatever points I get for my fitness, I normally average a bit over 50 a week). I'm taking a look at my "journey" (where any days where I log 27-37 points a day is considered a "healthy eating" day) and I hit it on February 13, and February 20-23. All the other days I did NOT eat in this range, and some days I had 50-point days, there were even a couple 60-point days! So this tells me that I still have PLENTY of opportunity to reel this in, and a LOT. I do struggle more on the weekends to eat healthy, and it shows. I am happy with the changes I've made so far, but they are clearly not enough. ::sigh::
THAT'S ALL FOLKS
That's it for now! Hoping to not wait another 2 weeks for my next blog post. This is meant to be my accountability measure so I must get better at that.
Sunday, February 26, 2017
Friday, February 10, 2017
Quick recap of the week
Not really in the mood to blog so just posting times and quick thoughts about nutrition.
We did mile repeats on Wednesday. Our leader started the hour saying she wanted all of us to warm up and do a jog together a few blocks in one direction and back, and then to push ourselves running the mile. Well -- the group's "jog" is equivalent to my "run." So I automatically felt discouraged. And to add to that, it was starting to rain/snow/sleet so I was pretty wet and miserable. Nevertheless, I persisted. I'm not proud of my times (14:02, 13:49) but I am glad that, for each mile, I was able to complete it without stopping. But I can be faster.
Today after work I did a 2-mile run in my neighborhood and was happier with those results -- in my first mile, I ran it in what I believe was my fastest time so far in my 3 weeks of running, 12:09. My second mile was not as good as I run/walked for some of it, and came in at 14:03. Yikes.
Tomorrow is a 5 mile run, the first half being uphill, so here's hoping to make it back in under 75 minutes. Or maybe I push to 70. :-)
Now -- nutrition. It could have been better. I had a girls' night on Saturday and had chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert, and 1 glass of bubbly. The meal itself wasn't so bad, probably one of the healthier options on the menu. And on Sunday there was the Superbowl -- I ate turkey chili for the main dish (not bad) but then I splurged on candies and chips. I probably consumed 600 calories in candies and chips. And on Monday I had a sandwich for lunch and a sandwich for dinner. So, not the best week for me.
That said, I weighed myself in on Thursday and found that I had lost 0.7lb overall weight, and digging into that: I'm down 1.5lb more in body fat (and 0.7% BFI), and up 0.9lb in muscle mass since last week. So -- that's good! Though my trainer says that's probably because I'm running (going from nothing to a lot) and probably not so much due to the nutrition. So I still have a ways to go. My snacks, though, have all been healthy outside of the Superbowl -- fruits and veggies! I just need to commit more.
We did mile repeats on Wednesday. Our leader started the hour saying she wanted all of us to warm up and do a jog together a few blocks in one direction and back, and then to push ourselves running the mile. Well -- the group's "jog" is equivalent to my "run." So I automatically felt discouraged. And to add to that, it was starting to rain/snow/sleet so I was pretty wet and miserable. Nevertheless, I persisted. I'm not proud of my times (14:02, 13:49) but I am glad that, for each mile, I was able to complete it without stopping. But I can be faster.
Today after work I did a 2-mile run in my neighborhood and was happier with those results -- in my first mile, I ran it in what I believe was my fastest time so far in my 3 weeks of running, 12:09. My second mile was not as good as I run/walked for some of it, and came in at 14:03. Yikes.
Tomorrow is a 5 mile run, the first half being uphill, so here's hoping to make it back in under 75 minutes. Or maybe I push to 70. :-)
Now -- nutrition. It could have been better. I had a girls' night on Saturday and had chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert, and 1 glass of bubbly. The meal itself wasn't so bad, probably one of the healthier options on the menu. And on Sunday there was the Superbowl -- I ate turkey chili for the main dish (not bad) but then I splurged on candies and chips. I probably consumed 600 calories in candies and chips. And on Monday I had a sandwich for lunch and a sandwich for dinner. So, not the best week for me.
That said, I weighed myself in on Thursday and found that I had lost 0.7lb overall weight, and digging into that: I'm down 1.5lb more in body fat (and 0.7% BFI), and up 0.9lb in muscle mass since last week. So -- that's good! Though my trainer says that's probably because I'm running (going from nothing to a lot) and probably not so much due to the nutrition. So I still have a ways to go. My snacks, though, have all been healthy outside of the Superbowl -- fruits and veggies! I just need to commit more.
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Weekend update + observations
Alright, first let me share the running I've done through the week
And now, a couple observations:
- We did a 4 mile run on Saturday. Unfortunately my app stopped recording my running at some point, so I was only able to record one true mile for time, which was mile 2-3 at a pace of 12:29. I was proud of that, and also proud I was able to run that mile without stopping. That's about my lung capacity right now without having to change to a run/walk. I'd like to up that in the future. While the app didn't work, I do know that I also ran the full first mile (and then a little), and the run/walks for miles 1-2 and 3-4 were more runs than walks. So I can confidently say I did significantly more running than walking during the 4 mile run on Saturday.
- I decided to do a 2-mile run on Sunday around my neighborhood. Things didn't go as well. I was able to run without stopping for the first mile, which I clocked at just over 13 minutes. The second mile, however, was rougher. I clocked in just under 15 minutes which, from my recollection, was slightly slower when I did the 300-foot ascent on a 1-mile run the Wednesday before. So, I wasn't too proud of that performance. That said, I am proud that I ran on my own AND I was able to maintain my run for the first full mile.
Now, how did I eat? I knew the weekend would be tough because I had a girls' night on Saturday and the Superbowl on Sunday. I did ... OK. Definitely was not clean, but also could have been worse. During the girls' night, I had minimal appetizers, 1 glass of bubbly, a chicken risotto main dish, and then chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert. For the Superbowl, the main dish was turkey chili, which wasn't so bad ... but I started to splurge on popcorn, chips, and cookies. But then I was back on the horse on Monday. Today (Tuesday) wasn't so good from a meal standpoint - 2 sandwiches over lunch/dinner - but I still eat clean breakfasts and snacks. Hoping to get back to clean meals on Wednesday before the next running group. My next weigh-in is on Thursday. Here's hoping I continue to make progress! Right now I feel questionable based on the choices I made over the weekend.
And now, a couple observations:
- It was really something to run on Saturday morning. My running group must have been traveling a similar running route as another running group a couple blocks from our gym; we started about 30 minutes before them. What was cool was, on my way back to the gym, I crossed paths with everyone in the other running group (which had to have been close to 100 people, no joke, they are LARGE). And as we passed by each other, we would wave, say "good morning," or do something nice that acknowledged each other as a member of the running community. It was nice to be a part of that.
- On Monday, I had personal training. Now, I know that I've only been eating well for about 1.5 weeks, but I think the combination of that AND surprising myself with what I am capable of doing in the running group, made me feel fearless. I felt like my performance was better than usual - some combination of physical and mental capability, I'm sure. And even though I have over 30lb to lose, that evening, I felt like I was so in shape ... so I can only imagine what I'll feel like (and be capable of doing) when those pounds come off. Gotta keep at it.
Thursday, February 2, 2017
An uphill climb (literally and figuratively)
Yesterday was my first attempt at an uphill climb. We had a 2.25-mile round-trip route -- up a steep hill for the first half, and down and back for the second half. It was about a 300ft increase in altitude (and it felt like all at once). I ran as much as I felt I could, which was only a bit over 0.4 miles, before I started the run/walk up the remainder of the hill. And I watched as my running group got farther and farther away from me. Once I reached the top of the hill, I was alone. I was in a park, it was dark, it was not well lit ... not a huge fan of how I felt at that moment. Wished I had someone running alongside me for the hill climb, but alas, I felt like I was doing it alone. Eventually I started the descent which was a bit easier, but not super easy (it's a different kind of pain in your legs!) as I was only able to shave a little under a minute off of my mile time (yesterday I did the first mile in 15:41, and the second mile in 14:53). It was slow, yes, but it was also my first time attempting a hill climb (and then descent). It's a baseline. The great part was, when I was finishing up the run, the rest of the running group was outside the gym waiting for me to finish and they cheered me on as I ran towards them. That was nice to come back to that.
Today I wanted to weigh myself at the gym as it was a week since my first weigh-in since running. I knew that I was also eating better - I have been logging all my meals and snacks in the Weight Watchers tool - so I was hoping to see at least 1.5-2lb off. What I did see was only a 0.7lb decrease in overall weight. However, that is just one number that doesn't really paint the right picture. When we did the body assessment, what I learned is I actually LOST 1.5lb of body fat (and was down 0.7% BFI) and GAINED 0.4lb of skeletal muscle mass! This is exactly what I want to see continue. Now, I know being at 196lb is still over 30lb heavier than I want to be, but I am definitely going about this in the right way. Lose the fat, gain the muscle.
I've definitely made an effort this week to reel in my eating. I've only been drinking water, my snacks are now fruits and vegetables instead of what I can get from the vending machine, and my lunches have been chicken caesar wraps or salads. I still do Blue Apron meals for dinner and those servings are quite large (between 600-800 calories per serving), so I may need to rethink portion sizes or add more vegetables. But -- I was proud of myself for the week. I am also realizing how incredibly hard it is to say no to things like chocolate, bread, and cheese. I still have those more ad-hoc, but the craving is there, and it's real. The nutrition part is really tough for me.
I had personal training tonight, and I actually felt amazing doing it. It's a moment that I hope I remember -- that the combination of doing my best in running (and surprising myself) coupled with better nutrition is truly helping my performance, and makes me feel fearless. I hope this is the motivation I need to keep it up! But yes, this whole journey is an uphill climb.
Today I wanted to weigh myself at the gym as it was a week since my first weigh-in since running. I knew that I was also eating better - I have been logging all my meals and snacks in the Weight Watchers tool - so I was hoping to see at least 1.5-2lb off. What I did see was only a 0.7lb decrease in overall weight. However, that is just one number that doesn't really paint the right picture. When we did the body assessment, what I learned is I actually LOST 1.5lb of body fat (and was down 0.7% BFI) and GAINED 0.4lb of skeletal muscle mass! This is exactly what I want to see continue. Now, I know being at 196lb is still over 30lb heavier than I want to be, but I am definitely going about this in the right way. Lose the fat, gain the muscle.
I've definitely made an effort this week to reel in my eating. I've only been drinking water, my snacks are now fruits and vegetables instead of what I can get from the vending machine, and my lunches have been chicken caesar wraps or salads. I still do Blue Apron meals for dinner and those servings are quite large (between 600-800 calories per serving), so I may need to rethink portion sizes or add more vegetables. But -- I was proud of myself for the week. I am also realizing how incredibly hard it is to say no to things like chocolate, bread, and cheese. I still have those more ad-hoc, but the craving is there, and it's real. The nutrition part is really tough for me.
I had personal training tonight, and I actually felt amazing doing it. It's a moment that I hope I remember -- that the combination of doing my best in running (and surprising myself) coupled with better nutrition is truly helping my performance, and makes me feel fearless. I hope this is the motivation I need to keep it up! But yes, this whole journey is an uphill climb.
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