Feeling good!

I want to get a quick update out there. I really want to make more time for blogging but I'm so busy with work, an almost 3 year old, and working out that it gets put on a back burner. I'd much rather be out living life than home writing about it! :-)

I've had an awesome month. I've been trying to run 3 times a week after work and so far I've gone 48.6 miles this month! That does include some walking but the majority is running. My goal for the month is 50 miles and I'm definitely going to get there! 

I'm still doing the 30 day Shred and this morning I did level 3 for the first time. Holy cow!! It makes level 1 seem like a walk in the park! I love it though. Today was day 24 and I'm going to do 33 days so that I can get 10 days with level 3. I sometimes skip a day here and there and I did level 1 for 12 days, so it's taken me a bit longer to do it. I ordered Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 DVD that came out this year and I'm going to start that when I'm done with the Shred. And I plan on doing the shred again at some point with heavier weights. Right now I'm using 10 pound weights but a few of the exercises seem too easy (chest fly's and bicep curls) and I want to use 15 pound weights for those. 

I think running regularly and the shred have definitely made me stronger. I hadn't run more than 4.5 miles all month or gone out for any solo runs since August 26. On that run, I had a route planned and wanted to run 5 miles. I got to a traffic light (before my turn around spot) and had run 2.2 miles. I was really tired and did not want to keep going. I knew if I turned around then I would still make 5 so that's what I did. This past Saturday I went out with a goal of doing 5, but really wanting to do 6. I went on the same route and figured I'd see how I felt. When I got to that same traffic light, I was feeling great! So I kept going and ended up running 6.4 miles! I haven't run that far since July 8. And my pace was 1 minute/mile faster than it was then (11:36 vs. 12:28). Awesome! 

Something else I'm doing is the Plank A Day challenge over at Running for Dummies. My first plank was 1:08.3 but I think that's because I did it immediately after finishing a shred workout and my arms were already tired. I increased my time quickly and made it to 3 minutes after just 7 or 8 tries! My current best is 3:07.8. It's motivating to see my name on the leader board and I hope to keep moving up! I'm very competitive and this is a fun challenge.

Now I need to work on eating even better and I know that eventually my skinny jeans will get more comfortable! I really wish I had taken measurements before I started the shred but I lost my tape measure. I'm going to get a new one and take a whole new set of measurements before I start Ripped in 30. But I am fastening my bra on the next set of clasps which is awesome! 

I'm signing up to be a foodie penpal over at The Lean Green Bean.  Look for more on that next month! And stay tuned for my 30 day shred review!

Prevention

Well, I got off track this weekend. I think I ate really well last week and I did the shred every morning. That 5:30am alarm comes very early but I woke up and did it. I also ran 2 days and walked some. My weekly report from MapMyRun blew me away. From August 26 - Sept. 1 I did 6 workouts (running and walking) for a total of 14.2 miles and burned 1,097 calories. Wow! And that doesn't include the shred. I definitely didn't feel like I had been doing that much and it motivates me to keep going. Every little bit helps.

On Saturday we went to a morning donut playdate. That's right. Donuts. I had a sugar one but limited myself to just one because we were going straight to a birthday party after the play date. At the party I indulged in some doritos, a little snack mix that included m&m's, and a cupcake. I skipped the shred on Sunday in an attempt to sleep in a little and went to my favorite bagel place to pick up breakfast. And more donuts. Later in the day while Jack napped, Sidney and I enjoyed bowls of ice cream. In my defense, I've had the carton of Breyer's in my freezer for weeks now and hadn't opened it yet. I'm hoping Sidney finishes it so I don't have to!

Because I skip the shred on Sundays that's when I leave Jack at home and do my long run. Last week I ran 5 miles and was hoping to repeat that this week. We ended up having a wonderfully lazy day on Sunday and I never got out for a run. I did take Jack out on Monday and got in 4 miles. I wish that had been in addition to my long run instead of becoming my long run, but it's better than nothing!

I had a physical this morning and needed to fast so I skipped the shred. I'm definitely planning on running tonight. My dad had a quintuple bypass back in 2004 when he was only 45 so I've been trying to keep tabs on my cholesterol levels and do what I can through diet and exercise. My levels have always been borderline and I changed that over the winter. I'm hoping to see even better results now! I told the doctor that I run and he said as long as I continue eating healthy and exercising I should be fine. He doesn't see the need for additional testing, even as I get older. Running is like a stress test and the fact that I can run for a few miles at a time without problems means I pass. He told me if there's ever a day I don't feel like running that I should go anyway because it's the best prevention. If that's not motivating, I don't know what is!

I've been checking my weight on the Wii and I know it might not be the most accurate so it was nice to get an official number on the doctor's scale. Right now it's 139 (the Wii puts me at 136.5)! I'm happy to be under 140 and my goal is to get under 130. The last time I went was March 2010 and at that time I had a 3 month old baby. But I'm 10 pounds less than I was at that visit. That was nice to see! I just hope it doesn't take me another 2 1/2 years to lose the next 10 pounds!

Tomorrow will be day 12 of the shred and my first day on level 2. Wish me luck! I think I'm going to need it!

30 Day Shred

Today I did day 4 of the shred. I was really tired and didn't want to wake up but after hitting snooze twice, I got up and got ready. Guess who woke up right when I was getting started?

It wasn't even 6 yet but Jack was awake. I tried laying down with him and it seemed like he was falling back asleep, but when I tried to leave he sat up. Finally I asked him if he wanted to wake up an of course he said yes. So I brought him downstairs and laid him on the couch.

After 5 minutes he got up and wanted to join in on the fun. He didn't get in my way so it wasn't too bad. I completed day 4!

I've been eating pretty well and feel good. Yesterday I ran 5 miles, the most in 3 weeks or more.

I'm not a morning person but I'm getting used to waking up early. I started last Thursday so this will be the first full week of my new routine. I plan to run 3 miles 2 nights a week and a long run on the weekend.

I've been eating a healthy breakfast at home, but I'm starving all morning at work. Today I ate an apple as my morning snack and just busied myself with work to take my mind off of the hunger. I'm going to start bringing some peanut butter to go with the apple as well as some nuts. That should hold me a little better!

I weighed in yesterday at 138. I'm 5'3" and my goal is to get into the 120's. A number I haven't seen since middle school! I'm confident that with hard work I'll get there! Of course all the weight is in my stomach and that's where I'm hoping to see the most results.

Here are some pics I took of Jack this morning. He was so cute trying to do crunches and saying, "See, I can do this!"

 

No more excuses

Alright y'all it's about to get real. The fact that I'm from upstate NY and breaking out the "y'all" is really saying something.

I ran a half marathon on June 2, which I had trained for for over 2 months. I was running a lot. I continued to run throughout June and ran a couple 5K's. Most of those workouts were recorded on this blog. I worked my mileage back up and on July 8 I ran 8.26 miles, my longest run since the half. I was happy with my progress and my goal was to run at least one ten-miler each month.

I started walking more and recording those workouts on MapMyRun. I think walking is great. But I want it to be in addition to my running, not replace it. For the month of July I ran/walked a total of 46.37 miles, most of it running. Then I hit a wall.

Since I started running back in January 2006, my goal has always been to finish a half marathon. I did that. I accomplished what I set out to do and now what? Maybe I could focus on speed as opposed to distance. Work on finishing a 5K in under 30 minutes or a 10K in under an hour (2 goals I have). But how can I work on speed while pushing 40 pounds?

I was tired of pushing the stroller, convinced that if I could run alone I'd be able to run farther and more often. I was having a lot of aches and pains due to wearing shoes that were more than 3 years old. It was hot and I was tired. I needed a break. I started walking more and running less. So far for August I've gone 22.49 miles. But most of that is walking. I didn't run for 2 1/2 weeks. My clothes started feeling tighter. And I was eating more poorly than I had been.

I blamed it on my sleep patterns. During the Olympics I was staying up until midnight or later watching the games and was super tired during the day. I had no energy. I lay with my son until he falls asleep and lately it's been taking him an hour (sometimes more!) to fall asleep. More often than not I was falling asleep too. I'd wake up early but not feel rested and would sleep on and off until about 7. I was laying in bed for close to 11 hours each night but not feeling very rested. I was sore from lack of movement! I told myself that if only I could get Jack to sleep on his own or if he would fall asleep more quickly, I'd be better off and would have time to do a workout DVD. I was making excuses!

So I stopped.

Last night I ran 3 miles. My first run in 2 1/2 weeks. At the end of the run there are 3 hills and then a park that I stop at so Jack can get out some of his energy (and as a reward for him sitting for more than a half hour without complaint!). They're not pretty hills but I've gotten used to them. After finishing the last one I felt nauseous. The run was hard. It opened up my eyes! I've taken too long of a break and I need to get my groove back!

Last night, instead of accidentally falling asleep with Jack while trying to stay awake, I purposefully went to bed with him. And I set my alarm for 5:20. I got up at 5:30 and did day 1 of Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. I even had time to wash the dishes before Jack woke up. I'm going to do the same thing tomorrow, minus the dishes. :) I ate a healthy breakfast and packed myself a healthy lunch (and snacks). I feel great! I'm excited for this new plan of go to bed early and wake up early. I really think it's going to work and I'm looking forward to sharing more of my journey. I even took before pictures last night that I'll be posting soon. I might wait until after I finish the 30 Day Shred so I can show the before and after together. I'll still have a ways to go but I'm curious to see what, if any, changes occur due to the shred. Stay tuned for the results!

I'm done making excuses! Please help keep me motivated by following along and sending encouragement. I'm gonna need it! Please follow me on Twitter @ReneLeigh and on Instagram @leigh44 where I'll be posting more regular updates.

Wordless Wednesday: New kicks