Running Really Doesn't Suck, Until........

You do a face plant - on a beautiful day, during the lunch hour, along Ruston Way where all the nice restaurants serve wonderful lunchtime delights!  Seriously, I don't even know where to start - or better yet, where to start again.  In case you missed it in the past, I struggle with running - I am slow, and just not a natural runner.  Recently I started running again, with the goal of training for a half marathon I am registered for in May.  Mind you, I registered LAST May for the race, thinking that would provide me the motivation to improve my running endurance and, therefore, speed as well. 

After several treadmill runs over the past few weeks, the weather here became just absolutely GORGEOUS!  So, I headed outside.  The first lunchtime run I completed a 5k with relative ease.  I was excited.  It also helped that I had a new toy - a Garmin run computer - that kept me entertained and intrigued.  I will provide a post on that on its own, because I LOVE my Garmin!

My training routine includes running three times a week for at least 45 minutes.  Because of the weather here in the Northwest, I will likely do a lot of my weekday runs on a treadmill unless we get nice weather and until the daylight hours are longer.  My weekends are my long run - adding a mile each weekend.  My plan is to run a 4:1 run:walk ratio - four minutes of running with one minute of walking.  For the half marathon I hope to will run the last 3.1 miles non-stop.  Anyway, my first weekend long run I set out to do 5 miles to start.  And, I DID IT - with relative comfort/ease and minimal soreness afterwards.  I was psyched because, you see, I hadn't done much running and 5 miles is the furthest I can ever remember running.  LIKE EVER IN MY LIFE!  I thought I was finding a love for running - until this past Monday when doubt literally crashed back in.

On Monday the weather was fantastic - sunny, clear, and predicted to be close to or over 60 degrees!  So, I planned a lunchtime run.  Honestly, as the morning wore on at work, I didn't want to go.  But, I forced myself out the door - as they say, the hardest step for any runner is the one out the door!  I set out on my run along a beautiful stretch of waterfront trail.  It was gorgeous, and I was so glad I had forced myself to take a lunch.  At 1.7 miles, I decided to turn around back towards my car.  At 1.71 miles, I was crossing a driveway to a really nice restaurant, trying to turn my music up on my MP3 player, and loving the view.  Only one problem: while I remembered at the end of the driveway as you enter the trail there is a rise in the pavement, I totally misjudged the rise and my foot struck it.

It was kind of like slow motion.  Honestly, I almost caught myself, but in the end I concentrated on missing the poles put there to keep cars from turning onto the trail (probably a good plan) and went down on my right arm, which of course was holding my music, and it totally gave way - leaving me to slam my chin into the pavement.  All I remember is turning over and looking at my hands covered in blood.  I remember mumbling "SWEEET" in a very sarcastic tone.  Next, I noticed a car approaching in the drive and the woman in the passenger seat pointing at me.  The man driving stopped to ask if I was ok, and I remember stammering, as I was checking my teeth for chips or breaks, "Yeah, I think I just banged up my face."  His response after looking at me closer out the window? "YEAH you did."  I remember thinking "THANKS, that is just what I need to hear right now [insert some expletive here]!"  So I picked myself up, removed my fleece and held it to my chin, and began the walk of shame - all 1.69 miles of it - back to my car.  That was one seriously LONG walk.

All in all I was fine.  No chipped or broken teeth.  Other than a nasty mess of a chin and a few x-rays of my jaw at the insistence of my boss when the next day I couldn't even talk normally (which proved there was no break) the publicly noticeable ramifications have been few.  A very sore shoulder (my shoulders dislocate fairly regularly), some swelling and headaches, and an extremely sore hand remind me of the incident, but hopefully will fade in a few days.  After a few days and ibuprofen, I think I am on the mend - physically.  (But really, a fall running and all THIS?????).  But my ego is bruised.  My confidence busted.  I was embarrassed and that is the worst injury of all for me.  That walk of shame, having to return to my office with a chin and hand dripping blood, actually taking sick time to take myself to the doctor, and either having people I know constantly ask what happened or having strangers stare wondering what happened, I am embarrassed.  Humiliated.  That is always a challenge for me.  So, I need to pick myself up and get back out there - remembering the most difficult step will the the first step out the door.

Just to show that there is some humor in this, here are some fun facts:

1.  My Garmin shows I was running a 9:28 mile at the time I fell - that is freakin' AWESOME for me.

2.  The Garmin graph plots along until it goes straight up at the time of impact to a dead stop - interesting analysis of my run!

3.  At least it happened while I was running, and not in a walk interval.

4.  Last Tri season you may remember my fear of crashing on my bike and I endured not one centimeter of road rash last year.  This year I get road rash on my FACE during a RUN!

5.  My kids keep asking "Did someone push you Mom?,"  "Did anyone help you Mom?"  "How exactly do you fall running Mom?"  They are confused as to how old Mom goes to work and says she ran at lunch and comes home looking like a crash victim!

6.  Friends and colleagues at work feel much better now about my lunchtime runs.....I can no longer count how many times I have heard "See, exercise is going to kill you!"

And, really, I NEED to get back out there - how can you beat this view:

Words to {Begin} Live{ing} By........

I am the queen of negative self-talk and questioning myself.  Recently, my sister gave me this to remind myself that I need to believe in myself.  Christopher Robin was sure wise for a boy.  I know often I look back and am amazed at what I did - what I do on a daily basis that I never give myself credit for.  For this week I make a pledge to remember the wise words of this "boy."  How about you?

On a related note, the last few months I have spent a great deal of time reflecting and reading.  Weekly, and sometimes more often, I find a little "nugget" or saying that I use for a theme for myself.  Sometimes I put a post-it on my monitor, or my bathroom mirror, with the little "nugget" to help me digest it.  I plan to share some of the better ones, more inspiring ones, here.  I hope you don't mind, but I have found that mental training is as important, and sometimes more important, to reach whatever finish line you are approaching.

WE Did It: Chelanman Race Report!

Well, I wanted to check in and give a race report before I forget all the details.  I am still trying to get back into the swing of things after being away and have not yet downloaded race pictures.  The above photograph was taken courtesy of a race sponsor and it is a photo of that photo, so I apologize for the quality.  My daughter completed her first tri as well and this photo makes me so proud.  Every ache, pain, frustration, and ounce of self doubt is worth it when I can share moments like these with my children!

The summary stats:

Overall Time:  1:31:02 (48/192 Overall, 3/24 Age Group)

Swim 1/4 mile: 08:43.04 (41/192 Overall, 2/24 Age Group)

Bike 13.1 miles: 43:49.4 (34/192 Overall, 1/24 Age Group)

Run 3.1 miles: 34:30.1 (105/192 Overall, 11/24 Age Group)

So, here we are where I can finally say "I seriously NEED to work on my run!"  The run was just flat out bad, although as you will read, I had some technical issues on the run too!  Let me start out with how much FUN I had this past weekend.  Sharing successes and challenges with so many fabulous athletes (and fantastic Ladies!) was just priceless.  I had so much fun, I reserved a hotel room for next year's race weekend!  We started off the weekend Friday evening with a wonderful dinner at a fabulous Italian place with fantastic views!  I can't wait to share pictures later this week!

Saturday, I watched the Olympic and Half Iron races, which were so inspiring.  So many of my teammates did the Olympic race and really inspired me to train for that race next year!  Saturday afternoon the family arrived and we headed to dinner and then hung out at the pool of the hotel.  That is where a little bump in the road occurred that would shake me to my core for the remainder of the weekend, and impact my run due to technical difficulties.  During a group picture (well, just after as everyone got up in front of me) I lost sight of my 2 1/2 year old on the steps of the pool.  In an instant she had fallen off the steps and over her head.  I ended up leaping in after her with the baby in the carrier (he stayed fairly dry) clothes (and running shoes) and all!  I have never had such a frightening experience and it has taught me that my children will wear life vests around water until they know how to swim flawlessly.  Never again will I think I can watch them adequately around water.  I ended up blow drying my shoes that evening.  Note to self:  next time your shoes get soaking wet, double check your Yankz laces - they may slip from their little clips!

But, on to happier things.  Sunday was race day.  The morning was gorgeous and I took a walk around the hotel grounds at around 5:30 am to just get myself moving, enjoy a cup of coffee, and listen to some music (and try to avoid waking my roommates!).  The lake was like glass and very peaceful.  There were a few of us already roaming around in nervous anticipation.

The SWIM:  I was overall very pleased with my swim time!  I had hoped to get it done in under 10:00 so I exceeded that goal!  I found that if I waited on the start just a second or so I could sneak between two swimmers and I was off for the races!  Except for battling the passenger ferry wake on the lake, it was a delightful swim.  I did, however, literally stop to chat with two ladies who were struggling from the wave before mine - and I have no regrets about that and were happy to find they had finished the swim!

The BIKE:  This time, my bike ride was AWESOME!  I was first in my age group on the bike and it was smooth sailing the WHOLE way.  Of course it was an easy rolling hill course without a lot of technical areas so that made it much easier than my last bike course.  My only issue was with some of the people riding side by side (really, what is with that?) to chat and making it difficult to pass since it was an open course with traffic!

The RUN:  Here is where my issues came into play.  First, within the first 1/2 mile of the run there is a steep hill out of the park.  I pushed my bike hard so that initial hill was ridiculous for me!  I actually had to stop and walk!  Very frustrating.  Then, as I got on the road portion of the course, I noticed my shoes were loose.  They kept getting looser and looser until finally I stopped.  My Yankz laces had basically slipped out of the clips and kept loosening.  I spent a good 90 seconds or more trying to fix my shoes at the guardrail while getting passed over and over again by runners.  NOT a happy moment (and I apologize to those who passed me for my language as I was grumbling at my shoes!).  I got off and running again only to still have one shoe come unclipped AGAIN!  So, stopped again by my dang shoes.  Then, as I stood up, my race belt "button" holding my number pops off into the grass under the guardrail.  For some unknown reason I stood there and searched for it and put it back on - still not sure why really - but I did.  My run time was horrible.  Considering all the time I spent stopped (and, unfortunately, walking sporadically during the first 1.5 miles) I am actually surprised it was not a worse time. 

So, the next two weeks I work on my run and brick workouts.  Along with the run I am FINALLY growing up and transitioning to clipless pedals.  Wish me luck, I will NEED it. 

With races back to back every two weeks right now, it really has become difficult to keep up with more than just race reports!  Once my next race is over I should have some breathing room to come back with more substantive posts as well!

Dear Body, Dear Mind

Dear Body:

YOU CAN DO THIS!  You have been working hard and strengthening yourself for months.  You have been fueled well, and rested this week.  With all this in mind, I do however have a few requests/orders:

First, please save the cramping for after the finish line.  In exchange, I will be sure to supply you with the electrolytes you need and give you a great stretch before and after the race. 

If at all possible, could you speed up the movement of blood and lactic acid out of my quads after the bike?  Waiting seven minutes and four seconds to feel like my legs are working again is a bit long and, frankly, unnecessary.  It also causes me to grimace in pain/annoyance and I really don't want that captured in any pictures from the event.  And, speaking of photos, if you could turn just so to hide my muffin top when near any functioning cameras, I would greatly appreciate it!

Please save the glute pain until after the race.  Running with my hand on my left glute chanting "I have a pain in my behind" is not the best approach to a positive race.

Unfortunately, use of restrooms between the transfer of the time chip to me and my crossing the finish line is strictly prohibited, so please plan accordingly.  And, while we are on that topic, I am fully aware that I have had three children within 5 years.  Therefore, the constant reminder through "bladder challenges" (yeah, THAT) is not necessary, so please conduct yourself accordingly.

Move and move fast.  And I don't just mean the arms.  If the legs could somehow reflect the speed with which the arms pump during the run, it would be much appreciated.

Don't fall.  Enough said.

Most of all, enjoy!  And, if you happen to forget any of these items, I will remind you loudly and often during the race to assist you with meeting these requirements.

Dear Mind:

YOU CAN DO THIS!  Any thoughts to the contrary are strictly prohibited.  Don't worry about the Body, it has also been informed of this, but DO provide encouragement as needed.  With all this in mind, I do have several requests/orders:

The only vision you may have of the left turn on the bike course is one of the Body sailing through it with just the right lean and speed necessary.  All other visions are strictly prohibited and "turned off" pursuant to THIS theory/instruction.

DO NOT think about those behind you and wanting to pass you on the bike course.  Leave it up to them to worry about that.  This is as much your race as it is theirs, so concentrate on yourself.

If, and only if, something doesn't go as planned, adjust and let it go.  DO NOT obsess about things you cannot change.

Stop worrying about whether you look like a dork.  You may well just look like a dork, but you are you, and most people aren't even going to notice - they are worried about looking like a dork too, so they are too focused on themselves.

Replace the thought "I don't know if I can do this" with "I AM doing this!"  Why?  Well, because you ARE doing this.

Enjoy!  You have wanted to do this for a long time and have had the privilege to prepare for it, so enjoy, LOVE it, and worry about tomorrow tomorrow!

Don't worry, if you forget any of this along the way, I WILL remind you loudly and often. 

Sincerely,

Lisa


*and if you pass me on Saturday and hear me reminding my body and mind about these things, just smile and laugh WITH me, not AT me!  Good Luck to all racing this weekend! 

A Look Back at Where I Have Been - It is NOT Pretty

I have been doing a lot of reflecting these past few days trying to convince myself I have come a long way and am ready for this weekend.  It was interesting/scary/outright terrifying to really take a hard look at where I have been in roughly the last 15 years.

I went from 150something pounds, less than 10% body fat, a size 6/8, training 3-4 hours a day (yeah, single, no kids!) and feeling like my body could handle almost anything that came my way (except for perhaps those 26.2 miles of a marathon!) to, at my heaviest, 225 lbs (ouch, I actually WROTE that), Lord knows HOW much body fat, a size 16/18, aching feet and knees even when I got up in the morning from carrying all that weight, not being able to hoist myself up on a wave runner when fell off (that had to be one of the MOST humiliating moments of my life), depressed and introverted.  It was at this time that I sat in a reproductive endocrinologist's office hearing her say "You know, if you just lost some weight, you might just get pregnant."  I got angry, I was humiliated, I thought to myself "I have PCOS you B***ch, that is why I am fat, that is why I can't have a baby!"  And, that night, I just cried.  Looking back, it was partially the PCOS, it was the fertility meds, but is also was just such a deep hatred of all that was going on and of myself that led to a whole host of poor choices that manifested itself in my obesity (WOW, I just WROTE THAT!) and poor health (and don't forget self-loathing).  There are so many things I can look back at and say "hmmmm, that was an issue" or "that was seriously a poor habit/choice."  Those individual items are all posts on their own, and will be forthcoming.

But that Dr's words haunted me.  I joined WeightWatchers at work and lost 22 lbs.  And, suddenly, I found myself pregnant with my first little girl.  I don't think it was purely a function of weight, but I do think it was one of the factors.  I gained 60 pounds with my pregnancy.  But once she was born, I focused on providing a healthy home for her.  We were active (not training type active, but "family" type active), we ate right because, well, what I ate fed her through breast milk.  And, surprisingly, by her first birthday, I was 12 pounds under where I started my pregnancy.  By the time she was 18 months old, I was down to 160-something pounds.  And, truly, it was all from a lifestyle change - not intensive training.  That was 4 years ago.

In the last three to four years, my weight has gone up and down with two more pregnancies.  But each time, for the most part, I have returned to the same lifestyle I had developed as a result of caring about my child's eating habits, and, for the most part, I have been able to control my weight within ten pounds. 

I started training briefly after my second daughter turned one year old, saw some results, but quickly became pregnant with my son.  Again, I picked up training when he was about 5 months old.  Today I am down to 160-something pounds, verging on the 150's.  I am once again a size 8.  And, I FEEL good.  But really, my training makes me feel great and strong, but is not the reason for my weight loss - in fact, I am gaining a bit as I gain muscle mass.  The key has been lifestyle changes.  Portion control, quality of food, looking at food as a fuel rather than a social event, controlling alcohol intake, cooking, and having a "family active" lifestyle.  These elements are all the things I hope to share!  All in good time, one post at a time.

For whatever reason, I felt it was time for me to put this out there.  I know I talk a lot about my triathlon training - that is MY thing.  It just IS.  But that is not what this is all about - you don't need to do a Tri.  [but if you want to learn more about it, bring on the questions, because YOU CAN do a Tri, just ask - and just believe it!].  But I want to share what I have learned, what I have seen, what I have suffered through and enjoyed, hoping that I can inspire others to have that "family active" lifestyles.  Frankly, training for an event can come and go, but your healthy "family active" lifestyle is forever.

So, in short, I confess:  all of the above.  Thoughts and comments are more than welcome.

(WOW, I can't believe I just WROTE all THAT!)

The 5K Run: A Universal Motivator!

I now call a 5K run a universal motivator.  Why?  Well, it is simple - it is a motivator for so many people from varied backgrounds and at varied training levels, and, in my experience, one never regrets whatever 5K event they particpate in.  Here is why I reached this conclusion:

1.  Anyone can do this event.  Seriously, 5Ks are generally low key, stroller and pet friendly, and a lot of people WALK.  Now, you need to check all this out when you see an event you are interested in and if it doesn't fit for you, I am willing to bet you can find another 5K event that same day in your area that is a fit for you!  Walk, run, or walk/run and you are moving - every step counts and it is a great start to becoming more active or even, gulp, a runner!

2.  If you want to train to run a 5K there are lots of FREE options!  First, if you have tennis shoes in a reasonably good condition, some pants you can move in, and a road/field/sidewalk/whatever you can train for a 5K.  I know people who train for 5K's at the mall, in their neighborhood, at a lakeside trail, or strictly on a treadmill where NO ONE can see them!  You can also search for training plans that take you from the couch to a 5K in small baby steps.  Google "Couch to 5K" and you will find hundreds of free plans.  One free plan I found and like is this free plan at Beginnertriathlete.com.  Are you a tech junkie?  I know people doing a Couch to 5K training program (C25K) on their iphones and ipods, and probably a million other tech gadgets I don't own.  Googling "C25K podcast" or "C25K android" produced results, but I can't speak as to their value.  As I understand it the program will run while you listen to music and will tell you when to run and when to walk over a specified period of time taking you through workouts that incorporate longer and longer bursts of running over a series of weeks until you are running the whole thing (or almost the whole thing).  I wish I had an iphone or ipod!  And then I wish I had the time to learn how to use it!

3.  5K events are often and cheap!  Registering for a 5K is really inexpensive compared to other events.  Many events are twenty dollars or less, or are available by fundraising for a particular charity.  And, 5K events, at least in my area, are available (in multiples) EVERY weekend!  If you need help finding an event, you can just search on 5K and your town, or look on sites that are used for registering for such events like Active.com.  You can also look in your local paper, browse the bulletin board at your local sports equipment stores, or just ask someone at your gym.  Many running oriented sports retailers have free fun runs on the weekends as well.  One such store in my neighborhood is Roadrunner Sports. 

4.  Even if you are training for or running longer events or multisport events, a 5K event mixes up training and adds race day elements to your training.  By adding a 5K event into your training, you can find race day motivation to push harder and just have FUN, which can be sometimes hard to do as you push toward increased endurance levels.  Furthermore, during rest weeks or taper weeks in your training they can add some spice when you are frustrated by having to hold yourself back.  I was talking last night with an individual who was on a taper week in preparation for this weekend's Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene.  He was antsy to race and antsy about his taper week of training, but grinned as he said he PR'd his 5K this week.  Even at his level of training a 5K was a fun and motivational element in his taper week.  Furthermore, if you are struggling to reach a new pace level, like I am, running with others in a 5K race can allow you to mentally mark that higher pace for yourself so you can implement that pace in your training. 

So, if you are looking to begin a more active lifestyle, but just need that one thing to help you take that first step, whether it be walking or running, I challenge you to look into a 5K event!  Or, step back from your focus on longer events and spice up your training with a 5K event and you may add a new PR of your own!  And, if you are so inclined, tell me about it here and keep me posted on how it all works out! 

ALSO, if you are using a C25K app, as I know a few of my readers are, and can offer your review of the app, please share your views and recommendations in a comment or via email so I can share them on the blog!

And just a reminder, tomorrow I will fill everyone in on how my search for my perfect running shoe transpired and whether I fell off the treadmill at the store!

The Search for the Perfect Running Shoe!

I need new running shoes.  I have always been a buy the sale shoe off the shelf kind of gal.  I think I need to perhaps move beyond that practice.  So, I am reluctantly going to go to my favorite running store Roadrunner Sports to get fitted for running shoes.  Why am I reluctant?  Well, they make you run on a treadmill in the middle of the store.  I am that self-conscious!  I get butterflies just writing about it - how ridiculous is that!  I will be running in less than two weeks in front of a whole bunch of spectators at a race, and then two weeks later in one of the most festive race weekends in Washington!  I better get over that whole issue soon!

I know finding the right shoe is priceless.  I found a great shoe by chance, which has made running a whole lot easier.  I do think I can do even better if I get a formal fitting, particularly since I have very flat feet and week joints, so good shoes are absolutely necessary.  Best of all, the evaluation is free (well, in terms of dollars, not irrational stress!).  Now, bear in mind, I expect I will need to talk the person down into my budget range, but that is ok, it is a moderate budget for new shoes.

Even better, my local store at Kent Commons has ladies night Thursday night!  Come out and join in on the fun.  VIP members get 20% off and they are promising GREAT giveaways! 

I will update everyone on how the shoe hunt and fit go - please send any "don't fall on the treadmill in front of all those people" vibes my way! 

The Power of a Uniform!

As some may remember, I joined a Triathlon team in 2010 but two months in I found out I was expecting my third child.  Well, to make a long story short, I joined again this year.  Being part of that network has been so inspiring and led to some great opportunities to learn, workout, and just break out of my shell with regard to training.  It has been the best decision I could have made, for my personality, for training for multisport races.  The goals I have through this team keep me going and keep me accountable.  Being part of a team is priceless for me.

Well, my uniform arrived today.  My wonderful husband was kind enough to send me a picture at work to keep me motivated, and I can't tell you how excited I am and how proud I will be to wear it.  Here it is in all its glory:

Maybe I will have enough courage to get a picture of me in it to post as well (I am still working on coming out of that shell!)

For local readers who are interested in joining a fun group of people interested in multisport, check out Raise the Bar!

An Unintended Experiement on How NOT to Fuel Your Body.

For those of you that are Facebook Fans you may have seen that my run Friday morning was less than stellar! I started my normal warm up (stretching, then walking on the treadmill for 5 minutes at 3.5 - 3.8 mph). Then I started jogging at just under 5 mph. Within minutes I was just spent, and annoyed, and discouraged. I thought just push through it; it will ease as you get going. Just not the case. By 8 minutes into the run, I was kind of panicking by how horrible I felt. Two minutes later, I was back down to a walk.


I was discouraged and already thinking "If this happens, how on earth am I going to finish that 5K at the end of a sprint triathlon!" Oh, the power of negative thinking, right? Then I started to wonder why this was happening. I turned immediately to what had I eaten that previous day.


On Thursday I was extremely busy and on the run. I had those dreaded errands to run during lunch, my fridge and pantry were showing the signs of just not having the time to effectively shop for the week. I was late for work in the morning, so I grabbed a couple of bananas, and apple, and made myself a sandwich with two tablespoons of peanut butter and two slices of low calorie whole grain bread. I never ate breakfast, per se, but I had eaten half a banana before my run and shoved the rest in my mouth on my way out the door.


At 11 am I was hungry, so I decided to eat half my sandwich, but finished the whole thing (I was seriously hungry after running that morning and failing to eat any "real" breakfast). I ran my lunch time errands and, I was so proud of myself for not throwing a candy bar in with the Valentine's I needed to get for my child's preschool party the next day! I returned to work and ate a banana. That was it for the day before dinner.


We had planned on plain old baked chicken (we throw it in the oven with a sprinkling of bread crumbs), baked potatoes, and a vegetable. When I got home, it was more of the same craziness. My spouse, while trying to make my life easier, ordered a pizza. I didn't even know it until it arrived at the door. So, I ate two pieces of pizza. I love pizza, but know it is far from a nutritious meal, and I can usually always predict scale results after eating pizza the night before, and those results aren't results you hope to see (yes, I am using the pound goal, but perhaps this is a good thing in this circumstance!).


That was my day. I can't even recall, but I don't even think I had a glass of milk. I drank sufficient water, but that was about all that was sufficient about Thursday's diet!


It became clear why, 16 minutes into my run, I was spent. Now I had eaten a small pre run snack, but even that wasn't my usual snack. I usually eat half a banana with a tablespoon of peanut butter on it about 20 minutes before I run. Friday morning I skipped the peanut butter! So, even after eating very little protein the day before (a couple tablespoons of peanut butter, maybe some negligible protein in my pizza in the cheese and ham) I further deprived my body of protein by skipping it in my usual pre-run "snack!" And, right after that epiphany, my stomach gave a little confirmation by growling out of hunger.


So, some things I have taken away from my unintentional experiment:


1. Plan my week better, recognize deficiencies in my nutritional supplies, and try to stock up so I don't find myself hungry for lack of variety of nutritious foods.


2. Be creative if you find yourself depleted in time, money, or just sanity, to think about nutrition. I was so excited I passed up on the candy bar, but couldn't I have found myself something suitable to eat? I passed three grocery stores on my errands, and I could have simply even stopped and gotten some deli meat for a snack (and eaten it with the uneaten apple I had brought from home) and perhaps added a small container of low fat milk, and given my body more of what it requires to just operate!


3. Communicate more effectively. If I had been better at communicating my need to eat a well balanced healthy dinner I could have avoided the unnecessary purchase of a pizza by a well meaning spouse. Our chicken dinner for four may have cost $5-$7 but instead we spend $14.00 on a pizza (and that was with a 50% off coupon!).


4. Have a plan to execute the healthy dinner as I walk in the door. I was seriously stressed. If I had communicated my needs as discussed in (3) and then had a plan to get it started as soon as I walked in the door, it would have been cooking and ready as I dealt with all the other insanity while it was cooking. All it would have taken would have been thinking about the plan for less than 5 minutes of my 30 minute commute.


Many of the things I learned are subjects I have a million ideas and confirmed tricks to deal with, but even I have crazy days where they are not so second nature as to kick in when things get a little nutty.


Now, in my Facebook post I also mentioned how my horrific run turned into something positive. I am not forgetting that part, believe me! When I hit the treadmill on January 4, 2010, I noticed and committed to memory my distance at thirty-five minutes. Even with walking more than usual on Friday, and admittedly struggling and feeling horrible, questioning my abilities, and then being frustrated with my lack of attention to nutrition for the previous 24 hours, I reached that distance 3.5 minutes sooner than I had January 4. And, here I thought how my workout was such a failure - but really, that failure was still so much better than my "best" had been not even a month and a half before! That was inspiring! So much so, although I had planned to quit, I added another run interval and kept moving for 10 minutes more than I had planned as my run began to fall apart!


So, here is the question for you, my readers - When you have a crazy day, what is one thing you can have readily on hand to provide adequate nutrition to fuel your body? And, can you make it a priority to make sure this weekend, as you hit some store, you be sure you pick some up to have it on hand? Let me know what you decide on and how it works out for you!

What are your LIMITS?

Frequently what stops me from succeeding at a goal are what I like to think of as my Limits. I don't mean my physical limits, but the more practical, mostly mental, Limits that allow me have excuses or allow me to rationalize why I didn't take that first step towards success. We all have them, and they are very personal. But at the same time, I have found them to be very common, in a general sense, to every person. You can't move forward until you recognize what has held you where you are for however long you have been stationary in that one place. My theme has become "Exceed your Limits, one step at a time and one day at a time!" I want to start by sharing my Limits, and ask that you share yours.

1. Time. I am a mom of two kids under 5. I also work full time. My time is limited for finding time to work out, time to plan meals, time to think about choices (whether it be food, type of workout, or just how to spend the little time I have that is not accounted for by kids or work).


2. Money. Let's face it, times have changed for almost all Americans. I am no exception. Gone are the days of reckless spending. Gone are the days of not worrying about where the money will come from for next week's groceries, next month's mortgage, or that random purchase of some luxury item, big or small. Gone are the days of purchasing something without a small thought of whether your paycheck will be deposited next month. Now, I plan every purchase, from food to clothes, to the occasional fitness gear purchase, to a penny. I use coupons, I read money saving blogs, and, I forego a lot of things or find perhaps a less expensive, and usually a compromise in quality, alternative.


3. Motivation. This is always an issue. Sometimes it is about being selfish, because I can usually find a reason to avoid taking that first step because it takes away time or effort from my children, from my job, from managing the family finances, from whatever someone else needs from me. Other times it is just a plain inability to realize that even one little step (e.g. going for a walk even if it isn't a 5K run) is a step in the right direction. Motivation is also inextricably linked to accountability for me. If I am not accountable for taking those steps, day by day, to someone other than myself, I can rationalize letting myself down (perhaps another Limit is self respect?). I need to be accountable.


4. Confidence. This is perhaps, for me, where my current physical limitations factor in the most. I can't run 8 miles on a group run, so, I don't go. I am SLOW.....so I am embarrassed to let others see how slow I am. When I can overcome my own lack of confidence, though, and actually SHOW UP I find it was NOTHING to be worried about. There is usually someone I can maintain with, and even if there isn't, pushing to do what I can usually reveals I can do a lot more than I thought! It is a daily struggle, one step at a time, one day at a time.


5. Knowledge. Sometimes I examine my choices and I just don't know enough about each choice to make an informed decision. For example, I need to get out on my bike to train. I want to explore purchasing a used bike since my current bike is really undersized. I am paralyzed because I don't know where to start. I struggled and struggled, and actually avoided the issue because, well, I just didn't know how to even take the first step. I then had the opportunity to speak to a bike rep recently who, in 15 minutes, answered some questions and sent me in the right direction. I don't have a new bike, but just knowing the direction I want to head, has moved me past paralyzed and has me looking forward to getting out there on my current bike until I can find what I want (of course, I still need to exceed my money limitation, but that is the next step!)


It is from these Limits that this blog was born. I have learned many ways of dealing with these Limits that I believe, if shared with others, will be helpful to promote success in healthy living for others and, honestly, our children. I can predict that every post on this blog will somehow be related to how I exceed my Limits that I shared above. This blog is, itself, a way I deal with a Limit. By sharing and putting a burden on myself to share and help others with the same struggles in everyday life, I have added motivation to keep me moving forward and accountability to fuel that motivation. In addition, if we share money saving ideas, we can all exceed the Money Limit. I plan to share healthy deals on this blog either from my readers or from my own research.


So, here is where YOU come in. I need to know YOUR Limits. Why, you ask? I truly do want this to be a resource for my readers, not a personal story of my journey. Everyone has different Limits and I want to know yours so I can perhaps add to our collective community Limits and become a resource for exceeding Limits that perhaps are not on my main list.


So, Welcome! And Please Join In- leave a comment with your Limits and briefly describe them so I can see what Limits you, my readers, are facing. This is an open invitation to leave these comments at any time, it is an ongoing process. Not able to exceed the Confidence Limit yet and post a public comment, email me at brickstrainingmomma@gmail.com. I can't wait to hear from you and learn more about what Limits you will exceed, one step at a time one day at a time! 

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