After finishing her first half-marathon last spring, Laura regained all the weight she lost. Her biggest nutrition challenge is eating a balanced diet: she starts drinking coffee at 8am and doesn’t actually eat until 2pm. She joined the weight-loss challenge to lose 15 pounds and make running a permanent part of her life.
I fell off the wagon. Hard. For the last three weeks, my weight has hovered at 170, and I was okay with that. I knew I was eating better, putting in time at the gym or on the road, and took comfort in the fact that my % body fat was decreasing. I convinced myself I was building muscle and didn’t need to worry about what the scale said as long as my clothes were fitting better and I was feeling more fit.
And then this weekend came. Friday, after a long flu-filled week of work, I got to go with the youth group at my church to a concert a few hours away. After arriving in my bed around 3am Friday night, I knew that the 7am group run was off. Not to worry, I had a friend coming today who I LOVE running with! However, it rained all day and the afternoon birthday party I had planned for my friend Lisa ended up being an all day event. (I couldn’t imagine doing 8 miles on a treadmill anyway!) The weekend was also peppered with eating out and then having a house full of people and snacks all day today. I do not regret having a Sunday full of friends, laughter, and good food—in fact, I could not live without these things. The company of people I love was the perfect antidote for a hard week.
However, I know I need to find balance. My primary goal for agreeing to do this running program/food plan was to learn skills to incorporate into my busy life that would make me healthier. Throwing away the rules (like skipping a long run and eating junk) when life gets hectic is the opposite of what I should be working towards. I need to have the discipline of a healthy lifestyle (and some non-negotiable rules) so that when the busy/long/fun days come, I won’t fall off the wagon again.
Cold and flu season hit hard this week. Our clinic has been slammed with patients who have the flu, and I’m almost doubling the number of people I usually see. This means earlier mornings, later nights, and harder work. Although I am not the least bit sick (yay for flu shots!), I feel like I have all the symptoms my patients have been reporting: headache, backache, and feeling like I just got hit by a truck, just from the longer days. It also turned out to be the type of week where something is planned every night, so there is little down time. This is one of those weeks you have to force yourself to keep up your workout routine; it’s not about fun, and sadly it’s not even about stress relief, right now it’s just that I’m going to be in a race in May and that I’m typing a blog for the best running magazine around. On a more positive note, Monday night I left a friend’s house after nine and still hadn’t done any cross training for the day. I wanted to just skip it, but instead I passed my gym on the way home so I decided to stop. It pays to keep extra workout clothes in the car! did about 40 minutes on the elliptical machine before my gym closed at ten. It’s not that I’m not that proud of the 40 min on an elliptical machine, but I am very proud I stopped at the gym at all, when what I really wanted to do was go home.
I’m finding that my biggest flaw is that I eat so much worse when I’m tired. Instead of sticking to the week’s meal plan I made at the grocery store, I am much more likely to order out for lunch, pick up a quick dinner (even if it’s “healthy”) from a fast food place, or eat any and all that friend is serving.
I’ll admit it; I skipped my long run with my group yesterday. The running partner I’ve been keeping pace with couldn’t make it, so I would have been waking up at 5:30am to drive 1/2 an hour to another town to run alone; this did not sound appealing after a long week. However, what made this decision much easier was the fact that I was going hiking instead!
My friend Holly wanted to hike the Pinnacle in Sylva, NC. Last year when I first hiked this trail, I thought it was ridiculous—straight up a mountain FOREVER with little scenery along the way—but after seeing the payoff (a beautiful view above several mountain ridges) I never questioned it again. It is spectacular! I had done the trail once before and thought it totaled about 5 miles. Apparently Holly did not believe in such meager hikes, so we took an alternate route and hiked up a mountain 3.5 miles, spent some time soaking in the view above the world, and then 3.5 back down. Needless to say, I was sore in some new places this morning! My friend mentioned she used to RUN to the top, and I almost vomited. But…it would be a good place to train closer to my race day…
Today, I actually did do a 7 mile long run. It felt great to loosen up some muscles that were sore from the hike the day before, but I was struggling at the end. I didn’t have any significant muscle or joint pain, but felt very short of breath even though I was running at a normal (if not easier pace). Holly ran with me today, was kind enough to follow my run/walk plan, and never made me feel like I was a wus for taking walk breaks.
There has been much discussion among my friends about runners and run/walkers. Apparently these are difficult groups to mix and many an argument has started over which is better for new runners, long distance runners, and how people of different camps can train together (or even be married to one another). I love running with my friends who don’t take walk breaks. Honestly, I like running with anyone. But I do always feel guilty, like I’m holding them back from their full enjoyment of the run. Pure runners, know that we run/walkers enjoy just hitting the road with you, but don’t regret that desire to sprint on ahead while I’m catching my breath.
I am not, and never have been a music person. Oh, I listen to the radio and enjoy music, but I’m not the type to have a large CD collection, follow the music industry, or have friends identify me as a fan of one particular music genre. In all honesty, I have been a music sponge for most of my life, soaking up the good things around me and holding onto them for years.
With the introduction of XM Radio and the ipod, my music consumption changed dramatically. XM came first. When I moved to a small town in the North Carolina mountains a little more than a year ago, I quickly realized I could only get one country music station and NPR on my radio. Though I love both, I need variety in life; variety that my paltry CD collection did not provide. After listening to XM, I actually learned which artists when with which songs—it says so right there on the screen! Soon, an ipod was needed to ensure that I could take said songs with me. (Coincidently, I also got the ipod to make NPR podcasts portable.)
I have found that listening to music is helping my running dramatically. I enjoy it all pop and country; old and new, but realize that the songs I enjoy when hanging out at my house are VERY different from the ones that get me moving. A strong beat makes the time pass quickly on the road or in the gym and, on occasion, even gets me going a little faster than normal.
Here are some songs that are helping me log the miles:
Into the Night, Santana feat. Chad Kroeger
Paralyzer, Finger Eleven
Crank That, Soulja Boy—just typing that embarrasses me
Low, T-pain
I’ll be Waiting (slower, but good beat) and American Woman, Lenny Kravitz
Our Time Now, Plain White T’s
The Great Escape, Boys Like Girls
Thnks Fr Th Mmrs, Fall Out Boy (I like this song less just seeing that real words aren’t in the title)
Are You Gonna Be My Girl, JET
I would love more suggestions on songs that get YOU moving to add to my running playlist!
In life, I set goals and, after many small steps, usually achieve each task I set out to do. I am not one to slack on my personal and professional aspirations. Fortunately, my family instilled in me a positive attitude and a strong work ethic, so quitting has never been an option for me: except with exercising. Maybe it’s because exercising has always seemed like an extra-curricular, just a bonus to an otherwise full day. If I need to relax my rigid rules on one thing, usually it ends up being the end of the day workout.
All that to say this week has been the best running week I have ever had! Not just because I completed all the miles and didn’t miss any cross training, but because I enjoyed each day and felt great after each run. I learned that the sense of satisfaction that comes with completing tasks well carries over into the physical world as well. I think eating better this week has also had some positive effects: 1) I didn’t feel guilty for not eating well and 2) There’s probably some real merit to the idea that the type of food we put into our bodies has an immediate (as well as long term) benefit or consequence because I truly feel great.
This feeling is something that I want to hold on to for the days ahead.
I love my job! Yesterday my boss covered for me and saw patients in the clinic and let me run while it was still daylight outside! I got to run on a beautiful (but hilly) road near my office--it's always nice to get to run in new places. Randomly, my clinic has a shower, so I just come back, get cleaned up, and get back to work. My boss would cover for me while I ran long before I got to blog about it, but it’s just nice to get to thank him like this!
My brother told me about it, so I’ve got to thank him here as well. It’s free and easy to use. You should try it!! You can log in what you eat, and the website counts calories, assess nutrients, and tells you what percentage is protein, carbs, or fat. It also suggests foods you might like based on foods you have already entered. I like the fact that it gives each food a “grade” A, B, C, etc. and then averages your grade for the day. Once you have a few days logged in, you can analyze how well you’ve been doing all together. This site also has a place to log in exercise and shows how many calories you have burned. I like that for “running” you have to specify how many mph or what your time is for each mile and it calculates the calories accordingly.
Proud moment: Becoming invested in really examining my diet and not just logging miles.
Guilty moment: (please note it blows my proud moment out of the water) Eating at Taco Bell when I was out of town and had no food packed! (I’ve decided eating out like this is only permissible for me at the end of every month…)
I felt a little better on Thursday and tried to run on the treadmill after work. The guilt of not exercising all week was bothering me, so I tried to get caught up even though my body was petitioning for more rest. After about a mile, my asthma flared up—this usually only happens when I’m sick or when I’m severely deconditioned—so I knew I wasn’t really over this cold. Once this begins, there’s not much I can do to reverse the effects except take medication and rest. I left the gym defeated.
Friday I woke up feeling like a new woman! Breathing through my nose all night was a simple pleasure I had forgotten, and my cough was almost gone! Even though the night before at the gym had been miserable, I think it really helped me get over the cold. (I will have to remember this next time I’m sick.) I worked all day at a new second job, filling in at a local pediatrician’s office because of few of the doctors had health problems. At lunch out with this new staff, I was tempted to over eat because we went to a favorite Mexican restaurant, but was very happy with the chicken soup I ordered full of fresh vegetables.
Saturday’s long run was fun because my friend Kaycee decided to join our running group. Luckily she called and woke me up just in time to meet her and drive together to the group. (Sleeping in my running clothes saved me from meeting everyone late!) Kaycee is an experienced runner, but was looking to build up miles safely, so I suggested my Mountain Miler group. We only ran 2:1 for four miles (my usual group was doing 7 miles at 3:1) because she was a beginner to the longer distances we were aiming for, but I was SO thankful we chose that plan. Kaycee was barely breathing hard at the end of our cold run, but I had to walk a few extra times because I was so short of breath. I left Saturday happy only because a new friend had decided to join us, but pretty disappointed in myself because of the ground I had lost due to this illness.
After church on Sunday, I was in the town where my running group meets. I called my friend Lorri who lived in that town; she was my first running partner in 2007. Neither of us had ever run before starting in January of that year. We trained for the Louisville half-marathon together, but she was faithful in training after the race was over when I was not, so now she is in great shape. After going through a divorce earlier in the year running really helped Lorri refocus, build confidence, and meet new people. I knew that a Sunday run with the quick paced Lorri would help me get back into my rhythm. We ran 3 miles 3:1 and I felt really good when I finished, tired but happy with my effort. I know that if I stick to my schedule this upcoming week, I will be back on track!
Proud moment: (I’m excited I’ve lost 6 lbs in 2 weeks!) Instead of cooking fattening southern foods for my friends last night like usual, I grilled fish, sautéed zucchini and squash, and steamed asparagus and everyone was happy!
Guilty moment: I ate calorie and sugar laden Twizzlers yesterday, only a few. I understand they are of zero nutritional value, but they were delicious.
Weight: 172.2 lbs % Body Fat: 35.9 % Body Water: 45.8
Confession: I have not worked out since Sunday.
Defense: I am sick. Seriously, fevers, productive cough, the whole nine-yards. One would think that working in medicine, I would have built up a better immune response to the winter ‘crud’, but no such luck. Apparently, washing your hands compulsively is no match for the sheer volume of patients we have seen with bronchitis this season.
One pro is that I learned who was in my support system. I would like to take a moment to thank all of the friends and family members who called or emailed me in the past few days, and upon discovering I had not been running, nagged me about ‘getting back out there.’ I appreciate your concern for my health! But really, I do appreciate all the encouragement. Thank you so much!
Another pro is that my diet has not suffered. Though I may not have eaten all the protein I was supposed to, I definitely did not over eat or eat junk so far this week. However, I would have much rather chosen to abstain from too many carbs voluntarily.
The con: I’m scared I have lost momentum and what little stamina I have mustered thus far. The bags are packed to hit the gym before going to work, so hopefully I will have some energy tomorrow...
Weight: 173.4 lbs Body Fat % 36.3 % Body Water: 45.9 BMI: 26.0
Thursday: Woke up and realized my knees didn’t hurt! I began the day very thankful. Also woke up to find 3-4 inches of snow outside, although it was warm enough to already start melting. I erroneously assumed that my clinic would be closed due to snow, so I slept through my workout time and packed a gym bag to take to the clinic (in the hopes I would be told to head back home). To my surprise, the roads were void of any snow or ice so a full day of seeing patients was in store. I had made dinner plans with my best friend Katie (in another state), so I thought my workout would have to be skipped. I was making concessions in my head to exchange the 2.5 mile run of today with my off day on Friday (feeling guilty for not finishing out even the first week as planned), when I realized I got back into town around 9pm. In a last minute decision, with a belly fully of spinach ravioli, I ran my miles and strides at the gym as planned! It felt so good to complete the scheduled workout, going slower but without any stops or knee pain. Katie and I had split an entrée so I wasn’t disgustingly full, and (like a true best friend should) she had encouraged me to get back and get into the gym before it closed.
Friday: Off day! Spoke to Lisa Dorfman about my nutrition. She reported, from the sample diet I submitted a few unanticipated facts.
1. I wasn’t eating enough. She stated I wasn’t getting all the calories I needed. I was shocked. One day I even submitted what I normally order at a local Mexican restaurant (grilled chicken, rice, beans)—EVERYONE over eats when they go out for Mexican! The chips and salsa alone should put me over the top!
2. What I was eating was junk. Mostly carbs, read sugar. Not nearly enough fruits and vegetables. Very small amounts of milk or dairy. Not enough protein.
3. I wasn’t drinking enough water and needed more vitamins. The water part I knew, I tell patients all day long to drink more water, but usually maxed out with about 4 glasses per day myself. In addition to a multivitamin, Lisa wanted me to take calcium supplements, B vitamins, and some drink powders I’m still not convinced about.
4. My eating pattern was setting me up for weight GAIN. By starving myself until 1-2pm, then eating larger quantities of food in the afternoon and evening , my body would store more fat. She suggested eating smaller meals all throughout the day. I have heard this many times, but fear it will be hard to put into practice.
Saturday: Runner’s World sent photographer Coke Whitworth to meet me and the Mountain Milers before our early Saturday long run to take some group shots. The forecast had been for snow to start around 3am, so we were all expecting a beautiful chilly start, but luckily the snow held off. Admittedly, I was very nervous about being photographed. I mistakenly assumed a photographer would be judgmental or rude (especially to a non-athlete like myself), but Coke was so nice to everyone in the group. He made me feel less self conscious for the photos and was genuinely interested in all the people he met in our little town. Thanks so much Coke!
Later in the day, I still needed to get my long run in. I had errands to finish, and by the time the pictures and the errands were over it was 1 pm and the snow was coming down hard. For the first time ever, I ran with my ipod. This changed everything. I ran 5 miles by myself, in the snow, on the pretty greenway in Franklin. With my music, I ran faster than normal and NEVER looked at my watch until it beeped to change pace. When the miles were finished I was actually disappointed that I was back at my car. Finishing with snow in my hair and caked on my sweatshirt, happy, tired, and still wanting more, I have never felt more like a runner.
Sunday: My friend Bekah met me on the greenway for an easy paced 2 mile run. It is so nice having someone to run with! Our two miles were finished long before our conversation was, and we vowed to run again together soon to finish our talks. Thanks for your support Bekah (and for running slowly for me
Today was the first day I really tried to adhere to the diet Lisa Dorfman set for me. It was hard to comply with when you haven't been to the grocery store! For the next few days I'll be sending her a list of what (and when) I ate and am excited about getting her feedback.
I will continue the 3:1 ratio for the upcoming week. For the record, Christine Hinton replied very quickly to my concerns about my knees. She stated she feared the unfamiliar spinning in combination with the running was most likely the culprit for the knee pain. She apologized for pushing the ratio up, but I reminded her that I was the one who convinced her I was ready to increase my running time. She advised ice (not heat) and to get back in it when I was feeling good. Again, I am so thankful for all the help and support.
Wow, starting Christine Hinton’s plan has worn me out!
Monday: I had the day off from work, so I got to go to a spinning class at my gym for cross training. I have always wanted to try spinning, but it’s difficult to find a class that isn’t in the middle of a weekday. It was so much fun! The hardest part was adjusting the bike at the beginning. (Okay, that’s a lie, the toughest part was peddling up ‘hills’ or against increased resistance, but getting the bike situated was no picnic). Our instructor, Mary Kay, was knowledgeable, encouraging, and teasing. She learned all of our names, then used this information against us. She would say things like, “Obviously, Jimmy’s hill isn’t as steep as everyone else’s. Look at how easily he is peddling!” We would all look at Jimmy before we could stop ourselves, then Jimmy was sheepishly forced to increase his resistance. I think I got a pass because it was my first time, but I’ll be ready for Mary Kay the next time I get to go to her class.
Tuesday: I was pretty psyched when I saw the running schedule. 2 Ω miles! Only 4 strides! 3:1 run:walk! This would be no problem. (and looking ahead, I know I have to savor the easy days) I have enjoyed using the Galloway style method as a beginning runner. I don’t think I would have ever begun to run if my Mountain Miler group hadn’t started me off at 1:1 and I saw how manageable it was to gradually build up time and distance. However, this ended up being a pretty rough workout, despite appearances. The winter weather moved in, and when I got finished with work it was dark and less than 25 degrees, so my track run was off. At the gym on a treadmill, I ran 3:1 for just ˘ of a mile and for the first time in almost a year both my knees were hurting. I stopped, walked around, then resumed the treadmill, not believing I hadn’t even finished a mile. I had felt so good on Sunday running outdoors! I got back on, resumed my pace, and ˘ of a mile into it my knees were killing me, but I made myself finish the mile. I had ˘ more to go, so I slowed down my pace (while keeping the 3:1 ratio) and ended up doing another mile then walking for about 5 minutes to cool down. After crunches my knees were feeling better, so I did the 4 strides outside in the parking lot. Even after stretching, once I cooled down, both knees were aching (in the joint, not the ligaments) and this pain persisted the next day.
Looking back, there were several things I should have changed:
1. I jumped into the 3:1. Even though this ratio may be ridiculously easy for the majority of readers, I had not consistently been running 2:1 long enough to transition to 3:1. The Galloway plan is all about “running injury free,” but to do this, you have to build up slowly.
2. It was probably not smart to try something like spinning (which can be hard on the knees) at the same time as increasing running time.
3. I don’t have a good “easy” speed at the gym. Outside, I can tell if I’m running too hard, but on a treadmill, my judgment is off. I felt a lot better once I slowed down my speed.
The plan is to talk to Christine to see what she thinks is best.
Wednesday: Popping Ibuprofen and using heat helped the knees some, but I’m taking it easy so I can run tomorrow. For cross training, I only did a Pilates video to strengthen my core and I’m not feeling guilty about that one bit!
Guilty Moment: Eating an obscene amount of sushi Tuesday night (right before I weighed in the next day). I’m reminding myself this bi-weekly weighing needs to factor in more! So excited about having a plan with Lisa laid out in the next few days so I can stick to a routine like I am with the workouts.
Proud Moment: Keeping up with the veterans in my spinning class and hanging with the program for the entire 75 minutes.
