Ups and Downs…
blah, blah, blah…
I (not that any of you noticed) haven’t felt much like blogging for the past few days. I’ve been a little down- to say the least.
Which is interesting, as I think about it… just now, as I’m typing this… that there are at least 5 bloggers that I avidly read that have felt similarly “down” at some point in the last couple of weeks… weird.
Anyway, I’ll back up to Saturday. Jess and I dragged our husbands to Medieval Times! We all actually had a super great time!
After reading the knight descriptions on the Medieval Times website, we carefully selected the Black and White knight, and decked ourselves out accordingly. Lucky for us, there was room in that section, and so we were totally sporting his colors for the big tournament! (hehe.)
Please excuse the lousy quality of these pics, as I only had my phone to take shots with that night.
I ordered the vegetarian plate which, actually, TOTALLY ROCKED. We were all blown away by the food. Now, that isn’t to say that it was the best food ever… it was just significantly better than we suspected! (roasted veggie skewer, tomato soup, garlic bread, hummus w/ pita chips, portobello cap stuffed with rice, black bean, and cranberry pilaf…YUM!)
Anyway, we had a great time. 
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Sunday…
I woke up sunday with an ache in my chest, but didn’t think too much of it. I went for a 3 mile run, and while my chest did ache, I didn’t care much, and did a good job. I did continue to ache for the rest of the night though.
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Monday
Yesterday, the ache was still there… so shortly after arriving at work, I decided it was probably best, as the pain was slightly to the left, and had persisted for over 24 hours.
The doctor did run an EKG, but ultimately determined that in all likelihood, I have costochondritis, which is – for all intents and purposes- benign. But it does suck.
What also sucks, is that she has to rule out other heart related conditions, even though she is pretty sure that this is what I have… (not that I’m bothered by that!) Which means that she wants me to “take it easy” until my tests, in 2 weeks.
… *crickets chirping*
um…. my freaking LAST RUN of the c25k program is this week, and my big 5k is SATURDAY! The 5k that I’ve been working, sweating, and training for, is Saturday!!
I explained it to her, and she said it would be fine for me to run once more before Saturday, and that running Saturday would be okay, but that for the week after the race, I need to take it easy until my tests are done.
This isn’t an excuse to be sedentary, I’m still able to do yoga whenever I’d like, but my run training (or any other highly taxing cardio) should eas up until she knows for sure. (T-Minus 12 days and counting!)
I guess this is as good a time as any, because I’m finishing the c25k plan tomorrow (Wednesday) when I do my last 30ish minute run… and because after Saturday, I’ll have completed that goal. I guess there isn’t any great problem with taking a week off, before starting my 10k training plan. However, I’m thinking I’ll ask her if I can come in a bit earlier, so that I can get my clean bill and get back on the road.
I can’t believe I’m CRAVING running. That is a trip.
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Anyway, fast forward to Today and I’m just freakin’ blue. I’m sad that I’m in a groove and have to take a small detour. It is just annoying. Also, I’m really regretting signing up for the biggest loser competition at work, because for me… weight loss, health, and fitness is a slow PROCESS, and I don’t like feeling pressure to weigh less, when I know that the scale is the least reliable way to measure fitness.
So, I’m feeling blue, and while I’m not totally certain, I can only assume that it is to be attributed to the constant EFFFFFFFING pain in my chest for the last 3 days, and with the just blah mood, as well as that fitness stuff.
Anyway, I’m stoked about my last run tomorrow, and my race Saturday, so I’ll try to pick up my spirits and keep you posted on those updates.
win some, lose some
Well, I was certainly back on the healthy food wagon today, after a weekend fraught with a few crappy-for-me-meals. It is great to know that a few bad meals won’t throw my plans off terribly. It means that I’ve really gained a healthy understanding food. Eating a crap meal doesn’t mean I’m bad, or stupid, or weak willed, or a failure. It just means that I chose to eat a cupcake. The End. It is nice to not be tortured by my choices. 
Today, I had a multi-grain cheerios breakfast… not exciting, but pretty good.
At around 10, I had some baby carrots and almonds… Its CRAZY how much I’m starting to love almonds!
For lunch, I tried something new, I had a flat out light wrap*, with some left over smoked turkey breast, some hummus, a few crumbles of feta and a CRAP LOAD of kale.
*I freaking HATED that stupid flat out wrap!!! It was nasty! I don’t know why… it should be relatively tortilla-y right? But it seemed to be almost doughy in the middle, and very flour-y on the outside, and had VERY little taste… even whole grain taste is delish… this had NONE. Anyone have any insight on this?
Anyway, I knew I had run training tonight, so, I had a pretty high cal afternoon snack of strawberries, crackers, and delish Peanut Butter & Co PB (Bee’s Knees -honey flavored! ) Those strawberries were among the best I’ve EVER had! I’m so glad I got 2 packages.
For dinner, since my baby wasn’t feeling so hot, I whipped up some chicken voila! (hehe) which was totally adequate… it isn’t exciting, but that’s what those kinds of meals are for!
Tonight, I topped it all off with a cozy treat… I had some hot chocolate! YUM!!
On the workout front, I had a pretty big fail today. I wanted to do a great run, especially coming off my Sunday fffk run, but I got out there, and everything went wrong. I was in a great mood, but I couldn’t breathe properly, my legs felt weird, my knees were tight, my ankles felt wrong… it was just WRONG. I kept making deals with myself and breaking them, which is very unlike me when I run. I’d say, “run until the end of this song”… but I just couldn’t do it. It made me feel horrible! Finally, I made a final push, and told myself that I could call it a day, but only if I jogged the rest of the way home, so, I did. (probably about .75 miles) I only logged about 1.75 ish miles running today… It was disappointing, but again, its nice to be able to give myself a break, and know that sometimes you can push through, but sometimes, you can only do what you can do.
I’ll leave you with some cuteness! Dala loooooooooooves Harry Potter, almost as much as me!
quick update: c25k
I just got back from my last run of week 6. Only 3 more weeks to go!!! I can hardly believe it!
Today, after my 5 minute warm up walk, I took off. I am still keeping a purposely slow pace, because I’m still a bit nervous that if I push too fast too soon, I’ll cap out before I want to.
So, I set off, and in 25 minutes, I went 1.92 miles! I ran 23 minutes and 30 seconds without stopping, when I was BLINDSIDED by a screaming cramp/stitch in my right side! I was stopped, involuntarily by the pain, it surprised me so much. I’d been taking great care to breathe fully and deeply. I walked for about 30 seconds, took off running, and my podcast queen comes in almost immediately and says, “1 minute left, really push it!”
DAMN!
So, technically I ran for 24:30… stupid stitch.
But all in all, I’m pretty proud.
In related news, I have ankles!! Like, actual ankles! hehe.
My first runner’s high…
Good evening bloggers!
I wanted to blog about my completely wonderful, WONDERFUL experience
on Tuesday. I’m on week 6 of c25k, and so Tuesday was a run day, but I
wasn’t so sure about it when I got home. I was tired, grumpy, and had
a pretty rotten day all together. It was my special time of the month,
and I was just totally dreading it.
When I stepped outside after work, however, my whole outlook changed.
It was a GLORIOUS February day in North Texas, a perfect 63ish
degrees, sun still shining, and… I became pretty excited about it by
the time I got home.
So, I strapped on my beautiful kicks, and my forerunner 50, and set
off. My www.kissmyblackass.org podcast was a glorious mix of 80s
songs, and it was just weird. All of the sudden, I’m running, and my
pace is good! My best, I think! At least it certainly felt fast, and
my legs were really moving. My knees were really lifting and my heels
really kicking back. I FELT like a runner.
I was reading one of the MANY awesome blogs I’m subscribed to, and I
came across the lovely Mrs. Thinspired talking about what makes one a
runner. (http://www.thinspiredblog.com/?p=4600) She referenced a post
that I read, and forgot to respond to over @ healthy tipping point
(http://www.healthytippingpoint.com/2009/01/what-makes-someone-runner.html),
and I have to say, that if anyone had asked me in that moment if I was
a runner, I would have shouted a resounding YES.
For anyone keeping score, I couldn’t jog a 1/4 mile 6 weeks ago.
It is never too late to make a positive change in your life. Never.
I conquered.
So, I’ve been busting my booty, working out and counting calories (which is not cumbersome as you might imagine with websites like sparkpeople and the daily plate.), and I’ve been seeing BIG changes to my body.
One of the most exciting things I’ve been doing is the c25k, and its been a few weeks since I’ve posted, but let me just tell you, I’m being transformed! Prior to starting this program, I’ve never run a mile straight through without stopping… ever. Well, on a whim, I decided to sign up for the 5k that was happening just minutes from my house, and knowing it would be a relatively small event, I was pretty excited.
I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to run the whole thing, because, I’m only on week 3 of c25k, and haven’t even run a mile straight in the program yet. Nevertheless, I decided that I was capable of seeing this event as MY race. If I focused only on MY pace, and MY body, I would be able to push myself in a healthy way… I might even pull a mile without stopping…
Well… I won’t bait you further! I didn’t stop to walk until 1.25 MILES had passed, (at which point my, now rejected sportline hrm, completely betrayed me and I lost all my data) thats right! I ran a mile! The first mile EVER!
I definitely had to walk some during miles 2 and 3… (am I the only one who was surprised in their first 5k just how far 3 miles is on foot!?), but I finished… and I pushed at the end, jogging about the last half mile straight to the finish.
I was beaming, (and crying just a smidge) because I was so proud. As I was catching my breath, I remember saying to Daron through misty eyes, “I… I can do anything.”
This race symbolized so much to me. It represented my focus… my dedication to a healthy life. It also showed me that I am limited only by my desires, and if I want to change, I need only to decide to.
When I crossed the finish line (my first finish line) a bunch of people flew through my head… my babe, who encourages me, just by being proud… JESS, who calls me svelte every day, and is a constant encouragement… my mom, who said I could do anything long before I ever believed her… Angie–who I don’t really know, but who managed to set my feet in motion…
I’m so glad I’m on this path, and I can’t wait for my next run.
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Results and PicturesBIB 612
AGE 25
RANK 190
TIME 42:20.1
PACE 13:39/M(google readers, you’ll need to come to my page to see pics.
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