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New Year

Friday, January 1st, 2010

2009 has officially come to a close, and we’re now ushering in a new year, full of hope and promise. It’s funny: Millions of people make resolutions on New Year’s Day, but I prefer to split hairs and say that I don’t make resolutions – I set goals. I tend to set goals throughout the entire year, not merely on January 1st, but it’s a nice round place to start.

The past year had a lot of positive things to it for me health-wise. Thanks to The Hot 100 challenge, I really feel like I ended 2009 on a high note: I’ve steadily increased my runs, so that I’m running both more often and further. That’s the biggest thing I wanted to work on and I’m happy to say that I nailed it. In fact, I’ll be doing a half marathon in a few short months (!) I can’t wait to officially begin training for it! Who would have ever thought that?

I still have no idea where I am weight-wise. I’ve been traveling a lot over the holidays and I haven’t been with my own scale on a Friday in a few weeks. I don’t think that I made it down to 172 as I had hoped, but I’m ok with that. As much as I hate to be a lemming and follow the masses with vows of weight loss at the beginning of the year, it does tend to get me pumped up about eating better and working out more, so I’m confident I’ll be posting great numbers in no time!

I’m also looking forward to settling back in and cooking again. I never thought I’d miss making dinner, but I’ve really started to enjoy it: Choosing exactly what I want to eat, selecting the ingredients, assembling everything just how I prefer it and then savoring each bite. My husband and I are continuously amazed at how delicious everything we make is, and are always saying we need to do it more often. It’s become more and more frequent (except through our traveling, of course), and I look forward to getting back to it… especially since I recently discovered for myself the wonder of Whole Foods.

I tend to reevaluate things quite a bit over the first few days of the year, so I’m sure I’ll come up with some additional things to work on, but continuing these things is a great start.

I hope you’re all off to a great start, as well! It’s a new decade folks – make it fabulous for yourself!

Posted in Personal Stories, The Hot 100, Trials and Tribulations | Comments

Ten! – Hot 100 Update

Monday, December 21st, 2009

There are ten days left in the year. Ten of the hardest days all year to keep up a healthy lifestyle. In the last few days, though, I’ve been feeling rejuvenated so I’m looking forward to really ending 2009 with a bang, as was the idea.

And now, an update.

Keep running! Following my 10k earlier this month, I took a break from running. It wasn’t intentional: It started out as recovery, then I endeavored in some home repairs which took up a lot of time and created some serious body aches, then I was simply out of the habit. It’s also tough to be motivated when 1 – you’re not training for anything in particular and 2 – there are only a few hours of daylight each day, and those are the hours spent working. Plus, it’s cold.

That being said, I’m happy to say that my break is over. I hit the treadmill at the gym yesterday and busted out a 5k. The first mile, like always, was the toughest, but then my body stopped protesting and it came easier. It was just boring. I need to figure out some way to keep my mind engaged while running on a treadmill, because I usually want to set myself on fire after 20 minutes. If anyone has any suggestions in this regard, I’m listening. It felt good, though. And even though it wasn’t that far, it was the first time I’d run in about 2 weeks (I know – fail.) and I was able to do it without too much difficulty. That made me feel better because I had found myself in this terrible loop of self-doubt: It’s been a while since I’ve run – what if I can’t run nearly as far as before? Maybe I’ll give it a try tomorrow… and then of course, it was even longer since I had run. It’s all good though: I haven’t lost it, and I’m back on track!

Lose some more weight. I have no idea where I am with this. I don’t know what I was doing Friday morning, but it wasn’t weighing myself. Hopefully it’s still on the lower end of the 170s, but my motivation levels were down in the past few weeks, so I’m sure it’s not lower than my low. We’ll see come this Friday. I’d really like to be down 90 pounds by January 1. I think I can do it.

Eat out less – cook more. My husband and I are really having some fun with this. It is far easier to cook when you have the ingredients, so I’ve taken to going grocery shopping more frequently. It actually works out pretty well, since my grocery store is directly across the street from my gym. Go to gym – buy food for dinner – cook and eat healthy (and delicious!) meal. Works out nicely.

Hopefully things stay on this path up. I’ve refound the motivation and I’m actually excited again about working out and eating right. Of course, Christmas is later this week, which will include a visit with the family… The family with lots of great bakers. It’ll be a challenge, but I’m up for it.

Posted in Personal Stories, The Hot 100, Workouts | Comments

Nearing the End! – Hot 100 Update

Friday, December 11th, 2009

Incredibly, there are only 20 days left in 2009. Exactly 2 weeks until Christmas – and I’ve yet to begin holiday shopping (eek!), but that’s not really relevant here…

What is relevant is my progress on the goals I set forth to meet 80 days ago when The Hot 100 Challenge began. Here goes nothing!

Keep running! All of my running the last few months has been building up to the 10k race I ran last week, which was a huge success. I was able to run the full 6.2 miles without walking at all! Unfortunately, I haven’t run again since that race. It’s been f-f-f-freezing outside, plus I’ve been working on a home improvement project that has both kept me busy and made me sore. I know these are lame excuses, but I have to say, that I’ve enjoyed the break.

I’m the kind of person who needs something to train for; running for the sake of running seems silly to me. To that end, I have officially decided that I will run the Pittsburgh Half Marathon* on May 2, 2010. Now there’s something to train for! I plan to get start back up in the next week or so, but for now, I’m ok with a brief intermission.

Lose some more weight. Eleven days ago, I weighed 178. This was the tragic result of poor decision-making over the Thanksgiving holiday. I’m pleased to report that this morning, I was down to 173. Not only have I undone the damage done by my turkey day indiscretions, but this is a new lowest weight for me. I’m now down 89 pounds.

My initial goal in The Hot 100 was to lose 20 pounds by the end of the year. Clearly, that’s not happening. But rather than get down about that fact and say ’screw it – what’s the point in trying?’ I’m still going full-steam ahead. So what if I won’t meet that goal by an arbitrary date? I will meet it – it’ll just take a little longer, that’s all. And being down 89 pounds feels pretty darn good for the time being.

Eat out less – cook more. This one’s been pretty good. I haven’t been as iron-fisted about not eating out as much, but I think that’s because it’s become more natural to prepare my own meals. I just don’t want to eat out 6 or 7 times a week. I’m finding new foods that I enjoy – and new ways to prepare them.

I find that it’s much easier to keep up with this when the house is stocked with groceries, and currently, I am one Mother Hubbard. This weekend’s activities will have to include a trip to the supermarket to remedy this situation.

Twenty days left!

*who wants to join me?

Posted in Personal Stories, The Hot 100 | Comments

One Month Left – Hot 100 Update

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

I feel like I just wrote one of these updates, like, 10 days ago. Weird.

With just 30 days left before 2010, it’s time for yet another update in The Hot 100. Without further adieu:

Keep running! Running has been great this period. Last week was the 5-mile Turkey Trot which was a huge success! My official finish time was 52:34(!), which is significantly faster than I was shooting for. I’ve been very consistent with my training, and have exceeded my goal of 10 miles per week since setting that goal.

This Sunday is the 10k. I’m a bit concerned about that one, for two reasons: 5 miles is the furthest I’ve run to date, and it’s a day after my test for second level Black Belt in Kung Fu, which I imagine will be quite grueling and result in some soreness. I will do my best, though!

For your viewing pleasure, a photo of the Turkey Trotters post race. Unfortunately, the friend portion of the trotters weren’t with us at this point, so this photo includes just my family. From left to right: Dad, Mom, Bro, Sis-in-Law, Me, and up front – The Husband, whose long arms made this photo possible.

Family Turkey Trotters

Lose some more weight. Every 10 days, it seems I’m saying the same thing on this one: Not good. I was unsuccessful at eating right this Thanksgiving… and the three days surrounding it. Even though I got in some good workouts, it wasn’t enough to counteract my terrible food choices and, once again, I’m up in weight rather than down. I don’t know what I was on Friday since I wasn’t at home, but my most recent peek at the scale – yesterday – showed 178.

That’s heartbreaking.

I know I can’t go back in time and make wiser decisions; it is what it is. I’m back on the wagon and have been doing much better since returning home. The plan is to stay on track and undo the damage in short order. Wish me luck!

Eat out less – cook more. Once again, the holiday wreaked havoc on this goal. I’ve harped on this enough, though, and I don’t think going over it again will do me any good… and frankly, it doesn’t make for very interesting reading.

The Husband and I have finally made an actual list (called Things to Eat!!!!) that has a number of meals we know we love, and a few things we’ve been meaning to attempt making for quite a while. That should help; it’s so much easier to get myself to cook dinner when I have something planned… and the ingredients on hand.

Here’s to the next 30!

Posted in Personal Stories, Road Races, The Hot 100, Trials and Tribulations | Comments

Forty Days and Forty Nights

Saturday, November 21st, 2009

That’s right: Just 40 days left in 2009. Start your Christmas shopping yet?

At the end of another 10-day period, it’s time for another update in The Hot 100. Here goes:

Keep running! Running this last ten days has been either really good, or nonexistent. Let me explain. Last Saturday I ran 5 miles straight – first time ever. It was a huge accomplishment for me. And then, as I often do when I hit a big milestone (no pun intended), I didn’t keep going afterward. So yes, I ran 5 miles last Saturday, and then didn’t run again for the next four days. Why? I could give you all sorts of excuses about traveling and that causing fatigue and longer work hours to make up for time off, but what it really came down to is I didn’t feel like it. I forced myself to get out there again on Thursday, and did 4.5 miles, with only a short walking stint up a massive hill. Then I ran again today, another 5.1 miles (which incidentally, was a fabulous run).

I think I’m back on track, but that 4 days without running really screwed me up. This week I missed 10 miles by .4, but last week I was over 15 miles, so I’m still really happy with how I’m doing with this goal. I plan on running again tomorrow morning, and then once more before the 5-mile Turkey Trot next Thursday, which I am confident I’ll be able to run the entirety of.

Lose some more weight. Sigh. My last weigh-in was not so good. I’ve been eating out a lot again (see next point for more on that) and with a long stretch without a lot of exercise, that really hurt. If my diet is going to be lax for traveling or whatever else, I really need to keep my exercise up. I didn’t do that this past week, and boy did it show. I’m hesitant to even say what the scale read Friday morning, but I will face the disappointment and tell you anyway: 176.5. That’s up three pounds from the week before :/ I know I didn’t eat well this past week, but I didn’t think I was that bad. I’m hoping that some of that was excess water from a high sodium diet the day before, but I’m not counting on it. All I can say is that I’m going to try to make this next week better. Of course, we’re entering Thanksgiving week, and that’s never easy. Wish me luck… I’ll do the same for you!

Eat out less – cook more. This has been absolutely terrible. I ate out a lot when I was visiting my family, and then I came home and was exhausted and in no mood to cook, so we ate out (or had food delivered, rather). Then over the next few days I was completely uninterested in making lunch, and had leftovers from our delivered dinner. Huge failure here this past 10 days. No wonder I didn’t lose any weight. The two really go hand-in-hand. I hereby vow that, with the exception of Tuesday night which is a scheduled dinner out each week, every meal I’m home for this next week I will eat a home-cooked meal. Hopefully, if I can do that and keep up with my running, the number on the scale will come back down.

I’m sick of saying I’ve lost “almost 90 pounds.” I’d really love to be able to say “ninety” already.

Posted in Personal Stories, The Hot 100, Trials and Tribulations, Workouts | Comments

Fifty Nifty – Hot 100 Update

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

Do you believe there are only 50 days left of 2009?! We’re halfway through the Hot 100, but if you haven’t joined in yet – or you’ve fallen off the wagon – there’s no better time than today to dive in!

The last 10 days have been very good to me. I’ve been very good to me. Well, mostly, at least.

Keep running! I’ve totally nailed the running thing for this period. Ten miles last week and 8.25 miles already this week, with a 3-mile run scheduled for tomorrow. Making a schedule and planning out what I’m going to run in advance is the best way I’ve found so far to meet this goal. If it’s on my calendar, I’m doing it. No ifs, ands or buts about it.

My long run on Sunday is supposed to be 4.5 miles, the longest yet. I’m considering bumping that up to a full 5 miles, the exact distance between my parent’s house (where I’ll be this weekend) and my sister’s house. I’ll just make my sister drive me back to my parent’s afterward :) Buffalo is MUCH flatter than Pittsburgh, so I think I could do it, and this would be excellent practice for the Turkey Trot. Think I can do it?! Shout out, folks!

Lose some more weight. Last weigh day I was at 173.5, my lowest ever. Huge success! I’m hoping that Friday will be even lower, but I had a few hiccups with my food over the last few days (read on for details) so I’m not 100% confident. Perhaps my exercise has been enough to counteract some extra calories. Perhaps not. Only time will tell!

Eat out less – cook more. I’ve been doing pretty well here overall, but there have been some missteps a bit during this 10-day period.

Saturday we went to the beautiful wedding of a friend, where we had a lot of fun, met some great people, and ate a lot of delicious food. Hors d’oeuvres. Cake. Cookies. Half a pretzel at the mall in the dead space between ceremony and reception.

Sunday I went on a nice long run of 4.18 and was easily talked into going to Primanti Bros. for lunch. If you’re not from Pittsburgh and are unfamiliar with this local franchise, let me explain: Big ol’ sandwich (I had ham & cheese) with a handful of fries and a handful of coleslaw. Yes, all ingredients are smushed between slices of italian bread and served on waxed paper. It may sound odd to you, as it did to me when I first moved here, but there’s a reason that it’s so popular… it’s delicious.

Yesterday was some ill-advised (but tasty) Mexican food for dinner.

Other than that, my eating has been pretty normal and generally good. I’m just afraid that those meals are enough to keep me from a pleasant weigh day on Friday.

I’ve been more consistent on the training this 10 days, so now I just need to get back on track with the food and I’ll be golden.

Just like the spaghetti squash I’m about to eat for dinner.

Posted in Diet, Personal Stories, Road Races, The Hot 100, Training, Trials and Tribulations, Weight Loss, Workouts | Comments

Forty Percent – Hot 100 Update!

Sunday, November 1st, 2009

Forty percent.

That’s how far into The Hot 100 we are.

And also the grade I give myself for this 10-day period.

This will be a shorter update than usual, with good reason: It wasn’t a very successful ten days and I’m done being a downer. I’m back on track these days, with a better outlook and attitude!

In the interest of full disclosure, however, I will do a brief update:

Keep running! Fail. Well, “fail” at my more specific goal of 10 miles per week. I did a total of 3.85 miles in the last week, and that was all in one run. On the plus side, that was the run that marked the turning point in this rough patch for me. I made a good choice :)

I am still on track for being able to run the full 5 miles of the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving. I think I’m going to take a page from my own book and follow the last 25 days of an 8k training program. That way I’ll know for sure that I’ll be ready. I’ll have to look into that… it might be a better idea to do the end of a 10k program since I’m planning on doing a 10k on December 6!

Lose some more weight. Also fail. Strangely, I didn’t particularly care that when I weighed myself this past Friday I was up 1.5 pounds (175.5). It was that weird nonchalant attitude I’ve had the last few weeks. It bothers me now though!

I’m really looking forward to getting down to 172. That will be my 90-pounds lost mark. I’m going to shoot for that by Thanksgiving. Totally doable!

Eat out less – cook more. Good on this. In fact, this evening I made a reasonable approximation of my favorite (albeit very unhealthy) restaurant meal: Chicken fettuccine with sun dried tomatoes (from The Cheesecake Factory). What I made wasn’t necessarily healthy, but I used whole wheat pasta, had a reasonable portion size, and controlled how much sauce I used and how everything was cooked. I also didn’t have half a basket of bread and a piece of cheesecake with it. Again, still not healthy, but I feel a lot better about what I ate tonight than what I get from the restaurant. It’s good for a very rare treat.

Again, overall not the best 10-day period, but I’m looking forward to a much better next ten days. One thing I’m going to shoot for between now and then is more frequent posting. Writing here helps keep me on track. So it stands to reason that if I write more, I’ll do better.

How’s everyone else doing? Sixty days left until everyone else makes their resolutions… Why not get a jump on them and start today?

Posted in Personal Stories, The Hot 100, Trials and Tribulations | Comments

70 Days Left

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

We’re 30 days into The Hot 100. With just 70 days left in the year, I feel good about my progress so far, but know I need to take it up a notch. The update you’ve all been waiting for, surely:

Keep running! Well, part of this 10-day period was bad in this area, and part of it was good. On the plus side, the more recent portion was good, meaning I’ve turned things around. Shortly after my 20-day check-in, I got into quite a funk that brought me down emotionally. It’s amazing how much your emotional outlook can affect your physical being. I was feeling crappy, and, rather than go for a run and take advantage of those endorphins, I just didn’t.

What this translates to is a mere 3.5 miles last week, and that was in just one run. It was a good one, but the only one.

On the up-side, I’m out of my funk, and I’ve already logged over 10 miles for the week… and it’s only Thursday! I’ll probably get one more good run in either tomorrow or Saturday. Also, my pace is staying pretty consistent, even though I’ve been adding on a bit of distance (over 4 miles yesterday!).

So, it’s coming along. I faltered a bit here in the last 10 days, but it’s life. That happens.

Lose some more weight. This has been improving! Logging my food makes a big difference. When I do it, I lose weight. When I don’t, I stay the same or gain weight. It’s just that simple.

Except that it’s not easy. Because you have to DO it. And that can be challenging.

Last Friday, though, I was at 174, 1.5 pounds down from the prior Friday. Also, it’s worth mentioning that this is officially my new lowest weight. I’ve bounced around in the mid 170s a lot these last few months, but I’ve never been this low… not since I hit it on my way up, which was probably in 9th or 10th grade.

I’m hoping that tomorrow will be even lower, but I haven’t logged my food every day this week (see “challenging” above), and I had out of town guests which always makes eating right more difficult (see below). All week I’ve been pretty good about my food and I’ve been a running machine, so I’m reasonably confident.

Eat out less – cook more. I think that overall, this one is sticking. It’s becoming easier – and more natural – to just cook something at home rather than pick something up or go out.

However, people are such social eaters. I am a social eater. So much socializing is done around food. Going out with friends? Let’s go out to eat! At least I don’t also struggle with drinking, or I’d be a mess! (I prefer to eat my calories, always have… except when I did both and never thought about calories!)

I think I need to add to my collection of recipes. They need to be quick, healthy, delicious, and not require a lot of complicated equipment. If anyone has any they’d like to pass along, I’d be grateful!

All things considered, not a tragic 10-day period. I give myself a B… minus.

Posted in Personal Stories, The Hot 100, Weight Loss, Workouts | Comments

80 Days and Counting!

Monday, October 12th, 2009

We’re 20 days in and that makes it time for an all-around update on The Hot 100. Here goes:

Keep running! Man has this improved! My addendum to the initial goal of “be able to run 5-miles straight” has been helping immensely. The commitment to running 10 miles a week has really pushed me to get out there and run! I think the reason I wasn’t progressing very much before is because I wasn’t very consistent with my training.

Last week, I ran 11.91 miles! I went out four times: The 5k at the Zoo, then twice more on my own, and then some “gravy” running with J-Roc.

When I went out on Friday, I had to do 3.4 miles to meet my 10-mile goal for the week. I planned on doing my 3.44-mile route, but I accidentally ran an extra .27 miles – I couldn’t remember the route exactly and did an extra little loop. But since I didn’t know I was running extra, I pushed myself to run the whole thing, since I had previously been able to run “this route.” So basically, I tricked myself into a quarter-mile increase :) That makes my new longest run (without walking) 3.71 miles.

I’m amazed how much I’ve progressed in a short period of time. Consistency is key, my friends! I’m hoping to get up to a solid 4 miles (or more!) during this next 10-day period. Wish me luck!

Lose some more weight. This has improved as well. It’s a little complicated, because I do these updates every 10 days, and I weigh myself every 7, but I’m sure you can follow along. A week ago Friday I was at 177.5. That was bad. I’ve been putzing around for far too long, and the scale reflects that precisely. I’ve been bouncing around between 175.5 and 178.5 since the end of July. Unacceptable.

So, at the 90-Day Update, I recommitted to keeping track of my calories in and calories out, via My Food Diary. I’ve been pretty good about this, and have logged my food and exercise for 8 of the 10 days. Clearly not perfect, but I’m getting there.

It’s worked, too, as I knew it would. This past Friday I was back down to 175.5. I’ll be much happier when I break past that number and the scale stops laughing at me, but if I only compare this week to last, that’s a great number – down 2 pounds.

Even though I’ve been eating good, healthy things, I was getting too many calories for my age, weight and activity level – at least, too many if I want to lose weight. I think I’ve mastered the maintenance thing! Now that I’m logging my calories again, I can better gauge what I’m putting into my body.

Eat out less – cook more. This has been going very well, too! My birthday was in the last 10-day period and we went out to dinner that night, which added an extra restaurant meal to my regular schedule, but it was my birthday. And that’s all I have to say about that.

We’ve been cooking a lot, and healthy meals: Tuna steak marinated in rice vinegar with 7-grain pilaf; Turkey lasagna; Grilled chicken with brown rice and brussel sprouts, etc. Even when I eat out, I’ve been making good choices: Greek salad with the dressing on the side; sushi (mmmm…); chicken & broccoli with brown rice (no crispy noodles!).

I’m pleased with this. I just need to keep it going. That’s going to be tough with 2 sets of out-of-town visitors this week, but I’ve laid out a plan, and as long as everyone respects that (and I can stick to my guns…), I’ll be A-OK!

How are the rest of you doing on your Hot 100 goals? If you’re doing great – Excellent, keep up the good work! If you haven’t set a goal or made any progress toward that goal, there’s no time like the present – Make it a Hot 80!

Posted in Diet, Personal Stories, The Hot 100, Training, Trials and Tribulations, Weight Loss | Comments

What Goes Up

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

In keeping with my commitment to run 10 miles per week, yesterday I set out on a 3.6 mile run. My intention was to run the whole thing – without having to walk – since I’m trying to work up to 5 miles straight by Thanksgiving.

Unfortunately, I had to walk. Twice.

In my own defense, each walk session was very brief, and only at the end of two monstrous hills.

I know I’ve mentioned my hilly neighborhood before, but since the size and quantity of hills is subjective, I thought I’d give you a visual. Below is the elevation graph created by runstoppable.com of the route that I ran yesterday. I highlighted in pink the two sections I walked. Let me tell you – looking at this graph makes me feel a lot better about my performance yesterday.

3.6-mile route

I’m now up to 6.7 miles for the week, between yesterday’s run and the 5k at the Zoo on Sunday. I’m planning another run for tomorrow that will probably be my 3.44 mile route, which will put me over the 10-mile mark just a smidge. And if I run with J-Roc on Saturday, I’ll surpass my goal even MORE!

Mua hahahaha!

Posted in Personal Stories, The Hot 100, Training, Workouts | Comments