Return from my month-long hiatus

On July 12 I posted that I would be scarce for a few days... somehow that turned into a month. I was so busy in that month.

My husband's (A) birthday was July 11th, so we celebrated his birthday that weekend and my sister-in-law, brother-in-law and niece came to visit and stayed over at our house. We also hosted a party to celebrate A's birthday.

The next weekend A and I decided to pull up the carpeting in our living room and dining room and put down wood laminate flooring. That was quite the project and took much longer than anticipated! Things are still not put entirely to rights but for about 5 days our couch, chaise lounge and treadmill lived in the kitchen.

Somehow in that time I started and finished two baby quilts and worked on some garb for A and I for Pennsic.

The weekend of July 25, I had a baby shower to attend on both Friday AND Saturday. (Both mommies-to-be loved the baby quilts.)

And then A and I left for Pennsic on July 31st and only just returned home last night at about 10 p.m.

Whew! It has been exhausting. And within all that I had to deal with the disappointment of not getting a job that I really wanted and losing my great-aunt.

I suppose that was all a very long explanation as to why my eating and exercise habits have totally slipped over the last month. I haven't gone for a run since before we put the new floor down and my eating hasn't been that great.

I know that I have gained weight and I am sure that my measurements are up. I am also pretty sure I am dehydrated. I know that doesn't help. I have been trying to drink a lot of water today but I know I need more. Even though I know I have gained weight and I'm not a huge fan of the belly pooch getting a little bigger, I am still fairly happy with what I see in the mirror. I still have abs! Still... something needs to be done to reverse the weight gain and build the fitness levels.

Things are going to change.

I AM going to start keeping a food log again. I'll make a post for the coming week tomorrow and update it each day. Keep me honest!

I AM going to start exercising again. At least 4 days this coming week!

I AM going to start running again. I am going to start up the Jeff Galloway 5K training program again. I think I am going to start with week 8.

Oh, and I did check meetup.com for a running group near me but wasn't able to find one in my town. Bummer!

Bummed!

I found out earlier this week via my new SCA friend that the Pennsic 5K was canceled. Boo! I was actually looking forward to taking part in it! I guess they feel that it presents too much of a liability.

I've not been exercising as much as I would have liked this week. I had planned to follow week 11 of the Jeff Galloway training program but kind of got sidetracked by life. On Monday I did No More Trouble Zones, Tuesday I ran the 30 min. (3/1 walk/run), Wednesday I did s short yoga/strength session (better than nothing, right?) and today I decided not to exercise because I was up late last night and wanted to try to get at least 6 hours of sleep (I think I got just under 6...). So, I kind of got slightly off track. I think I am going to do the other 30 min. run tomorrow, take Saturday off (it's my husband's birthday and his sister, her husband and their little girl will be staying with us all weekend and we're having a party for the hubster that night) and then run the 3.5 miles on Sunday. Then I'll try to get back on track with week 12 on Monday.

At the advice of my new SCA friend, I think I am going to check meetup.com to see if I can find a running group or something. It would be nice to meet some people from down here, get some exercise as part of a group and improve my running. I have been feeling nostalgic for my days in track in high school. I loved track! Now, I wasn't a runner at the time. I was a jumper - long and triple jump. And, man, if people did recreational jumping like they do running, I would be so all over that! I'm jealous of Holly, whose running group is holding a series of track meets this summer. I think that's so cool!

My eating also hasn't been stellar this week. I fully admit to emotional eating on my part. I have read all kinds of articles that are supposed to help you stop emotional eating but so far I've not been able to overcome it. I had a job interview last week for a job that I wanted very badly. They were supposed to be doing 2nd interviews this week and were hoping to make an offer by the end of the week. I wanted the job so bad I went out and bought a new suit, a new portfolio and sent a thank you card afterward (I've never sent a thank you after an interview before.). I sent an email to the person I interviewed to ask about the status of the job. He didn't bother to respond. I'm feeling pretty depressed about the situation because I wanted the job so badly and because I am so unhappy at my current job.

I need to catch up on the Summer Glow Boot Camp.

I am so busy lately! I have 2 baby quilts that need to be made by the end of this month because the babies are due at the end of next month. I need to finish my sewing for Pennsic because that is in 3 weeks. I spent time on my garden, doing laundry, taking care of the dogs and cats, trying to keep things picked up and clean. I need to take some me time but I don't feel like I have time for it!

Summer Glow Boot Camp

I am a little late to the party with this one but I am jumping in! This boot camp isn't focusing on changing your measurements or lowering your wait. The point of it is health and finding your inner and outer glow through treating your body right. I am down with that! It's all about being positive.

Holly was posting about the Summer Glo Boot Camp on her blog, Holly on the Run, and I had to check it out. So I trotted on over to Oh She Glows and was hooked after reading all about the boot camp. I couldn't resist something so body positive!

I do have some catching up to do, so expect to see some challenge-related posts this weekend.

I added a SGBC widget to my sidebar, so click on that if you're interested in it! (Somehow I messed up my Daily Mile widget in the process. Despite copying over the html text for the DM widget and replacing it, I can't seem to get it fixed. Silly widgets!)

In other news, I was very surprised this morning when I took my weight and measurements. My weight was down (nearly a pound) and so were almost all of my measurements. I was surprised by this because I haven't been eating very well this week (Did anyone notice I never posted a Food Log post? I haven't been keeping track of my eating at all. Oops.) and I only got in maye 2 workouts this week. Maybe my body needed the rest?

I've also decided to go with the Jeff Galloway training program to help me train to run a 5K. I think it suits me better. I am going to jump in at week 9, so I'll be doing 3 miles tomorrow. I'm not intimidated. I know I can do it.

Searching for a 5K training program

We arrived back home Sunday night but have since been dealing with some doggie issues. We boarded the dogs at a new kennel this weekend and, unfortunately, they came home with some severe digestive tract issues. We've been to the vet, are loaded up with special bland food and they are doing okay now.

Remember this post where I talked about the 5K that is being held at Pennsic? Well, a fellow SCA-dian read that post and emailed me to say that she would be happy to run with me. Also, she is training for a 1/2 marathon so she has to keep up her running while at Pennsic and she invited to me join her on her training runs. How nice was that?!

I'm not sure that I'll be ready in time (for Pennsic or to run a 5k!) but I have been looking into training programs other than Couch to 5K, to see if there is something out there that might suit me better.

Hal Higdon's training program seems pretty popular. However, it assumes that you can just go out there and run a mile and a half straight to start. That is intimidating to me because I think running 1 mile is hard! But maybe I am just holding myself back with my fear/beliief that it's too hard for me? It is hard but that doesn't mean I couldn't push myself. Still this training program doesn intimidate me rather than make me want to run. This is an 8 week program and I only have 4 weeks to prepare, so I couldn't necessarily do it as set up either.

I've also heard good things about Jeff Galloway's training program. At first glance, this one appeals to me than Higdon's. I think this is because it is based on interval training and for whatever reason, I like interval training. This is a 15 week training program but due to the fact that I started the Couch to 5K program and also have been doing interval training on my own, I would feel comfortable starting at week 8 or even 9 and, depending on how I was doing, I could try to spend 1 week at each distance rather than 2 (if you look at the program, you'll see that each week long schedule is repeated twice).

Obviously there are other training programs out there but these are the ones I am looking at most heavily.

This morning I did a run on the treadmill. I did a 3/1 pattern run/walk for 30 min. Covered 2.31 miles. Not too bad! I am trying to increase the distance that I can cover in 30 min. so that I can increase my pace. My run this morning was 12:59 pace. I am ready to improve on that!

Coincidently, this run would fall right in line with where I would hope to start with Jeff Galloway's training program. Hmmm...

In other news, I think I need new running shoes.

Missed workout, finding a 5K and gardening

I meant to workout this morning. I truly did. However, I am apparently I am not very good setting my alarm in the dark. Last night while fumbling with the clock, I set the alarm for 5:20 p.m. I realized this when I woke up this morning and peeked at the clock and it was 6 a.m. It was too late to get a workout in but I can't say I didn't like the extra sleep. I have been so tired lately. I have been trying to go to bed earlier but I'm not very good at it.

But my husband and I did take the dogs for a walk tonight before dinner!

In running news, my brother wants to come visit and run a 5K race with me. Well, run the same 5k as me anyway. He probably won't run with me as he is a much better runner than I and would hope to finish the first mile in under 6 min.! There's no way I could do that but it would be nice to run a race together even if he is going to smoke me! At least I know I could totally triple jump father than him. Anyway, it is looking like the optimal time to do this would be sometime in July. Now I just have to go about locating a 5K.

Also, I discovered that there is going to be a 5K held at Pennsic (an SCA event) this year to raise money for the Aethelmarc Waterbearers Guild. Here are the details -

Announcing the 1st Annual Aquarithon - a challenging 5K race at Pennsic!!
Benefits the Aethelmarc Waterbearers Guild. "We water everyone!"

• Starting at Troll, 7pm, on Middle Sunday (Aug 2nd).
• $10 donation - t-shirt guaranteed if you register, extras available on race day till I run out. Register by emailing me at oushi@hotmail.com subject: Aquarithon. Include name, gender, camp, and t-shirt size.
• The prizes: To be determined, but we'll have them for fastest male, fastest female, and fastest under 16. There's also a prize for most creative garb-like runners cover-up, and most determined runner.
• The rules: Stay on the course. Respect the cars, pedestrians, children, merchants, etc. No booze or drugs on the course *please*. NO RAIN DATE. If it rains, we still run!! 100% of proceeds go to the waterbearing fund.

The most difficult aspects of this would be the heat and garb-like running clothes cover-up. I don't deal with overheating well. It makes me physically ill. Now, I would think they would have water stations set up but I would need to worry about getting well-hydrated before the race and staying well-hydrated at Pennsic is fairly difficult already due to the heat. As to the garb, I don't know what I would do as a cover-up as I don't generally run in shorts because my thighs rub together and that's uncomfortable. And I really don't want to add more layers in that heat.

I am seriously considering the Pennsic 5K. Unfortunately, I don't think there is anyone in my household who would run it with me.

In gardening news, my little bell pepper is getting bigger and bigger and I can see where 9 little cucumbers are starting! And my new squash and zucchini plants and looking pretty perky.

Food Log
Breakfast
2 pumpkin-carrot muffins

Snack
1 nectarine
light vanilla yogurt with blackberries, blueberries and organic granola

Lunch
1/2 cheeseburger from Applebee's
broccoli and sugar snap peas

Snack
Twix (I gave in to the chocolate craving.)

Dinner
Homemade Amish noodles with sauteed veggies (broccoli, asparagas, brussel sprouts, green pepper, zucchini, carrot) with a little margarine and shredded sharp cheese

Dessert
malt balls
Italian ice

Saturday Goal Report

My goals
1. Run a mile in 12 min. or less. (Current best is 13 min.)
2. Run 2 miles without stopping.
3. Take part in a 5K.
4. Do a set of 35 push-ups. (Current best - 20)
5. Do a set of 35 burpees. (Current best - 18)
6. Whittle my waist - get my waist measurement under 26 inches and my belly measurement under 31 inches.
7. Get my body fat percentage under 25%.
8. Become more flexible - be able to do side and middle splits.

I created my goal list one week ago. Is it possible that I've already made one of these goals? As a matter of fact, it is! I've managed to surprise even myself.

I decided that my workout today was going to be a Goal Test. So I hopped on the treadmill to see how fast I could run a mile. I was determined to get as close to the 12 minute mark as possible. I know a 12 min. mile isn't going to win me any races but considering my previous personal best was 13 min., it would be a marked improvement and I am all about that! Above all, my aim is to improve as a runner. So I pushed myself on the treadmill today and I refused to let myself give into any doubts that I might not make it. My mantra while running was I CAN DO THIS, I CAN DO THIS!

And I did!

My official time was 11 min. 43 sec.! I ran a mile in 11 min. 43 sec. That's 1 min. 17 sec. better than my previous personal best. I am proud of myself. Goal 1 can be crossed off my list!

After my mile run, I walked for a mile to cool down and have something of a rest period before throwing myself into the burpee and push-up portion of the goal test. I didn't do as good with the burpess and push-ups but I think that was because I did them after running. I think that if I had done them before my run, I would have gotten different results. But then I also might have gotten different results for my run. I did the burpees first and managed to do a set of 15 before I began to falter. And I eeked out a set of 20 push-ups.

Oh, and as to goal 6. I am 0.6 of an inch away from making my waist measurement and 1.3 inches away from making my belly measurement.

So now my goal list looks like this!
My goals
1. Run a mile in 12 min. or less. 11:43 on 9/20!
2. Run 2 miles without stopping.
3. Take part in a 5K.
4. Do a set of 35 push-ups. (Current best - 20)
5. Do a set of 35 burpees. (Current best - 18)
6. Whittle my waist - get my waist measurement under 26 inches (currently 26.5) and my belly measurement under 31 inches (currently 32.25).
7. Get my body fat percentage under 25%. (Currently 28%)
8. Become more flexible - be able to do side and middle splits.

Running, walking and my poor garden

This morning's exercise was a run on the treadmill - check out my dailymile widget! It actually felt pretty darn good. I didn't feel too fatigued through the workout but my heart was really pumping heard at the end and I did have to push myself. Also, I was soaked in sweat. I burned 350 calories.

I'm a little sad - one of my strawberry plants had a slime mold! It's because we've had so much rain here lately. The only real solution is sunshine and no rain. But of course, we're supposed to get more rain Friday and Saturday. Thankfully a slime mold shouldn't kill the plant. It's just... unsightly and could smother the plant if we don't get it under control.

Thankfully the rest of the garden is looking great.

Tonight my husband and I went to a local street festival. It was huge! And we ate a ton of fair food, which was awesome. We also did a whole lot of walking. We didn't buy anything but I did get a flyer advertising the local roller derby team. Now there would be a great, active hobby! I think I am going to look into it further but I don't know that I have the time to dedicate to it or whether I have the ability. It sounds like fun though.

Lately our dogs have been really restless. I am sure that are getting bored as we haven't been taking them on any walks lately. That needs to change. I am going to start trying to convince my husband to go for walks with me and the dogs a few days a week at least. It would be good for us all! Wish me luck!

Food Log
Breakfast
2 whole wheat strawberry muffins

Snack
2 slices wheat toast with peanut butter

Lunch
I veggie burger with a slice of cheese
sugar snap peas
light vanilla yogurt with strawberries, raspberries and blackberries

Snack
dark chocolate covered raisins

Dinner
1/2 spiedie hoagie
1/2 an order of french fries w/ ketchup
1 deep fried Oreo
1/2 pumpkin funnel cake