The Realist's Situation

Last night, Chadd came home and woke me up around quarter of 1 to show me the new coat he got that finally came in the mail.

Normally, this would have irritated me, save two things:
1) This coat literally caused a fashion emergency in Vegas.  Only my boyfriend would be as straight as he is (he's basically 1 degree away from being a lumberjack, no offense to gay lumberjacks) and have a fashion emergency.  Long story, we had the coat shipped in from California.

2) I had something to show off too.  (See below)

Slightly related...
Did you watch The Jersey Shore?  If you didn't, that was dumb.  It was an awesome good/bad/so bad it's good MTV trash show.  There is one clown in particular on this show you should be aware of--Mike.  Mike the Situation.

Would you like to know why he is called Mike The Situation?  Of course you would.

Wait for it at 12 seconds.  That's his "Situation."  Literally, people, his abs are a situation and he calls himself Mike The Situation because of his freakish abs.

Back to point 2 of why I didn't mind that Chadd woke me up.

Folks.  The Realist has a situation.  It's not enough of a situation to be capitalized like properly named abs or be called "The" anything...but it's a freaking situation! I HAVE A SITUATION, HERE!

I'm almost at the point where I need a unique nickname for my developing situation.  Like "the business" or something.  Suggestions are welcome.

I went to bed prepared in a sports bra and running shorts.  I wouldn't exactly say that I "hopped" out of bed, but once Chadd managed to get me to open my eyes and get out of bed to see his coat in the gleaming light of the kitchen it suddenly dawned on me why I was freezing to death instead of wearing sweats.

"Look at my situation," I told him.

I was praised adequately and sent back to bed where I fell asleep in less than 1 minute.  If I get a big enough ego, I'm posting pictures.

The Trouble with Results

I had the blown up ego and even took a picture, but it looked a little 14 year old naive myspace user, so I ditched the idea of posting pictures of my situation.  I also have sore abs due to the fact that I spent over an hour walking around flexing. 

In other news, I want to talk about results today. I've had a few conversations with a friend of mine (who may have convinced me into a three way pact with the devil to do another marathon and my first ironman...hahah, I know, right?) about results.  We'll call them...WB for work buddy.  WB's currently doing something called The Insanity Workout, which actually legitimately makes me tired to think about, but WB's been very patient indulging my fits of whining. 

Bottom line.  K and Chadd have both noticed my weight loss and WB promises me that if we were in the same city, they'd have noticed too.

Basically, the other day, when I hit 11 pounds of weight loss, I went "dammit, why hasn't someone said something?"  K suggested that I'm around her and Chadd most of the time and they noticed.  My coworkers, dude!  We are three to a cube in our client's office!  I see them more than her and Chadd combined!

The other possibility, which is legit, is that since I work in a very conservative environment, my clothes just really aren't showing it (and most of my weight loss has been around my midsection and thighs). 

Regardless.  I just wanted someone to be like "hey, you look like you've really slimmed down!" and I'd be all like "boom, look at my situation!" except not because that might get me fired.  The point is, I have to remind myself that there's a fine line between losing for myself and losing for praise.  Praise is nice, the actual loss is a far better gift since it's healthy/life lengthening.  Self praise should and needs to be a bigger part of my routine.  Every woman out there rips on herself entirely too much.  I'm seriously guilty of it, and despite my dad's never ending quest to get me to kill that inner mean voice (he doesn't like or allow self-deprecating comments, which I've always thought is one of the best dad-things he's done), it's pretty persistent.

My solution is this.  I will start telling myself one positive thing a day and I'm not talking "hey, nice hair."  More like "damn girl, your arms are getting toned!" in my very very white girl ghetto voice.  I will also freely tell people about my success (granted, at appropriate times).  I will also build and maintain a good support group.  Everyone needs outside input, so find the group that is likely to give it to you (honest feedback) and ask for their support.  They'll give it.

So that's part one of the results discussion.  The second part is not about recognition of results, but more about the effect of results.

I am guilty of the yo-yo, as I've discussed before, but the real issue is that at a certain point, we're really happy with what we've done and the next x pounds are part of the goal...but damn, we have a situation!  I can kick back and relax, right?  Yeah, no.  I do that every time.  I feel like counting my calories and working out and generally being fitness minded is great, but it's only around when I want to lose weight.  I know that most of America struggles with this issue.  We feel like we've done without or we've adjusted our schedule--temporarily.  Except that's not how this works.  You go right back up if you treat this is a temporary lifestyle.

I think I was on the dangerous edge of getting there.  Two parties this weekend, each with their share of fatty foods and alcohol.  I'm here, teetering on the edge of being close to the next set of ten pounds and I'm like...I've been so good, I can do a splurge weekend.  Yeah, no.  I can plan for the parties, have a slice of pizza, a drink or two, then call it quits.  Soooo hard to reel ones self back in, isn't it?

I say I WAS on the dangerous edge.  Last night, I went to the gym and had my body fat percentage measured.  Now, not to make excuses here, but the guy said that they only use the scale, which is apparently the least accurate means of measuring body fat.  But still.  The number on that scale was horrifying.  I might have lost 11 pounds, but that didn't mean that my body fat was gone.  It meant that I must have been a lot worse off than I'd thought.  I shudder to think about what would have happened without my Pact buddy. 

I was so upset by the % last night that I couldn't remember my weight. He said I'd lost a pound but I couldn't remember what I told him I was the week before.

So this morning, at a more appropriate time (after cycle, before I'd eaten), I stepped on the scale at my gym and weighed in. You guys, I lost 1.75 pounds since Sunday.  I had gained a half pound in Vegas, which I think is a victory, and then lost 1.75.  Woohoo!  I have moved from the 1X0's to the 1(X-1)0's!  ie, if I were in the 180s, I'd have slipped into the 170s. 

I am officially 9 pounds away from my original goal weight.  13 pounds lost (well, 12.75)!  Sometimes that number seems huge and sometimes, inconsequential.  I told my Pact buddy that I added a new goal to my weight loss--a body fat percentage change of 7%, then I'd reassess. 

Bottom line:
- Surround yourself with a good support group and stay positive yourself.
- Don't be satisfied with results.  Keep going or maintain.  Never slide back!

There Is No Finish Line

Today begins a new month and according to a variety of sources, this is supposed to be a month of great change and new beginnings and wonderful things happening.  Whether or not that's true, focus on it and it will happen.  "Thoughts become things, so choose good ones."

Keep in mind that health and fitness is not an end goal, it's a way of life.  Weightloss may come to an end and maintenence may begin, but that doesn't mean to abandon everything.  This is one of my favorite Nike ads:

Make health and fitness a way of life this month and you'll never have to worry about it again.

Second post coming later today about how I got to where I am!

How to Achieve a Situation (Or Issue)

I don't want to follow in Mike the Situation's footsteps, so Chadd and I have agreed to call my abs "an issue."  They may be upgraded at some point, but for now, they're an issue.

Anyway, I had a few people ask me how I did it.  Basically, here it is, here is what I did. I'm not saying it will work for everyone, I'm not saying it's easy, this really is a change of lifestyle.  But hey, here I am to tell you that it works and that it really wasn't that painful.

1) Set a goal for yourself and make it realistic.  My goal was 22 pounds by my birthday (in 2 weeks) and I made this goal late October/Early November.  I knew it was a bit of a stretch, so I had a modified "I will be happy with myself if I do X instead."  That goal was 15 pounds.  I could go all consultanty on you and say to make it a SMART goal, but I can't remember the acronym, so just make sure that it's measurable and that you have a date attached to it.

2) Enlist Help.  Remember my Pact buddy?  She's been great and without her, I wouldn't be here.  We blog every day on our private blog.  This person keeps you accountable and also gives you someone who will be sympathetic to you when you have a "I really need pizza and wine" day.  You may need to join weight watchers or something to find that person, but it's easier/better if its someone close to you.  If you're that kind of person, you can also find free online communities.  Check out Peer Trainer for a good resource.

3) Count Your Calories.  I know that this went the way of the mixtape--why bother listening to the radio to record songs when you could log onto itunes, right?  Wrong.  In this case, the old way is the best way.  Measure your food.  Look up calories (you can google it, or use SparkPeople).  Read labels and stick to the serving sizes.  Depending on how many calories you burn, you need to cut between 500 and 1000 calories a day to see weight loss.  1 pound = 3500 calories.  So if you want to lose 2 pounds a week, you need to be cutting back 1000 calories a day.  It starts by writing down everything.  I mean everything.  I never said this was a quick fix!

Example:
Breakfast:
1 packet instant oatmeal: 120 calories

Snack:
Apple: 81 calories

Also, I think it's ridiculously important to know what goes into your food.  Take back control of what is put in your food.

4) Determine your burn.  This one is hard.  Here are a few sites that will at least help you:
Calorie Count (this is pretty accurate)
Health Status

To be honest, I use my BodyBugg for this.  It's the one thing that I've found to be the most accurate and my burn was my missing piece.  You need to determine what you burn to make sure that you're accurately achieving the deficit that you think you are.  Write this down every day next to your calories consumed, deficit written as well.

5)  Plan it all out.  Make it easier on yourself, instead of getting to the end of the day starving and only having 10 calories left to eat, sit down on Sunday night and write out your menu for the week.  Go to the store and pick up those 100 calorie snacks, lean cuisines, whatever it is that will make it easier for you to space out your calorie needs.

6) Give yourself 1 day to splurge per week.  I'm not saying to go out and clear out the all you can eat buffet.  But now is the time to have a slice of pizza, or go out for a nice dinner and not worry about the calories in the steak.  It makes it so much easier when you know that you have 1 day to fudge, whether you use it for a celebratory dinner or for a day when you're captive to office food.  Life happens.  Your diet must be flexible.

7) Weigh in 1x a week, same time, same day, same scale.  Weighing in once a week under those circumstances gives you the most real picture of your weight loss.  Try and do it first thing in the morning.  If you notice your weight going up, reassess your meal plan/burn goal.  Ladies, keep in mind we do have more fluctuations than men...

8) Reward yourself at milestones.  I recently bought a groupon for a massage that I plan to use at -20 pounds.  Only 7 pounds away!  My Pact buddy is eyeing a pearl necklace to match her goal weight dress.  Just make sure your reward is NOT food based, unless it's something fun like healthy cooking lessons. 

9) Give yourself time.  I've given myself about 3 months to get here and I know I'm not done yet.  This is not a quick fix, but this is a realistic life style change. 

10) Forgive yourself. This is the most important one.  We all slip up now and again.  But when you have a bad moment/day/week, get over it, forgive yourself, and start anew.  Just because you slid backwards does not mean that you have to start all over again. You just need to keep going from where you are. 

It all comes down to this simple fact: when calories in < calories out, you get weightloss.  I encourage you, if you are pursuing weightloss, to boil it all down to this simple fact.  Learn what you consume, learn what you burn, and make it part of your daily routine.

If you want a day in the life of me, I'll post one tomorrow.  But there are the guidelines.  Tune in tomorrow!  A day in the life of me.

Resolutions Checkpoint

I was reading through back posts of Diets are Crap last night and I came across my post about new years resolutions--specifically what mine were and I figured it might be a good time to review them, assess progress, and make adjustments if necessary!

Here's the post if you need a refresher.

1) Finish my weight loss to my ideal (and healthy) weight by the end of February and maintain it.
Status: Yellow light.  While I'm 14 pounds into that 22 pound goal, I likely won't make it to the full 22 pounds by the end of February...you know, unless I donate a kidney and half my liver.  I'm okay with this progress so far.  My clothes are getting bigger, my hip bones have made their presence known (especially when one collided with the table the other night.)
Updated Resolution: Finish the 22 pounds by the end of April.  Giving myself 2 more months allows me to work on taking out 1 pound a week and finishing easily.  While my caloric output has recently jumped up, it's still not enough to make it easy to blow through 2 pounds a week.

2) Get pricing for new counter tops for Ikea.
Status: Green Light. While I haven't gone to Ikea yet, I still have about 10 months to get out there. After the month of March (which is going to be insane), I have some plans stirring for April--and a lot of them involve home improvement (closets, desk, counters)

3) See my two best friends in their respective cities. I'm on my way to one in a few weeks--Vegas, baby!

Status: Green Light. I had a great time with J in Vegas last month...now all I need to do is get to NYC to see my other J!  Again, I have plenty of time.

4a) Continue my savings/investing pattern that I established this year.
Status: Green Light.  Yaay financial security!
4b) Make and following a cleaning schedule to avoid stressing myself out.
Status: Red Light. To be quite frank with you, I didn't even make a schedule.  Bad bad bad.  Maybe I'll get to that this weekend...I also have intentions to delegate chores. 

5) Have 1 date with Chadd a month.
Status: Green Light. It's been pretty easy to do this since our birthdays are in January and February.  Hopefully we'll keep the pattern up through the year!

6) Study for and take my personal training certification exam. Also, stick with the yoga.
Status: Green Light. My personal training study stuff gets here tomorrow afternoon and aside from the snow delays, I've been good about going to yoga every Tuesday morning! 

On the To-Do List (the post following resolutions), I just started to chip away and got in touch with one of my Group Fitness Coordinators to find a good Registered Dietitian.  I'm dropping by the gym tonight to fill out the paperwork for getting probably 4 sessions with her.  Since I'll be starting my personal training soon, I want to make sure that I'm pairing it up with the right nutrition.  Review to come!

How are you doing on your resolutions?  Do you remember them?  Do you have new ones?

The Beginning of March...and on to May

And another month rolls around! 

Well, I have mixed news.  The first and only bit, really, is that I haven't really gained or lost weight in the month of February.  I suppose the good news in all of that is that with my birthday, a massive snowstorm, staying up late to pick up Chadd and entirely too much snacking, I haven't gained...so I've found the right method of maintaining.  6 pounds from now, I'll have an idea of how to maintain that weight.  That's the hardest part, in my opinion.

Of course, the bad news is that I am no closer to my goal than I was a month ago.  Thankfully March is a very active month for me and my pact buddy and I are back on track, too, so we're all set to give a one-two punch to March and get that much closer to our goal.

My March looks as follows:
Weekend 1: Les Mills Training (Friday-Sunday)
Weekend 2: Snowboarding (Saturday)
Weekend 3: Colorado! (Wednesday-Monday)
Weekend 4: 10K Run to Register
Weekend 5: Easter (Chadd's mom comes to visit, likely)
Weekend 6: Cherry Blossom 10 Miler
Weekend 7: Open
Weekend 8: Open
Weekend 9: Run Amuck 5k
Weekend 10: Visit J in NYC
Weekend 11: Historic Half Marathon

Which brings us to the middle of May.  No kidding.  Like poof there go March and April!

My goal is to get through 3 pounds before I go to see my bro in Colorado.  That gives me roughly 2 weeks at a pace I'm comfortable meeting, especially since I'll be meeting with my nutritionist on Wednesday for the first time!  Cross you fingers and wish me luck.  I'm SO close.

On another note--the 7 day work til exhaustion workout didn't make it 7 days. I strongly suggest clearing your date book because any other gym date literally kills this.  I managed to teach it into my class (which I'm sure my class was less than thrilled about), but post boxing, I couldn't lift my arms, much less a weight.  Tuesday, teaching no-tap killed me, and then I had a sore wrist for whatever reason for 2 days. So, basically, be careful what you under take.  I do recommend trying the work to exhaustion workout 1x a week just to give yourself an extra uumph somewhere in your weekly workout!

Make March a healthy month--hopefully one filled with sunshine and warm weather too!

R2R 10k: Hold Back, Stay Steady, Finish Strong

I have been a terrible blogger, but I'm going to make a better effort to stay on top of it. 

So!  This weekend, I ran the Run to Register 10k for the Marine Corps Marathon out in Quantico and had a fantastic time.

My good friend, who I've previously called WB for Work Buddy came into town to do the race with me. We stayed close to Quantico Friday night because the last thing we wanted to do was drive an hour+ from the city down to the base. 

We got up early, headed over to base and walked out of the car into cool, crisp air.  The base was alive with a bunch of talkative runners, pacing around, warming up.  After a last minute bathroom break for me,we lined up under the familiar Marine Corps Marathon arches (my stomach dropped seeing them, remembering my anxiety at the marathon) and off we went. 

The course was a simple out and back, down a gently sloping (rises and falls, though nothing too steep).  Quantico really is beautiful, we were going down one road that stays along side a lake and a bunch of trees.  I felt amazing a few miles in, approaching the halfway (3.1), I felt amazing. 

I've noticed that I often times come out of the gate WAY too fast (aka, the Turkey Trot with my brother where I nearly puked all over everyone because I was trying to hold is 7:28 pace....HA).  This time, I stayed with my friend, stayed with the crowd, and as it opened up, I slowly let myself adjust to about an 8m/m pace.  That's a pretty decent and safe pace for a 5k for me, maybe even fine for 4-5 miles, but to stay with it for 6.2 was going to be a little challenging.  But it's amazing what checking your speed at the starting line can do.  Conserving energy, I was faster for longer.  I saw WB as I started back from the halfway and checked my watch.

I couldn't tell you now what it said, but I remember trying to do math for a couple of minutes, checking and rechecking to make sure I'd calculated it correctly.  I couldn't possibly be holding this time, this long...could I?

But I went with it, enjoying the scenary, feeling confident and breezy.  I turned the corner to come into the track and checked my watch.  In my bad calculations, I had hit 51 minutes and was about to turn possibly beat a 53, which, while I didn't "really" have a goal, I knew I wanted something below an hour and that it was possible I could pull out something under 55.  After rounding the bend in the track, I saw the official clock: 49:1something.  Two words went through my mind: HOLY SH*T and I booked it.  I'd already tried to put on the after burners coming down the hill onto the track but lost it somewhere in the middle.  Refiring was really difficult, but I crossed the line in what I swear was some blur of numbers around a 49:3something. 

Alas, my official time (which apparently was clock AND chip time...even though I started probably a solid minute after the clock time?) was 50.00.00.  A new 10K PR. Some smooth even numbers there, my friends.

I felt officially accomplished and spent the rest of the day, stuffing my face with Mexican food with WB (who also ran a solid race, crushing his PR by 15 minutes--major props to him!) and spending time with Chadd.

Here we are, WB and I, post race:

Best part of the race?  When we finished, we were handed a card with an access code on it for a guaranteed entry to the Marine Corps Marathon this year--the 35th.  I ran the 31st in 2006 with a 4:22:34...and am looking to crush the 4 hour mark this year, which is just a little over a 9 minute mile.  I'd be in line for a 3:45 if I held a solid 8:30.  We'll see how training goes!

I've got a weekend off, then the Cherry Blossom 10 mile!  If I can hold an 8:15 pace, I'll be thrilled, an 8:30, pretty happy, and anything lower, acceptable. 

A little shout out to all of you--thank you so much for the gchat messages/emails/facebook messages, etc. letting me know you read the blog and your congrats on my race--y'all are the best and you give me warm fuzzies. 

Coming up this afternoon: Abs/Core Arsenal--a few moves for beginners to experts to pay some special attention to your core!

My Second RD Appt and the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run

I met with my Registered Dietician (RD) last Thursday after many a rescheduled appointment.

I have to say, if you've never sat down with an R.D., stop what you're doing, stop reading this blog, and go make an appointment. Get 4 sessions, and trust me.

The last time I met with my RD, I had brought her a food diary from about a week to two weeks of eating.  I'm fairly meticulous with writing down what I eat, so that was the easy part.  We talked about my goals, my life style, and some general rules, then she asked me to write down the emotional feelings I had every time I ate until our next meeting.

While that went out the window when I got busy, I did make note of my emotions while eating enough that this picture became clear:

- I woke up not hungry (even before and after a morning workout), got the office and wanted a cup of coffee, no food.  Halfway into my coffee, I wanted to eat my desk and the hunger came out of no where.
- I ate again around 10:30 because I was starting to get the munchies.  Usually a piece of fruit cured this.
- Since my team tends to eat together at noon, I was never hungry at the beginning of lunch.  The hunger picked up halfway through lunch, then I finished ready for a food coma nap.
- 3:30 I get bored and want to snack.  Has to be a slow to eat food--popcorn, grapes, anything that requires time to eat.
- Not hungry when I get home and especially not hungry after I workout.  At all.  I have to force myself to eat after a workout.  But about an hour after my workout, again I am ready to destroy an entire pizza.

My RD and I went through discussing that pattern and it basically followed exactly what she suspected/had seen in my food log:

I'm not eating enough.  Hi, shocker!  I'm a really big proponent of calories in, calories out for weight loss and while it still holds through, I'm highly active and not fueling my body to that level. Am I starving myself?  No, but is my body going "eh, let's not burn off that fat, we're a little worried about our caloric intake?" in a word, yes.  It sounds a lot more like a bad thing than it actually is. 

Think about your body as a car.  Let's say that the gas tank can fuel for the energy needed for exactly 1 day, plus a little bit of top-off fuel.  When you wake up in the morning (start your car) without eating breakfast, you're essentially running on fumes till you hit the gas station (first meal).  If you're like me and try to get in a few morning workouts, you're running on fumes, then pushing your car to the gas station if you fail to eat before hand.

Of course, you want to fill up the gas tank all the way (stuffing yourself).  Same thing happens if you decide to put in more miles in a day than your gas tank can hold (second workout) and you wind up filling up again before you take your car home and putting it in the garage.

Essentially, I burn on fumes, over load on food, get really tired, burn all my food off again, then eat a ton or not at all, then pass out and repeat.  My consumption looked more like a tiny hill followed by a valley, then a big hill, a steep valley, a little hill, then a huge hill, then right back down and repeat.

My R.D. says that I need to fuel before and after my workouts and definitely eat a breakfast and fuel through my day.

I don't have the papers in front of me, but she outlined the amount of stuff I need to be getting in these food groups:
- Grains
- Protein
- Dairy
- Fruits
- Vegetables

It's a LOT of food.  I know she was thinking that I'd be mentally tabbing up the calories from a sample meal, so she said something that I guess I knew in the back of my mind, but hadn't actually fleshed out into full thought.

I might have been eating the right amount of calories, but the nutrients? Who knows. I mean, what do you REALLY get out of a 100 calorie pack of chocolate pretzels?  Probably not much.  So we turned the attention to what kind of calories I was actually eating.  Cutting out a lot of prepackaged frozen junk and turning to "whole" foods.

While I'll be eating a lot more food, I'll probably be eating the right amount of calories, with all the nutrients.  I added milk back into my diet, which hasn't been there in years.  My stomach and I are still trying to decide how this is going to work out, but it has been nice to induldge in a big frothy glass of milk, especially post workout for the perfect blend of carbs and protein (and it cuts off that huge hunger pang I have about an hour post workout).

I'll post the sample menu that my RD gave me when I get home.

We also talked about setting SMART goals.  I think I've talked about smart goals, so I won't go there again, but if you're interested, just google it.  We  wound up setting two SMART goals for me with three supporting goals.

I'll post those, too, when I get home so I make sure I have them down right. 

So far, so good. I'm on 5 of eating more like the way we discussed and I feel really full all the time and I have energy.  Double win.

In totally different news,

The Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run was this weekend.  This was my second 10 Miler, my first one, I came in with like a 1:26 something because I was running with my friend, Maureen, from work and she pushed the hell out of me. This year, by total accident, I ran into her among 15,000 people.  We wound up running together again, all the time pushing the other by total accident.  We each thought we were slowing up the other, so we kept pushing and pushing and pushing.  Before I knew it, we'd crossed 4, just after mile 5, I saw Chadd where I handed off my jacket, then 6, then 7 (oh man, just a 5k left), then suddenly 8 and we only had about 17 minutes left to endure.  Then 9 went by and holy moly there was a hill.  Maureen put the pedal to the medal, and amazingly, my legs kept up with her.  We crested the hill to see the arches were not exactly right around the bend.  Falling back a bit, we tried to pick up the pace again and flew through the finish line. 

Time: 1:21:29; Pace: 8:09

And just like that, another PR this year. 

I can tell you that one of the most beautiful sounds to me in the world is the sound of silence and a thousand runners shoes hitting the pavement all around you.

Body Pump Launch

Yes yes, it's 12:30 and I should be asleep.  But I have to share something that I totally forgot to talk about today.

Last night (tuesday night) we launched Body Pump (by Les Mills) at the Y and literally had to turn people away because we maxed out our class!  40 people!  I cannot tell you how amazing it is to have a full, energy-driven, group of people take your class.

A big shout-out goes to my amazing instructor friends for all the work they've done, the times we've shared sweating, maybe bleeding, crying, and laughing over the past two months getting ready for this.

National Capitol YMCA BodyPump Crew!

I also want to take this moment to brag.  Observe:

Yes, that is my right leg and no, my quads are not photo shopped.  I haven't had my runner's legs since...2006.  Want runner's legs too?  Easy.  Come to BodyPump!  (No joke, this is the most awesome workout I've ever taught) I'm teaching a week from this Thursday with Steph.  I'm going to try to put together a foam rolling class afterwards, but it might just be abs and stretch for now.

For my 20-20-20 class: FJ is going to be teaching my class this Sunday since I'll be in New York seeing my best friend from high school.  

Update! I AM alive!

First of all.  I am so so so sorry.

I know I've been neglecting the blog for about a month.  It's been busy here, to say the least.  I love my new job and have done a fairly decent job of staying healthy and keeping my work outs in line instead of ditching them like I did with my last job when things got busy.

I have a status update on my own fitness journey:
- I haven't stepped on the scale in over a month (mostly at the recommendation of my dietician who agrees with me and suggested I live by my own words that weight is the least accurate representation of your health)
- I fit into a size 2 levi jeans (ah!)
- I feel fantastic enough to not worry about the actual number on the scale
- Chadd and I are going to the beach with his family at the end of July (which has inspired me to whip my butt back into shape eating right)

I'm at that magical point in my life where I am 95% confident with how I look.  I am still struggling (as I think I always will) with looking like a hard body runner's world model...because that's just not how it ever will be.  I will always have a little softness because, well, women are supposed to.  That's just how we're built.

Better milestones are shaving time off my races, having better endurance, and being able to eat an extra cheeseburger per week.

I concluded my sessions with my dietician the other week.  She showed me how far we'd come--from me obsessively logging calories and having honest to goodness bad moods over going a few calories over my allotted calorie intake, measuring progress really only by weight loss, etc.  I feel like I graduated from the school of learning to eat better.  Now, I just need to enroll in the school of better time management.

I'm finding myself continuing to eat well, but I'm doing it by walking across the street to get a lean veggie curry dish from the Thai restaurant, or stopping by trader joe's for a salad, when I really need to be saving the money and just making food at home.

Currently, to keep myself at a place where I am comfortable/happy/confident, I need to do the following:
- 1 hour session with my personal trainer on Monday (extremely painful, extremely beneficial)
- 1 hour yoga on Tuesday morning, teach 1 hour step class on Tuesdays
- 1 hour workout on my own (usually running) or rest Wednesday
- 1 hour Body Pump class on Thursday
- Rest on Friday
- 1 hour Body Pump class on Saturday
- 1 hour 20-20-20 class on Sunday

At best, I get three days off if I'm not teaching a Thursday or a Saturday (usually I do one or the other).

The problem here is that I don't have a lot of time for running.  It's already June which means I should be warming up my marathon training this month.  My plan for my modified schedule looks like this:

Monday: AM: 5 mile run; PM: 1 hr. training session
Tuesday: AM: Yoga; PM: Teach Step
Wednesday: AM or PM: 5 mile run
Thursday: PM: Body Pump or 6 mile run
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Body Pump or Long Run
Sunday: 20-20-20 and Long Run (if Long Run wasn't done on Saturday)

It looks like a lot, but just like some people like to come home from work and read, or go for a walk, or go out for drinks, I really do enjoy going to the gym, coming home to feeling physically relaxed, making dinner, popping on the tv, and chilling out.

When Chadd changes jobs, we'll likely move a few of those workouts to the morning so that we can spend time together in the evening.  I have four more sessions with Kimina (my awesome awesome awesome trainer), once those are over, I'll probably use that time for more running, then sign up again for another 8 sessions closer to the marathon.

New feature to blog will be food planning.  Probably will appear this weekend!

In the mean time, where are you with your fitness goals?

A Tale of Two Swims

Part 1: The Bad Swim

Today was my "hang out and relax before I start the new job" day, but it wound up being anything but. Definitely enjoyable, but my day is better titled "how is it already 6 and why do I have to be in the pool again?"

I got up, put in my morning shift at Miriam's, then headed home to have a leisurely breakfast of a waffle, homemade apple pear butter (patting myself on the back for how amazing it turned out) and pears, courtesy of Washington's Green Grocer (if y'all are in the market for weekly amazing produce at incredible prices, I strongly suggest you check them out). And then I realized I needed to get some pool time in and fast if I was going to make it in time to have lunch with Chadd.

My pool workout was grueling. This must be what it's like for someone who is starting a couch to 5k program to be faced with running a 5 miler. I'm sure it didn't help that I spent last night working punishing my upper body with Blair (I hurt oh so good this morning).

I jumped in the pool a little after 11am, which is apparently geriatric hour. The upside is that everyone is very nice and has no problem chatting or splitting lanes. The downside is that my ego got a bit artificially inflated lapping the septuagenarian in my lane who was swimming with full use of 1 arm and 1 leg and questionable amounts of his other limbs. I suppose I shouldn't leave out that he wasn't huffing and puffing and clinging to the side of the pool every few minutes. You read that right. I got schooled by a retiree recovering from a stroke. Humble pie.

But, aside from 1 300 set, I did finish the workout. In total, the swim was 2300yrds. I don't know if that's a lot or a little, but it felt like a lot and I felt like a badass leaving the pool. It may have something to do with the awesome swim cap mom and dad got me for my birthday:

You should know I have a thing for pink and skulls.

After a lunch with Chadd where I calmly ate my sandwich (read: inhaled food like a vacuum), I ran to Costco, got my watch resized and other random errands...

Just in time to get changed for the pool. Again.

Part 2: The Good Swim

What makes my tale of two swims even worth blogging about is how different they were. I went to a swim clinic tonight that my coach and Mei Mei Connors put on. I was both excited and terrified. Excited because I really wanted to love the pool and swimming and fearing it because, well, I'd just finished a brutal workout and oh hell I was going back to the water.

I also learned this crucial tip: have two swimsuits. If you don't, when you put your same suit back on from this morning's swim, you will be cold and damp. I'm in the market for a bright pink swimsuit with skulls. Project Runway, get on that, ok?

After a couple of minutes of talking about pool etiquette, we changed into our gear and headed into the pool. In case you didn't know, the Wilson pool is HUGE. Like...50 meters kind of huge. I have a hard time making 25 yards in my pool at the Y. 50 meters looked like sure death.

I had a choice at this point: cling to the side like I did when I was 6, or sack up and swim. It's not very iron to IM your best training buddy (Hi Bryan!) and say "I wimped out on the swim..."

When Mei Mei told us to swim to the end of the pool, I took a deep breath and tried to think of nothing. I made it to the end, nails dug into the ceramic edges. Then back to the other side. I was proud of myself, but panting like a dog. Mei Mei reminded me that it's okay to be afraid, that my body's reaction is normal, and that it's going to get better. Then she told me to slow down. But how?? My new favorite swimming tip is to reach for an extra inch per stroke because once I did that, I slowed down. I found my happy pace. I actually...get this...loved swimming.

I feel like I've been sprinting my workouts instead of actually doing intervals. What a massive change this is going to make.

I left the pool excited to go back for my next workout and really excited that I've found a pool with a hot tub.

And thus...a slightly less paranoid swimmer was born.

When Running Becomes Who You Are, Not What You Do

The first mile I ever ran (without stopping) took me 15 minutes, flat. Huffing and puffing, I hit STOP on the treadmill and felt like I had just climbed Everest. I felt so proud of myself. I ran a mile. Without stopping. I can still feel the blood pulsing in my temple as I woozily got off the treadmill at the Y in Oviedo.

Thursday night after my spin class, half way through my half hour core workout, I was thinking about how I'd found myself on the road to an Ironman 70.3 and, let's be real, a full Ironman. I thought of myself on that treadmill and the dogged pursuit of a full, running mile.

Chadd is fond of reminding me that I can run a half marathon with very little training when I'm down on myself. How did I get from that 1, 15 minute mile to a half marathon in the tank? I wished I knew. I felt like I had accidentally stumbled into this life. Don't get me wrong, I still felt very grateful, but it felt less like a goal, more like an accident on Thursday.

Sunday afternoon, while I was cleaning the house and Chadd was at the gym, I had a bit of an emotional breakdown. Bryan, the voice of sanity in my crazy workout world , and I made a pact a few years ago: I would do an Ironman if he would do a marathon (right, Bryan? I can't remember the exact terms, but they were outrageous). I was at a point in the job I held then where I was so miserable and down on myself (just like I felt before I registered for the half Ironman) that I was ready to take the deal. Whenever Bryan or I have been particularly down or in need of encouragement, this video gets passed back and forth via email. Maybe y'all think that's the exact opposite of encouragement, but between Bryan and myself, it's the perfect medicine.

My joints aching, I decided to watch that video again. Halfway through, I totally lost my cool and started crying. As I described to Bryan, "I legit had a 'hold the cat and sob' moment while watching the 'you will do this' video." But I wasn't crying from sadness or exhaustion (ok, maybe some exhaustion). I was crying because I so clearly saw myself on that treadmill, 10 years ago, begging my body for that mile and because I am so proud of myself. It was like watching myself through all my running accomplishments:

- the first, wretched mile
- the first long run (9 miles, in a victoria's secret cotton outfit - bad bad bad plan)
- the first time I did 20 miles
- my first expo (Marine Corps marathon!)
- running a 5k turkey trot with my brother and mom
- the first time I ran after foot surgery
- the second marathon and all the tears, toenails and blood that came from that one
- Ragnar.
- Ragnar Ragnar Ragnar
- My first sub-8 mile (downhill at the 4 courts 4)
- The first time I pulled a half marathon out of thin air on no training (Marine Corps Half Marathon)
- My brother's first half marathon

The list goes on. But suddenly, running didn't seem like something I do...it became something I am. And I was so damn proud that all I could do was cry. I clutched our big, stupid cat, crying into his fur and said, "this isn't very iron, is it?" Or maybe that's what being Iron is all about.

This week was a great week in training - I almost hit 9 hours of training, and minus a very tweaky shoulder, I felt fabulous. I can see myself getting in better shape, stronger, healthier. I learned how to swim effectively (and less scarily!), ran 12 miles at a decent pace and got away with not being sore on Sunday.

Best part of the week? My Saturday run showed off weather like this:

So, moral of the story is this - you have it in you, whatever it is that you want to do. Sometimes, you just have to make it past the first 15 minute mile of your life with one foot in front of the other.

Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon

I don't even know where to start this blog post because I have SO many great things to say about Saturday's race.

First of all, I had SO many friends who were also doing it. Even if we didn't meet up at the race, I got to enjoy the pre-race Twitter and IRL conversations with everyone. Even MORE exciting was that this was Amanda and Alicia's first half marathon and I have so enjoyed watching them train and become strong, amazing runners over the past few months.

Bryan came into town from Chicago on Wednesday, and after track practice, we got to hang out at my place and chat. Thursday, we met up with Eliot and Alicia to hit the expo, pick up our bibs, and shop a little.

I picked up some more Sweaty Bands. If you need headbands for active use...this is your best bet. I know there are a lot of cheaper imitators, but don't be fooled. Pay the difference and I promise you won't regret it.

They have skull patterns. Clearly, I'm their target demographic.

Then we got dinner in Eastern Market. I had a bit of a snit regarding food and man, can I tell you that you learn who your real friends are when they tolerate you until you stuff your face with chips and salsa. Chadd met up with us for margaritas and dinner then we parted ways and I sat on the bike trainer for an hour. See also: dedication.

Saturday morning, we got up in enough time to use the metro...because my car was locked in the garage (awesome.) Thankfully, the metro was easy to navigate and despite an almost 20 minute wait, we wound up at RFK around 6:15 where we met up with Amanda. After the usual "I have to pee, wait, where did I put my timing chip, can you hold this gu pack?", we ran over to see Coach T so I could get a pep talk, a hug and a high five.

Then we jumped into the corral, and slowly moved forward as the wave starts were released.

Me and Bryan

Me and Amanda

This is the first of many times I'll say how well organized the Rock'n'Roll crew was. The corrals were clearly marked, the releases were adequately spaced out, and aside from slightly annoying announcers, it was a nice way to start the race.

I saw these compression socks while we were waiting...I need these:

The race was a beautiful course around DC - we went out to the Mall, up 18th Street, then on Connecticut and into Adams Morgan, then Columbia Heights, then down by Howard University, through NE into the Atlas District, then back to the stadium. Rolling hills through the course, which is my strong suit. I learned at Ragnar PA that I am an ace with rolling hills. Must be from all the spinning (shameless plug to come to my class). I also enjoy the feeling of cresting the hill and rolling down...it's like mini accomplishments through a race and for me, a good mental check point.

Source

Rolling hills. Lots of them! Source

The first few miles were kind of rough. I tried to stay with Bryan and warm up and get focused, but my mind was all over the place. My calves were in pain and I just wasn't feeling it. But around mile 3, I hit my stride, warmed up/woke up and got moving. Every mile from there out got easier (and faster!)

By the time I got to Chadd at Mile 6, I was feeling amazing. After a quick hug, I powered up the hill and enjoyed the bands, the crowds, the shot of green beer from the friendly spectators in Columbia Heights.

I saw Cyndi on H Street and waved hello frantically. I started to get distracted mentally around mile 9. I was having a good race, but for a split second, got off track, got lost in my thoughts and lost my way. Suddenly, the end felt far away, even though my normal weekend runs are around 13 miles. Then I remembered that Coach T was going to be just past the 12th mile marker. With renewed energy, I charged toward 12. I felt stronger and stronger and stronger and FASTER. I tried to slow myself down because I was afraid I was going to burn out, but I couldn't stop. I waved at Coach, then focused on a strong and controlled finish.

The Rock'n'Roll organizers did a great job with the bands and with the aid stations. Every aid stop was stationed just after the odd miles. I never wanted anything, never felt bored, and thought they did a great job with the course - especially helping people navigate the half/full split. The finish line was great and though it took a while to get out of the shoots at the end, it's only because they had a lot to offer.

I picked up water, gatorade, a banana, chocolate milk (!!), a bagel, a fruit cup, snicker's marathon bars, and had a finisher's photo taken twice. I didn't pick up the yogurt or the apples, but mostly because I was out of hands.

After I grabbed my foil blanket, I strolled out to the main stage and lay in the grass, stretching and waiting for Amanda. The music was blasting, the sun was out, and I got to enjoy my post-race feast. There is no better way to end a race than that, friends. Switchfoot played and though they're kinda meh on the radio/youtube, in person, they were a great post-race show.

Once I collected Amanda and Bryan, we headed to the beer tent.

Cheers!

In case you didn't know, I have a THING for Michelob Ultra. Marketing works well on me. I saw that series of "active people" commercials where all the hard working office folks hit the bar after a long run through the city, or a weekend biking in the mountains and went "oh, that's me! I too need Michelob Ultra."

Then, Michelob did something brilliant: they sponsored almost all of the major race beer tents in the US. You finish a race and boom, you get a Michelob. Pavlov's theory works very well with me.

Mmm beer. And a nifty banana belt.

Another cool thing that the Rock'n'Roll folks did, aside from awesome medals:

Was that they invited a medal engraver to the post-race area:

Even though it cost $20 - if you pre-made the medals for that to be engraved, I couldn't say no.

After we drained our beers, Amanda was awesome and drove us home. We all grabbed showers, then went to BGR and INHALED our food. I didn't even get the chance to take a picture of my burger. That good.

Of course, since it was St. Patrick's day, we met up later that night with Alicia and Eliot at a sports bar and were lucky enough to snag a table. Reed and some of his friends stopped by. A good time was had by ....I had such a great night, aside from how much I loved my outfit:

Every time I walked back to my table from the bar or the bathroom, I saw my boyfriend and my friends around the table. I had that cheesy realization that I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I commented at some point that it was just like being in a group of friends like How I Met Your Mother...and it was. Laughing, drinking, talking, and really enjoying each other's company. After a couple hours, we wandered down to Flippin Pizza then passed out.

I lay in bed, about to fall asleep and reviewed the day. 

My times:

Finish: 1:58:14

The paces beside them show that interval's pace (i.e. 5k = start to 5k pace, 10k = 5k to 10k pace)

5k: 30:13 (9:43)

10k: 58:11 (9:01)

10 mile: 1:31:43 (8:49)

Finish: 1:58:14 (8:52)

Aside from a 3 second slip in my last 5k, those are some gorgeous negative splits. I was the 4086th finisher of over 1600, putting me in the top 25% range. I ran under Eliot's name, so I haven't bothered to calculate my division stats, but those concern me less.

Those numbers are amazing for me for a couple reasons - I haven't been running this fast in training and I ran without a headset for the first time since my first marathon. 

I learned a couple things: 

- Running in an event with a lot of other friends is fun

- I have a hard time running with other people because I lose focus

- I will definitely run more Rock'n'Roll events

- Trust your training

- I love rolling hills

- I don't need music to love the run

- I have awesome friends

And that is an awesome Saturday.

5 Random Thoughts

Goodness. What happens when you go on vacation and come back to a new office policy banning social media (blogger included). I need to get better about finishing my posts at night instead of leaving the editing to the morning.

Anyway - Miami was great - thanks to everyone for your support and well wishes! We had an awesome time and Chadd did really well. 

I have a post coming, probably this weekend, that I'm REALLY excited about, so maybe that will make up for the brevity of this post and the lack of posts for the past couple weeks.

Tonight is a random assortment of thoughts.

1) I really love Fitocracy. If you aren't on Fitocracy, you're missing out. It's basically a social media network for fitness people and I love it. And there's a forum that I totally love and am geeking out over. Here's the link to sign up - and we'll automatically follow each other. Leveling up is literally why I'll do another set of anything. And it's free. So, there's no reason to not do it. 

2) I really love track practice. Since it's spring break, those pesky students aren't having games on the track (must you have spring sports?) so we don't have to run around a block. Tonight we did 4x1200s. Goal was to start slightly lower than threshold and get faster with each set. My times looked like this:

1 - 6:02

2 - 6:06 (oops)

Coach said before our third set that if we couldn't get faster on this third set, this would be our last set - no fourth set. 

3 - 5:48 (f*ck yeah.)

4 - 5:49

One of the girls in my group said "there's no motivation like telling an endurance athlete 'you can't'" and isn't that the truth. I felt like I was freaking flying on those last two sets. 

3) My coach is the greatest. We had our one on one tonight post track workout to go over the approach to the Flying Pig Marathon (more on that later), how things were going currently, and to hang out. I love the fact that my coach takes a very personal approach to training. We went to Rocklands BBQ and sat outside with our food and a beer. I mean, really. How do you not love a coach like that?? If you're training for any major event, I strongly recommend a coach (specifically, my coach) because it takes the pressure off, mentally. I am not responsible for coming up with my workouts and worrying about if they're the right ones or if I miss one what will happen. I am simply responsible for doing my best and keeping my coach informed. Talk about a load off of your shoulders.

4) My weekend workouts are making me scared excited...which I am dubbing scaxited. Go with me here. Saturday I have my first real brick workout - 1-1:15 group bike ride, 20-30 minute run. I am still scared of my bike even though I'm in love with it (in scove?). Fear is a powerful motivator so I'm really stoked to get on the bike and conquer gears and clipping in/out. And then Sunday, after I figure out how to fit in my Easter celebrations at the church, I have a 15-16 mile run. I am anticipating not feeling amazing on Sunday afternoon in terms of energy, but pretty freaking awesome in terms of perceived invincibility. 

5) If you haven't read my how-to on track etiquette, please do. Or stay off the track before you or someone around you gets hurt. Also: DON'T TEXT MIDTRACK WORKOUT. Augh some people...

And that's all!

In My Skin - A Body Image Revelation

I think I’ve discovered Nirvana.

If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, you’ve witnessed first hand that I have body image issues. That’s a really dramatic sentence for a very low-drama reality. I mean really, in honesty, don’t most 20-something women have body issues?

I’ve had my share of frustrating shopping trips, poked at every area of my body before walking around in a swimsuit. I’ve pulled and pushed my stomach to figure out which way I look best. I’ve dieted, I’ve lost a lot of weight and I’ve gained weight. And through all of that, I’ve dealt with the mind games we play with ourselves. “If I just lost x pounds…if I looked like x super model…”

Let me tell you what you already know: it’s all crap.

The other night, I came home from the gym and was about to grab a shower. I shrugged my shirt off and flexed my arms in the mirror. Instead of jumping to criticism, for some reason, this time I smiled and turned so I could see my back in the adjoining mirror. I repeated this process head to toe standing there in my running capris and sports bra. Sure, I could drum up some criticism, but why? Instead of hitting myself with negative comments, I looked at myself proudly. Damn. I look strong.

And a word about shopping and fashion...This skinny jean fad is pretty much crap. Y’all, I am tired of saying to sales people and my shopping buddies “yeah, no on the skinny jeans. I have big legs” and getting this response “oh stop, you are so thin.”

I’m not saying I won’t wear skinny jeans because I think I'm fat. I’m saying I won’t wear skinny jeans because honey, these legs run marathons. I have a lot of strong, powerful, sexy muscle in my legs and I’m not ashamed of it. I’m proud of it because I worked for it. I don’t want skinny legs, mine are just fine, thanks. It would be really awesome if fashion decided to ditch the skinny jean fad, though.  Can’t a girl get a normal cut jean in one of those awesome colors? Who wants to have “matchstick” legs anyway. Eww.

I have always been concerned about my arms. You know that girl who worries about her arms in photos? That was me. But now, I look at my arms and I thank swimming. They haven’t gotten smaller, they’ve gotten stronger. My shoulders have gotten broader and stronger. And when I’m a half mile away from shore in my half IM, I will be very very grateful for all that muscle and power and strength.

For the first time in my adult life, I’m not thinking (or caring) about what I weigh or what size pants I’m wearing. I care about how fast I run, how strong I can swim, and whether or not I’m going to eat it on the bike (odds are currently 3-1 on eating it). I have no idea what I weigh and I literally have 4 different sizes in my closet (and I fit in all of them. A size label doesn't define you). I strongly suggest you put yourself on the road to finding that self acceptance. It is an astounding freedom. 

I care about my performance, my health, my strength…not so much that I’m not a waifish stick figure. I’ve actually even begun to find it unattractive and unappealing in fashion magazines to see size 00 women. And wouldn't you know...I haven't been sick (aside from the Noro Virus) in months.

If you’ve fallen into the “if I lose weight I will run faster” mindset, do yourself a favor and please read my teammate Victoria’s blog post about Weight Versus Running Speed and do some reevaluation.

So how do you get to this magical head space? The secret is not to run out and sign up for a half Ironman, nor is it to get to a point where you’re happy with your body and work like hell to stay there. It's to focus on the positive. For me, it took signing up for a half Ironman to rob me of any time for negative thought. All I can think about (and really, WANT to think about) in my spare time is how to train, when to train, gear I want need, workouts, food, etc. etc. etc. There's no time for negativity and I'm kicking myself that it's taken this long to get here. 

Take a moment and promise yourself that at least once today, you'll stop a negative body image thought and replace it with something physical about your body that you're proud of.

Being comfortable in your own skin is really worth it.

Victory! Or, the week I started training (in earnest) again

2013 started out, in a word, crappy.

Early January, my foot was swelling at the end of long runs. I'd had ankle issues for a while now, but I mostly ignored them...until January. By early February, my entire ankle was made of #RAGE. It got to the point where running was totally out of the picture. Soon, cycling was too much, and swimming wasn't doing anyone any favors. I could literally hear grinding in my ankle and the back of my heel was turning shades of purple unknown in nature.

No one knows what caused it. No one had any perfect solutions. By mid-March, I was apoplectic every time I saw someone running (which, in DC, is frequently). But I still did my best to support runners at the RnR Half.

Finally, things started to change. My podiatrist re-fit my orthotics with a higher arch. I started seeing Erin twice a week for active release therapy, I continued to foam roll and use the stick like my life depended on it...and...I bit the bullet and took up yoga. I know, I know. But, much like my experience with Crossfit, yoga wound up surprising me. I used to be a mix of "this isn't making me sweat" and "w.t.f."

I signed up for a 6:30am flow yoga class with Yoga District in Dupont. I should say, up front, that Kat is a GREAT instructor. I'm not flexible and I'm really impatient, but class flows (ha) at a pace that keeps me moving, engaged, and focused. I loved starting my day SO much with yoga that I went ahead and signed up for Tuesday morning...and then Friday morning. Yoga feels a lot more like this:

aka: badass.

Ayla, if you want to gchat me with "I TOLD YOU SO" ^ infinitum, go for it.

A brief #miacooks interlude: my new favorite breakfast is a very simple protein shake. I use Vega protein powder at the recommendation of Christine. I do a banana, frozen strawberries, heaping tablespoon of greek yogurt from the market (no, do not buy that from the grocery), a scoop of Vega, and some almond milk. Boom. Awesome post morning workout breakfast.

I also went back to Crossfit this week. Since CFDupont is no longer (unicorn tears), I went ahead and gave Crossfit DC a shot. I got back from my first workout and talked Chadd's ear off. I said I might look around at other boxes, but I knew I'd already made up my mind.

So, come to Crossfit DC. Best box in DC. Chris and Tom know their stuff. They care about everyone there. The equipment is great. The space is epic. The vibe is like coming home. Or maybe I just missed Crossfit. Or both, who knows, but I'll go with it.

Better yet - Lindsey came to town! I was healed up in time to workout with her before she moves back to California.

This was for a photo opp. Let's not judge my form more harshly than I have.

On Wednesday, I was allowed to run precisely 1 mile at track. I'm sure my time was shameful, but my ankle didn't swell. I woke up Thursday feeling NORMAL (hence: all systems go for Crossfit).

This weekend is my first brick since...a long time. Wish me luck and enjoy the weather this weekend!

Victory Lap

This morning, I woke up naturally around 6 am. Normally, I can go back to sleep, but this morning, I lay awake, thinking about my impending brick workout.

I got out of bed, ate a quick breakfast, put on my ridiculously uncomfortable bike pants (seriously, this padding thing is awful), took off my ridiculously uncomfortable bike pants (never, ever forget to wear bodyglide) and got the Blue Terror down to the car...and spent a good 15 minutes cursing at my bike rack.

I got to Peirce Mill a little late (sorry guys) and after some frantic tire pumping, Rachel, Victoria, and I set out on Beach Drive. It all clicked. I know I need some start/stop work, but I didn't fall over. I remembered how to clip in/out without screaming or nearly falling. We took an out and back to Connecticut Ave.

Riding a bike is, in fact, just like...riding a bike. It comes back to you pretty quickly.

I couldn't keep up with my teammates, but they're far better athletes than I am, and at the very least, I am excited to say I pulled 17.17 miles in around 1:04. I don't know what my first hour bike ride distance was, but I'm fairly certain it was many miles shorter than that. My endurance isn't entirely gone!

Rachel and Victoria had longer bricks, so I swung back by Coach, dropped off my bike, and did a very short, 15 minute victory run lap.

I nearly made it 20 because I wasn't paying attention to the time. Slow, yes, but running felt natural. My ankle didn't seize up. My arch wasn't swelling. I was simply running.

Though I am fighting off a nap before yoga with Rachel, I can only say that I feel amazing. And I am so glad to be back.

Whole 30 - Week 2

Whole30 - Week 2

My week one ended with a bad car accident. Car totaled, pain pills for neck issues kind of bad accident. But a few things came of this:

1) I am more grateful than ever to be alive and with all functional limbs (minus the toe I bruised up pretty badly)
2) I am overwhelmed by the love of my friends. I had no less than 6 offers from people to pick me up on the side of the GW Parkway.
3) I need a new car.

Day 8 (Tuesday)

This was a ROUGH day. I woke up in a lot of pain, tired and hungover from the pain killers and muscle relaxers. As a result, I had a Lara bar for breakfast, half heartedly ate some more eggplant leftovers between what would be breakfast and lunch, and some veggies, I think. I don't actually remember and I'm writing this on Wednesday. Rough.day.

I got in bed when I got home and was like...eff it. Beer and pizza me. But I did not. Instead, I got up and made indian spiced hamburgers on portabello mushroom "buns."

Breakfast: Lara bar
Lunch: leftover eggplant, squash
Dinner: hamburger on portabello mushrooms

Day 9 (Wednesday)

Another crazy day, but this time I managed breakfast...but not lunch. I swear to you all, I never want to eat eggplant again and I can already tell the biggest problem I will face with this diet is getting sick of whatever it is that I'm eating. Note to self: make leftovers, but not THAT many leftovers.

The real challenge came when it was time for dinner. Tomorrow is a holiday. Chadd and I haven't spent a lot of time together lately, so off we went to Lauriol for dinner. Normally? Chips and salsa forever and bring on the cheese enchiladas and a margarita. Tonight? Yeah, that's not happening.

Breakfast: eggplant strata
Lunch: skipped, I know I know, though I did sneak in an apple and almond butter
Dinner: fried plantains, guacamole, chicken and steak fajita meat and grilled veggies

Day 10 (Thursday)

I feared this day. Well, feared is a strong word, but I was apprehensive about getting through the 4th easily. What is more American than a beer and a burger? Originally, Chadd's dad's family was coming in, but that changed at the last minute, so we were without plans. I am seriously burning out on food. I need to get the energy and motivation to make new foods. Not working out due to the car accident has been a real bummer, too. I just feel irritated and listless.

Chadd did drag my butt to the pool down the street and after an easy 500m, my neck felt better than it did going in, so that was a win.

Breakfast: More sleep for breakfast!
Lunch: Eggplant strata (so help me God I never want to eat this ever again)
Snack: apple and almond butter
Dinner: Stirfry with chicken and veggies and spaghetti squash

Day 11 (Friday)

Yesterday was ridiculous. I wanted to punch someone for a milk shake. I guess we're in that realm of weird cravings. I wanted everything sweet. ANYTHING. Milk. I wanted a huge glass of milk. I don't remember the last time I drank milk straight. Friday, not so bad. I had to be up early to meet with Geico to get my claim check, I still struggle with getting up early enough for breakfast.

The hardest part of today was working with Danny and not being able to test much of the food we made. I did eat a lot of steamed veggies and proscuitto.

Breakfast: Egg, leftover veggies
Lunch: leftover stir fry
Dinner: veggies, proscuitto

Day 12 (Saturday)

I made some rookie mistakes today. As in. I forgot to plan. Totally, 100% spaced out. I got up, made a late breakfast (more eggs) and then off we went to test drive cars. Out of the city. Away from anything but fast food. Cue dangerous hangry music. After fussing around at CarMax (fail), we wound up grabbing food at a place where I could, not even kidding, only order a chicken breast with tomato and lettuce. And an unsweet tea. And fruit. I was not happy. But I tried to calm the hangry monster inside and quickly ate my gross lunch. I celebrated making it through this with some cashews and sparkling water before we went and looked at more cars.

On the fun side, on the way back into the city, we stopped at Whole Foods and I spent an obscene amount of time with the butcher playing "what is in that sausage." #TWSS

Breakfast: Eggs, veggies
Lunch: grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato, fruit cup
Dinner: grilled salmon with green beans and spaghetti squash

Day 13 (Sunday)

Brunch brunch brunch. Every self respecting DC girl enjoys a good brunch. I happen to love brunch, but really hate that it can lend itself to wasting the day with day drinking. I decided it was wise to try brunch at a location that would probably accomodate my odd needs. Chef Geoff's, it was.

I warned the waiter in advance, who very nicely, asked if I had allergies or was just special. Just special, I assured him, as I took out my ziplock container of whipped coconut milk that I spooned into my coffee. Very special.

Brunch: Just egg omelet (really more like a flat mix of egg and egg) over oil sauteed onions, peppers, and spinach. Fruit plate, avocado, and sweet potato. Plus more fruit. Bless our waiter.
Dinner: Chicken with artichoke hearts, capers and lemon, broccoli, and spaghetti squash

Day 14 (Monday)

Today felt like a normal day. I got up, had a left over burger thing and portabello mushroom. This did not seem odd to me. Lunch was normal. I found myself distinctly NOT thinking about the Whole30. Breaking news: I have learned to enjoy black coffee. Old news: I'm addicted to Whole Foods. It's blissful picking up produce and meat there.

Breakfast: Leftover indian burger
Lunch: Lamb meatballs in sauce, spaghetti squash, peach, nuts
Dinner: Grilled flank steak, asparagus, onions and mushrooms, sweet potato, berries with whipped coconut cream

Week Wrap Up:

After the first week, I knew this week (and next) would be the hardest, simply because the excitement would have worn off and it would be harder to avoid "normal" life with the 4th, friends in town, etc. But the week went better than expected. By the end of it, Whole30 felt very doable and I'm pretty certain we'll be sticking to a modified version of it (read: I won't freak out when there is sugar in my bacon).

Positives:
- I feel good. Even post accident, I feel GOOD
- The sleep is black and dreamless and I don't have insomnia or wake up unable to sleep again
- I've never trimmed down this fast - ever. Ever ever.
- Saving money. I know that a lot of people disagree and say they spent MORE going paleo. Maybe we just ate out a lot...

Negatives:
- I can't measure my athletic performance since I can't do anything aerobic
- When you have unexpected plans and you must.eat.right.now.
- Sorry, there is SUGAR in bacon?? Surely you jest.
- The whole foods employees are about to restrict me from accessing the building
- Sometimes, the idea of having to cook for a half day to prep for the week is overwhelming, but once I get started, it's pretty nice and relaxing

Half way!