It's time I restart this blogging thing again. In the past this blog has been focused on fashion, then running, then dieting. I'll probably continue with one or all of those. Perhaps I should stop focusing upon a single topic and just write about my life?
My life. Let's see. At the moment, it sucks. This has been one of the worst Summers of my life, plagued with personal tragedy and bad things happening to nearly everyone I love.
That being said, it's also been full of triumph and success, too. I guess it's all about how you look at it. Recently, I got a 5k PR and a medal (4th place in my age group, one of the great things about being in my 30s, I guess). And then yesterday I found out I'm unemployed, and today my Wii system stopped working during a thunderstorm.
So, you win some, you lose some.
Stay tuned for more, because no matter what, I'm not giving up.
Never give up, never surrender. (wwww.mcchris.com)
Friday, August 19, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Take that, emotional eating!
I had such a crazy morning! Lots of stress and anxiety, and though it all worked out okay, I was still feeling pretty frazzled as I drove toward home at almost 10am. All of a sudden, I could feel the pull of Dunkin Donuts... There's one about 2 miles from my home, and I probably visit it more than I should. It was definitely calling to me today! I had some cereal around 7am, so I was starting to get hungry again. A craving hit me, and I knew I HAD TO HAVE a small dunkaccino and a chocolate glazed donut. I could almost taste it, just thinking about it!
Then I thought, "But I've been doing well for the past few days. Maybe I shouldn't go. Maybe I'm just wanting it because I'm feeling stressed..."
That's when the bargaining started. "But you're really hungry!" my other side said. "It's not like you're just eating because you're stressed. You're actually hungry right now! Plus, you're not trying to lose weight right now, just maintain, so one trip to DD isn't going to hurt..."
My "bad" side argued, "Are you really going to feel better if you deny a craving?? You'll go home and eat something else instead, and you'll STILL want it! If you resist, will you really feel that good?"
In the end, I decided to stop at home first to wait for my husband to call to see if my problems got straightened out. In the meantime, I read an email from my sister.
Thank God I did! She saved me!!
In her email, she wrote, "I was in the mood for a good breakfast today, so I made scrambled eggs with diced potatoes and green peppers."
I thought, "Mmm, that sounds good!" I don't eat eggs very often, and I had onion and green pepper in my fridge, too.
So instead of the chocolate fix, I had this:
A scrambled egg with peppers and onions, half an orange and a piece of honey wheat toast.
Instead of 610 calories, 35 grams of fat and 43 grams of sugar, I had 213 calories, 9 grams of fat and 5.5 grams of sugar!
I feel great!! It feels like such a huge success, saying no to a sugar craving and having something healthy (and yummy!) instead! And I won't have the crash from the sugar wearing off!
Take that, emotional eating!! To that side of me that asked if I'd really feel better if I resisted, YES, I DO FEEL BETTER! I had a healthy breakfast, and I'm feeling great about it!
Yay for good choices!!
Then I thought, "But I've been doing well for the past few days. Maybe I shouldn't go. Maybe I'm just wanting it because I'm feeling stressed..."
That's when the bargaining started. "But you're really hungry!" my other side said. "It's not like you're just eating because you're stressed. You're actually hungry right now! Plus, you're not trying to lose weight right now, just maintain, so one trip to DD isn't going to hurt..."
My "bad" side argued, "Are you really going to feel better if you deny a craving?? You'll go home and eat something else instead, and you'll STILL want it! If you resist, will you really feel that good?"
In the end, I decided to stop at home first to wait for my husband to call to see if my problems got straightened out. In the meantime, I read an email from my sister.
Thank God I did! She saved me!!
In her email, she wrote, "I was in the mood for a good breakfast today, so I made scrambled eggs with diced potatoes and green peppers."
I thought, "Mmm, that sounds good!" I don't eat eggs very often, and I had onion and green pepper in my fridge, too.
So instead of the chocolate fix, I had this:
A scrambled egg with peppers and onions, half an orange and a piece of honey wheat toast.
Instead of 610 calories, 35 grams of fat and 43 grams of sugar, I had 213 calories, 9 grams of fat and 5.5 grams of sugar!
I feel great!! It feels like such a huge success, saying no to a sugar craving and having something healthy (and yummy!) instead! And I won't have the crash from the sugar wearing off!
Take that, emotional eating!! To that side of me that asked if I'd really feel better if I resisted, YES, I DO FEEL BETTER! I had a healthy breakfast, and I'm feeling great about it!
Yay for good choices!!
Monday, July 19, 2010
1st run with Garmin Forerunner 305!
Oh my gosh, this thing is cool!!
Okay, so I can't write a detailed, fair review until I've used it a few times more, but so far I love it! I set up the watch to do 8 repetitions of 5:1 intervals. (I have to keep reminding myself that I don't NEED to run constantly with no walking breaks. I'm still a beginner runner! Walking to recover is perfectly fine!)
My goal was to run 4 miles today, and I figured that would be about the time it would take to do it (48 minutes). Actually, I figured I'd be just under the goal when I was finished, considering I was "supposed" to run slowly today, focusing on distance rather than time.
My only complaint so far, and this could be because I'm still learning to use the watch, was that while it was timing my intervals, I couldn't figure out a way to see my distance/time so far. I couldn't see my pace or how far I'd gotten. I could only see how many more intervals I had to do. Hm... I'd like to be able to at least see my pace during intervals! I know my sister's 405 lets her see the distance, so maybe I'm just missing something.
So when my watch beeped after the last walking interval, I was shocked to see that I had done 4.05 miles! I went over my goal for the day! Yippee! I did 4.05 miles in 48 minutes, which I'm pretty proud of, especially considering I felt like I was going really slow today.
It was fun to not set a route before I went out! Usually I'm using mapping programs and trying to figure out an easy route that takes me the distance I'm looking for that day. It was fun to just go out and run, choosing streets when I felt like it. My town has crazy hills, though, so I ended up walking a lot of my last running interval as it was a pretty steep uphill.
I can't tell you how cool it is to come home and upload my run to my Garmin Training Center! It tells me my pace (the first three miles were all 9:28! I slipped to 11:58 by the last mile, though), elevation, distance, speed, etc. Very cool!
I think my new watch will be a very valuable tool for my training! I'm very happy with it so far, and I can't wait to figure out how to use all of its functions!
Okay, so I can't write a detailed, fair review until I've used it a few times more, but so far I love it! I set up the watch to do 8 repetitions of 5:1 intervals. (I have to keep reminding myself that I don't NEED to run constantly with no walking breaks. I'm still a beginner runner! Walking to recover is perfectly fine!)
My goal was to run 4 miles today, and I figured that would be about the time it would take to do it (48 minutes). Actually, I figured I'd be just under the goal when I was finished, considering I was "supposed" to run slowly today, focusing on distance rather than time.
My only complaint so far, and this could be because I'm still learning to use the watch, was that while it was timing my intervals, I couldn't figure out a way to see my distance/time so far. I couldn't see my pace or how far I'd gotten. I could only see how many more intervals I had to do. Hm... I'd like to be able to at least see my pace during intervals! I know my sister's 405 lets her see the distance, so maybe I'm just missing something.
So when my watch beeped after the last walking interval, I was shocked to see that I had done 4.05 miles! I went over my goal for the day! Yippee! I did 4.05 miles in 48 minutes, which I'm pretty proud of, especially considering I felt like I was going really slow today.
It was fun to not set a route before I went out! Usually I'm using mapping programs and trying to figure out an easy route that takes me the distance I'm looking for that day. It was fun to just go out and run, choosing streets when I felt like it. My town has crazy hills, though, so I ended up walking a lot of my last running interval as it was a pretty steep uphill.
I can't tell you how cool it is to come home and upload my run to my Garmin Training Center! It tells me my pace (the first three miles were all 9:28! I slipped to 11:58 by the last mile, though), elevation, distance, speed, etc. Very cool!
I think my new watch will be a very valuable tool for my training! I'm very happy with it so far, and I can't wait to figure out how to use all of its functions!
Saturday, June 26, 2010
The Loop, my first 5k race report!
Holy cow, I'm thrilled! I'm so happy I FINISHED the race, and I beat my PR!! My shins were fine once I warmed up!
I finished with a time of 32:58! I was 80th overall (out of 94) and 9th in my age group. My pace was 10:38, which I'm very, very happy about! My sister came in under her goal at 37:56 and was 84th overall and 12th in our age group. We both had shin pain earlier this week, but we ran the race fine! My shins were a little tight when I started, but they warmed up. Boy am I glad I had advice from so many people! Resting, icing and compression REALLY helped me heal in time for this race! (I'm icing my shins as I type this, too)
So, for anyone who is interested (and for me in the future), here are all the details of my first race:
I slept well last night, actually. I did wake up a few times, but fell back asleep pretty quickly. I even hit the snooze button once when my alarm went off this morning! Though when it went off again, I jumped up out of bed. I had a cup of coffee, then double-checked to make sure I had everything. I realized I couldn't find my headbands! I searched the whole house, but could only find one of them (I wear two for some reason...)
So we drove to Walmart quick to see if I could find another headband (I need a tight one to hold my glasses in place; otherwise, they fall down when I sweat and I get annoyed), and my husband got a coffee at DD. I was so tempted to get something to eat, but I knew that could spell trouble. I stuck to eating my banana, my normal pre-run snack.
We picked up Traci (my sister) and headed to Ringtown. Of course, we couldn't find a parking spot, so we had to park down the road (at the finish line, actually). We picked up our numbers (I got #9! My favorite number is 3, but my second favorite is 3-3's, or 9!) and our pins and everything for timing.
We spotted my Mom there! I was so happy she could come to see us run! She lives about 2 miles from the race course.
They let the walkers start first at 9am, which we thought was a little weird. We weren't sure when we were going to start, so we didn't know when to warm up. Runners were jogging, doing side running moves, stretching and all sorts of things. It turned out, I forgot my camera in the car, so we walked up a big hill to warm up.
We lined up at the starting line (Traci and I toward the back of the crowd), and instead of having a gun or an air horn, one guy just said, "Ready, Set, Go!" which was a little odd, but it worked. It was chip-timed, anyway.
At first, everyone took off ahead of me, even my sister! There were like 4 people running behind us, and I think they were all elderly... Traci told me, "Don't worry, the people ahead of us will slow down," and they did. I passed a few people (which felt pretty exhilarating) and felt great once my shins warmed up a little. The temperature did, too! Wow, it was hot today! I was wearing compression pants I found at a sporting goods store which were designed for warm weather, so my legs felt great, actually. I'd definitely recommend running in them! (They're Underarmour compression pants. I got a Youth large - I'm short - but they make them in women's sizes, too)
I took more walking breaks that I would have liked. My legs weren't tired at all, but my breathing was a little labored today. I think it was a bit humid. The first mile felt fairly easy; the second mile was tougher; and I wasn't totally sure I'd make it through the third mile. But I did! I sprinted across the finish line. My Mom was surprised how fast I was at the end; she didn't even get a picture of me! My husband got a good one, though.
Here are my first race pics!
Traci and I, pre-race. Man it was bright out there!
Racers taking off up the first hill! The finish line is just above this hill, so we have to run it twice!
Me crossing the finish line! I honestly can't remember what I was thinking at that point. I was just sprinting as fast as I could so I could finish under 33 minutes!
Traci, Mom and me. I'm so glad my Mom was there to see us run!
Me and my wonderful husband, who came to the race to support me and to take photos of the event. Thanks!!
It was a small race, with under 100 runners, and I was surprised I placed at #80 considering I thought my time was pretty good for a beginner. I loved staying at the finish line, cheering on everyone else, and it felt awesome when they cheered me on, too! We raced through town, and some people had garden hoses out to cool off runners. It really felt like a community event. One pre-teen boy ran ahead of me and every time he took a walking break and I'd start jogging, if I got near him, he'd start running again. It was like he didn't want me to pass him. I saw him later with a medal for placing in the top three in his age group. I like to think that I inspired him to keep going. EVERYONE, at the race, in my family, on SparkPeople, and my friends, definitely inspired me today.
Thank you!!!
I finished with a time of 32:58! I was 80th overall (out of 94) and 9th in my age group. My pace was 10:38, which I'm very, very happy about! My sister came in under her goal at 37:56 and was 84th overall and 12th in our age group. We both had shin pain earlier this week, but we ran the race fine! My shins were a little tight when I started, but they warmed up. Boy am I glad I had advice from so many people! Resting, icing and compression REALLY helped me heal in time for this race! (I'm icing my shins as I type this, too)
So, for anyone who is interested (and for me in the future), here are all the details of my first race:
I slept well last night, actually. I did wake up a few times, but fell back asleep pretty quickly. I even hit the snooze button once when my alarm went off this morning! Though when it went off again, I jumped up out of bed. I had a cup of coffee, then double-checked to make sure I had everything. I realized I couldn't find my headbands! I searched the whole house, but could only find one of them (I wear two for some reason...)
So we drove to Walmart quick to see if I could find another headband (I need a tight one to hold my glasses in place; otherwise, they fall down when I sweat and I get annoyed), and my husband got a coffee at DD. I was so tempted to get something to eat, but I knew that could spell trouble. I stuck to eating my banana, my normal pre-run snack.
We picked up Traci (my sister) and headed to Ringtown. Of course, we couldn't find a parking spot, so we had to park down the road (at the finish line, actually). We picked up our numbers (I got #9! My favorite number is 3, but my second favorite is 3-3's, or 9!) and our pins and everything for timing.
We spotted my Mom there! I was so happy she could come to see us run! She lives about 2 miles from the race course.
They let the walkers start first at 9am, which we thought was a little weird. We weren't sure when we were going to start, so we didn't know when to warm up. Runners were jogging, doing side running moves, stretching and all sorts of things. It turned out, I forgot my camera in the car, so we walked up a big hill to warm up.
We lined up at the starting line (Traci and I toward the back of the crowd), and instead of having a gun or an air horn, one guy just said, "Ready, Set, Go!" which was a little odd, but it worked. It was chip-timed, anyway.
At first, everyone took off ahead of me, even my sister! There were like 4 people running behind us, and I think they were all elderly... Traci told me, "Don't worry, the people ahead of us will slow down," and they did. I passed a few people (which felt pretty exhilarating) and felt great once my shins warmed up a little. The temperature did, too! Wow, it was hot today! I was wearing compression pants I found at a sporting goods store which were designed for warm weather, so my legs felt great, actually. I'd definitely recommend running in them! (They're Underarmour compression pants. I got a Youth large - I'm short - but they make them in women's sizes, too)
I took more walking breaks that I would have liked. My legs weren't tired at all, but my breathing was a little labored today. I think it was a bit humid. The first mile felt fairly easy; the second mile was tougher; and I wasn't totally sure I'd make it through the third mile. But I did! I sprinted across the finish line. My Mom was surprised how fast I was at the end; she didn't even get a picture of me! My husband got a good one, though.
Here are my first race pics!
Traci and I, pre-race. Man it was bright out there!
Racers taking off up the first hill! The finish line is just above this hill, so we have to run it twice!
Me crossing the finish line! I honestly can't remember what I was thinking at that point. I was just sprinting as fast as I could so I could finish under 33 minutes!
Traci, Mom and me. I'm so glad my Mom was there to see us run!
Me and my wonderful husband, who came to the race to support me and to take photos of the event. Thanks!!
It was a small race, with under 100 runners, and I was surprised I placed at #80 considering I thought my time was pretty good for a beginner. I loved staying at the finish line, cheering on everyone else, and it felt awesome when they cheered me on, too! We raced through town, and some people had garden hoses out to cool off runners. It really felt like a community event. One pre-teen boy ran ahead of me and every time he took a walking break and I'd start jogging, if I got near him, he'd start running again. It was like he didn't want me to pass him. I saw him later with a medal for placing in the top three in his age group. I like to think that I inspired him to keep going. EVERYONE, at the race, in my family, on SparkPeople, and my friends, definitely inspired me today.
Thank you!!!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Roller Coaster and today's lunch!
So yesterday I was all "Mrs. Brightside," and then last night I couldn't sleep, worrying about the race. What if I can't run at all? What if I try to run and injure myself and can't finish at all? What if I finish, but I'm in last place? It kept me up for hours. Then when I fell asleep, I dreamt that I was able to run the race.
When I woke up to the same shin pain, I felt devastated all over again! My husband keeps trying to help (bless him), but I was miserable again.
Then I put on some pantyhose. LOL
I know compression is part of the healing process (RICE, right?), but I don't have compression socks and I couldn't find any ace bandage, so I thought I'd try pantyhose. And you know what? My legs feel better! When I came home from a hair cut (which is also contributing to me feeling better), I jogged up the steps to my front door, and I didn't feel any pain! I just might wear them to the race tomorrow. Would that be weird? If they're nude, no one will notice, right??
So I'm back on the happy side again. I have a feeling that WHEN (not IF) I cross that finish line tomorrow, I just might cry. I'm having an emotional week! (And I have to say that, as an emotional eater, I've been doing well at sticking to my ranges and making sure I don't eat lots of junk food!)
And, because I love sharing, here's a pic of my lunch today:
a mini-pizza (sauce, cottage cheese and cheddar cheese) on half an Arnold's Sandwich Thin with a romaine salad (with broccoli, cucumber, grapes and blueberries) and 1 tbsp of light balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
I'll have a second lunch (hubby calls me a Hobbit) before I go to work because this one is only 192 calories!
I hope I sleep tonight! And I hope I have a good race report to write about tomorrow!!
When I woke up to the same shin pain, I felt devastated all over again! My husband keeps trying to help (bless him), but I was miserable again.
Then I put on some pantyhose. LOL
I know compression is part of the healing process (RICE, right?), but I don't have compression socks and I couldn't find any ace bandage, so I thought I'd try pantyhose. And you know what? My legs feel better! When I came home from a hair cut (which is also contributing to me feeling better), I jogged up the steps to my front door, and I didn't feel any pain! I just might wear them to the race tomorrow. Would that be weird? If they're nude, no one will notice, right??
So I'm back on the happy side again. I have a feeling that WHEN (not IF) I cross that finish line tomorrow, I just might cry. I'm having an emotional week! (And I have to say that, as an emotional eater, I've been doing well at sticking to my ranges and making sure I don't eat lots of junk food!)
And, because I love sharing, here's a pic of my lunch today:
a mini-pizza (sauce, cottage cheese and cheddar cheese) on half an Arnold's Sandwich Thin with a romaine salad (with broccoli, cucumber, grapes and blueberries) and 1 tbsp of light balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
I'll have a second lunch (hubby calls me a Hobbit) before I go to work because this one is only 192 calories!
I hope I sleep tonight! And I hope I have a good race report to write about tomorrow!!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
The Bright Side
I'm trying to stay positive (but realistic) about my chances of running the race in 2 days. My shins still hurt (only when I try to run or jog up the stairs, not when I'm sitting or standing). An SP article says to rest them for a week or two. Saturday will be 6 days from my last run, so there's a very tiny chance I'll be able to run.
If not, I'm looking on the bright side. Even if I don't run:
1. I still get a tshirt for the race! All walkers and runners who pre-registered get the free swag, so that's cool!
2. I'll still finish the race, no matter what. Even if I have to walk the whole thing, I will. I'll finish.
3. There will be other races this year. This might not be my first race that I run, but there will be others.
4. The 5k benefits the rec center of the town where I grew up, so it's for a good cause regardless of whether or not I run.
5. I'm still getting out and exercising, a fun day spent with my sister!
6. There's always next year!
I wanted to say thank you to everyone for your support, comments and advice! It's definitely helped me through this. This hasn't deterred me from running all together. I want to run again, but when I do (after I've healed), I'll take it easy.
If not, I'm looking on the bright side. Even if I don't run:
1. I still get a tshirt for the race! All walkers and runners who pre-registered get the free swag, so that's cool!
2. I'll still finish the race, no matter what. Even if I have to walk the whole thing, I will. I'll finish.
3. There will be other races this year. This might not be my first race that I run, but there will be others.
4. The 5k benefits the rec center of the town where I grew up, so it's for a good cause regardless of whether or not I run.
5. I'm still getting out and exercising, a fun day spent with my sister!
6. There's always next year!
I wanted to say thank you to everyone for your support, comments and advice! It's definitely helped me through this. This hasn't deterred me from running all together. I want to run again, but when I do (after I've healed), I'll take it easy.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
shin pain, 3 days until race.
I'm feeling pretty down, disappointed, angry, and depressed. I'm trying to stay positive, and maybe my shins will stop hurting by Saturday and I'll be able to run the 5k. But I'm doubting it. It hurts when I jog up stairs, or when I try to jog in place. I take one step, and it's shooting pains in my shins. Not good.
This week, I'm just trying to focus on getting all my nutrients and vitamins and drinking plenty of water. Who knows? Maybe it was a potassium or calcium deficiency that caused the shin pain? And maybe if I make sure I get the right amounts this whole week, maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to run on Saturday.
I don't care if I have to walk almost the whole 5k race at this point. I've run the course several times, and I know the time I'm capable of if I can run comfortably. At this point, I just want to finish the race! Even if it's a "Run, Walk, Crawl, Finish" situation.
Send healing thoughts! :)
This week, I'm just trying to focus on getting all my nutrients and vitamins and drinking plenty of water. Who knows? Maybe it was a potassium or calcium deficiency that caused the shin pain? And maybe if I make sure I get the right amounts this whole week, maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to run on Saturday.
I don't care if I have to walk almost the whole 5k race at this point. I've run the course several times, and I know the time I'm capable of if I can run comfortably. At this point, I just want to finish the race! Even if it's a "Run, Walk, Crawl, Finish" situation.
Send healing thoughts! :)
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