Fundraising Effort

My fundraising letter is going out to all my contacts and then perhaps to the contacts of my parents and on from there to their friends.

My goal is to raise $1000 while training for the Hood to Coast relay in August.
So far my email blast has gotten some donations from a few of my former colleagues, which I appreciate! Please see the link to the right if you want to read more about my fund raising for the American Cancer Society. Basically I'm raising money for this society due to loosing my father to cancer in 2000, at the age of 49. We miss him a lot and wish he was here getting to know his grand kids.

I'm also running a 5k tomorrow and really want to run it in under 33 minutes. The mere fact that I can run a 5k without walking is a feat, seeing as my baby is just 11 weeks old. I've also lost 15 pounds in the last 4 weeks and in second place in the weight loss challenge at the gym (I've lost 8.5% of my body weight so far).

All this is to say, I'm passionate about fitness, firstly yes because it makes me feel good. But also because it means I'll be around when my kids have kids, unlike my Dad. His battle with cancer was complicated by his struggle with obesity. Please consider donating money to the American Cancer Society in memory of my Dad. I'd like to see less adults and kids dying of cancer. It just stinks!

Speed Trial

I was sneaking in a run with two feverish kids at home with my mother...so in other words I had to run fast! I ran quickly to the old high school track I used to train on with the JV basketball team. Back in my glory days I thought I wasn't in good shape, running an 8 minute mile around the track (making me a very slow guard).

As I arrived, I mentally challenged my 15-year-old self to a speed trial. Needless to say the 15-year-old won. BUT my 25 year old self did NOT win as I completed the trial in 10:02. I wasn't running 10 minute miles in my mid-20s, at least not consistantly.

It was encouraging to see how fast I could go. I think a month ago I was running 11:40 on the mile! Since having Zoe I've lost an additional 20 pounds and am now withing 5 pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight. The more I loose the faster I get is what I say!

Progress

I ran two miles of a 5k training run at 10:30 pace, which is a pace faster than I ran this time last year.

I've lots 10 pounds in three weeks with diet and increased exercise.

I've increased my resistance training and my weights on those as well.

I can do more push-ups.

My baby girl has gained weight and inches steadily.

My remaining goal is to loose another 10 pounds (at least) in the next five weeks, with 10 more pounds in the month following that. This would mean I could run the local 5k on the 4th of July while weighing in the 140s. Last time I ran at that weight I could run 9 minute miles!

Can I?

Can I prep for this Sprint Triathlon by June 6th? Today I biked 9.5 miles and then ran 2 miles. I've lost 13 pounds in 3 weeks so my running feels lots faster! Hope to be at least 13 pounds lighter by June 6th as well.

.5 mile swim. The swim will be in Rancho Seco Lake, with a beach start and finish. The water temperature will be around 72 degrees. Wetsuits are allowed. The course will be clockwise course marked with large orange swim buoys. The course will be monitored by safety boaters.
The Bike

The 16-mile bike course starts off within the park at Rancho Seco for the first 2 miles and then turns onto highway 104, monitored by CHP officers, for a 6 mile out and back loop. After a left turn back into Rancho Seco Park you finish around the lake and back into transition area.
The Run

The 3-mile run heads out of the transition area along a grass path to a wide fire road that loops around the lake for 1.5 miles before turning and returning on the same road. The dirt is softer than pavement and the mild hills are invigorating and satisfying. The finish is back to transition area and the huge welcome of the crowds, announcer and other finishers.

Competition, a Coach, and Scottish Roots

I find that without something or someone to motivate me I often get routine and lazy when it comes to exercise and eating right. Yesterday, in order to combat this and get down to my college weight, preferably the weight I was my Freshman NOT Senior year, I upped my training to a whole new label.

I've hired a physical trainer and am competing in a group training program designed to have me loose weight. My trainer has restricted my calorie intake to around 1500 calories a day and is encouraging me to do at least 2 hours of cardio work a day. This competition continues for the next 8 weeks, until mid-June, and the winner will be determined both at the club level and at the larger regional level based of percent of total body weight lost. My Mom was brave enough to sign up with me and we are both now committed to meeting at 4pm every Tuesday and Friday for our one hour workout sessions with our trainer.

Beyond that I have lots of other classes at the gym planned to get in my 2 hours a day. Over the last two weeks, which was before this competition started I did increase my exercise and reigned in my eating. This resulted in a 7 pound weight loss in 2 weeks. I think I have a real chance of winning this competition for the women at my club, as the last female club winner lost 12% of her body weight in eight weeks. For me, with a starting weight of 178, this means I need to loose around 22 pounds, which will get me down to 156 pounds (averaging 3 pounds a week).

When I get to my 160s I'll celebrate with a message. And since I expect to loose around 3 pounds a week, that should just be a few weeks away. That will be a nice accomplishment. I'll let you know when I get there. I'll weigh in each week on Monday or Tuesday. I should weigh 169 by May 4th.

When I set my mind to things I can be really competitive and stubborn. I'm hoping that I can use these somewhat bull-headed character defects to my benefit in this competition. My old Uncle Archie used to say it was the Scot in me. Time for that Scot to come out fighting. 2 hours a day. No problem. 1500 calories or less, no problem. I'm wielding the broadsword of my ancestors now, stubborn perseverance, and no one can stop me.

5k results

I ran my own 5k using my Garmin and a Juniot High track last night. The stars were beautiful and I ran to the sound of my Ipod and the spraying sound of the nighttime sprinklers on the football field. Moonshine was my only light.

Mile One: 11:28
Mile Two: 11:07
Mile Three: 11:36

Total 5k time: 35:17

This is an 11:21 pace, which is a bit slower than my pace last July at 10:30, BUT IT shows how quickly I'm getting back in shape. Keep in mind I just had my baby girl Zoe 6 weeks ago.

I felt fast and great after this self-imposed race. It was a very freeing feeling. My first official 5k is in late May. Let's hope I can beat this most recent time then. I've also signed up for a weight loss training group at my gym. This should help me get faster as well.

Two Miles a Day Through Elk Grove

Today I ran two miles in a 25:27, which is around a 12:40/mile pace.
It was a nice run around the Elk Grove Park which has ancient oak trees, and is rumoured to be the "grove" that a city founder saw "elk" walking through back in the 1850s. Hence the city name "Elk Grove."

I do remember a faster time for me, back in 2003, while training in Overland Park, Kansas. Back then I got fast enough to run two miles in 18:00, which is a 9 minute mile. Two kids later, a one year long heel injury, a marathon trained for and behind me, and I'm much slower than I was before (not to mention the 35 extra pounds I'm currently carrying).

I'm focusing on working out at least 30 minutes a day and when I do run, I'm keeping it to short runs like this (2 miles) so that I can really push my speed. I'm trading off days running with cross training by Pilates and swimming to rebuild my hip flexors and other core muscles.

Take your baby with You

Well, I'm 16 days post birthing my baby girl, Zoe (8lbs, 12oz).
I also just received an email with the following future "due date" of my next big accomplishment.

"Red Carpet Warriors--

With 165 days until we head down the mountain from Timberline Lodge, we've got 11 of 12 runners for our Hood to Coast team."

I am one of those 11 runners!
So today my baby took her first bottle from Daddy and I jogged 1.8 miles while pushing my two-year-old in a broken down jogging stroller.

My pace was somewhere between 13 to 16 minutes per mile. Yipes. My goal will be to get below 10 minute miles in the next 6 months.

When I accomplish this relay in record breaking time (for me) I can confidently proclaim that I've run two relay races with over 11 miles in each 24 hour race within one year. Not to mention that within that same year I was pregnant and birthed a huge baby. This leaves all my female cousins and sister with no excuse not to exercise or run in fun relay races while pregnant or recovering from pregnancy.

Birth Story Summary:
To summarize my recent birth of Zoe; it was a mental challenge for sure.
Basically my labor started at 11pm and kept me up all night. No sleep for me.
We drove 40 minutes to Davis Hospital at 6:30am after I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I listened to my hypnotherapy music and birthing music on my Ipod as we drove out there. Once there I labored with Nate's help focusing till 1pm (in the shower, counting through contraction, etc. At 1pm I wanted to get in the birthing tub and they told me I was dilated to at least a 5 cm. But the hospital was packed and both birthing tubs were in use. So I started to panic. I asked for an IV drip of something to calm me down and I labored for another 1.5 hours. At 2:30pm the tub still wasn't ready so I begged for an epidural. I was likely deep into transition at this point but refused to let my midwife check me for how dilated I was. Right when the epidural doctor came in the room I was told the birthing tub was ready for me. But at that point I was to frustrated to want to go that route. I got the epidural and started being nice to everyone. From 3 till 4pm I rested and Nate took a nap. Then at 4:10 or so my nurse came to check on my and noticed that when I tried to turn on my right side that baby girl's heartrate dropped. She decided to check my dilation and when she started to exclaimed, "Baby's head is crowning! She is ready to be born." A backup doctor was rushed in and was very nice introducing herself and was coaching me to push when I asked, "Where is my husband?" A nurse said, "Oh is that him asleep on the coach?" They woke up Nate and got my Mom back in the room. The doctor asked if I was a fast pusher with Lincoln and I said, "very fast." After one push the doctor told me to slow down so that I wouldn't tear, and then with a second push Zoe was out. Overall, pushing took less than 5 minutes, just like with Lincoln and my recovery has been amazing. Only one stich, and the epidural wore off quickly with no adverse effects. So I have forgiven myself for not "making it" through the entire labor without drugs.

In the end I pushed out another almost 9 pound baby. At this hospital they took Zoe and put her right on my chest after birth and left her with me for 2 hours. She took right to nursing for 45 minutes and kept looking in our eyes so content. It was amazing. I walked into the hospital weighing around 206 pounds (about 20 pounds less than when I birthed Lincoln). After two weeks of nursing and sleeping and eating, I know weigh around 180 pounds and hopefully still going down.

My goal is to weigh in the 150s by August for the relay race, which will enable me to reach that fast 10 minute or less pace.

Are you prepared for victory?

I'm in the red zone
The last few seconds are ticking off the clock
A Finish Line just appeared around the bend

I recall seeing a sign 2 miles from the end of my marathon race in 2005 that said, "You are just a few steps away from finishing what you started!"

I feel really sore and tired most of the time, but I am still feeling much better than I did at this point with my last pregnancy.

I even swam 600 meters a few days ago. I felt like I was swimming through an oncoming current and it took me 21 minutes, which is quite slow even for me. But I am really close, so any exercise is just amazing at this point.

I am also working on visualizing my upcoming success in my most important race to date. Birthing my second child. I'm going to wear my heart rate monitor and IPOD and treat this like any serious race. The goal is a painless birth...a relaxed birth...a baby in my arms after hours NOT days. All this will happen.

I'm like Joan Benoit Samuelson, who I met once and talked to, although I can't remember what I said. I just read a recent article detailing Joan's Olympic Gold marathon race in 1984.

"Minute by minute, mile by mail, she forged onward past the barren landscape along the Marina Freeway, increasing her lead to almost 2 minutes at 15 miles. What fortitude enables a lone runner to hold form for more than 20 miles when she knows that behind her lay the greats, en masse, conserving energy, poised like a cycling peloton to overtake her? The answer came from Samuelson herself after the race, when she recounted her mindset. 'I said to myself, 'Are you prepared to deal with victory? I decided I was.'"

This will be me in just a few days! I am prepared to deal with victory.

Go Slow and You Get to Eat More!

I guess when you walk slowly in a race and weigh more, you burn more calories.
At least this calorie counter thinks so.

http://www.runtheplanet.com/resources/tools/calculators/caloriecounter.asp

When I compare how much I burn when I weigh 200 pounds and take 57 minutes to complete a 5k-to when I weighed 150 pounds and it took me 30:30 minutes to complete a 5k, I get these two different numbers.

681 calories vs. 348 calories.

I guess the main benefit to being light and fast though is that you can get through a 5k faster, even if at the end you burn less calories.

This counter also says I burned around 4175 calories when I ran my marathon in San Fran. 2005, versus I'm guessing around 3030 calories for my fast and light brother-in-law Will to run his Chicago marathon. That means I could eat an extra McDonalds meal more than he did after the race! Two bad we didn't run in the same race at the same time, or that would have been fun to rub in. The slower you run, the more you get to eat.

I'm neglecting to mention that he ran his marathon in less than 3 hours, I ran mine in less than 7 hours. I think his feat is more noteworthy, but at least I get the extra burger for effort.

A 5k Walk, while carrying an extra 50 pounds

This morning my friend Betsey and I, as well as my Mom, two strollers, and three kids in the strollers, started out at the back of the pack of a local 5k. We ended at as the last racers as well. But if you can believe it, I was able to jog the last 1/4 mile even though I weight over 200 pounds (although my hips are hurting a bit now).

My final time was around 57:40, a pace of 18:34 per mile.

I usually finish 5ks in around 32 minutes, a pace of 10:30 per mile.

But I had loads of fun and enjoyed getting hilarious eye popping double takes from all the runners when they saw my HUGE 8 month preggo belly. I literal saw people's eyes pop out. When I won some running socks at the raffle afterwards everyone clapped for me like I was winning an Oscar.

This local running store does a 5k every 3 months or so far $5. I really just walked this one so that I can get a free T-shirt and award next December for competing in all four races this year of 2009. I should be able to expect a new PR at each race.

I was really motivated to at least beat the 1 hour time mark, and did. I might not have though if not for my friend Betsey who kindly pushed Lincoln in a stoller as I pumped my arms at a 3.5 mph pace. It is always great to have good company.

Only 24 days until my due date of March 3rd.
I'll keep this 5k time as my Personal Record for a 5k while 36 weeks pregnant. Not sure if I'll have test this PR so it might just stick forever.

My brother ran with his wife which was great for them. He is Mr. Skinny now and is trying to get under my weight before I have the baby, which is a bit frustrating for me since I'm 5 foot 4 inches, and he is like 6 foot 3 inches. Although I always weigh more then Nate when I'm barely pregnant, so weighing more than my tall brother shouldn't be too bad. But between you and me and don't think he will make it since he weighs 216 and I'm at 203, with only 24 days to go. But who knows. If I get up to 210 and he looses like 6 pounds in the next 3 weeks, we might weigh the same for like one day of our lives. We will have to take a photo on that day!

Fun!

I now weigh 199.5 pounds

Yes, with four weeks till lift off, I am only a .5 pound away from going over 200 pounds, which I've been fighting off like a lioness! Argh. I went to the gym and almost had to use that large weight on the 200 pound mark instead of the 150 pound mark. I was so mad I even yelled at the scale. Luckily, I still got to use the 150 pound mark. But I remember once being able to use the 100 pound mark in 2003, and I dipped to 149 pounds for like a day. I really want to get back there and quickly too!

A few months before this pregnancy I got down to 151 pounds, after lots of running AND a well-placed 48 hours flu bug. At any rate, I am not going to get down on myself, and may need to stop weighing myself at all till the baby comes. No reason to fret. I've lost weight before. I'm an active person. I will breastfeed and exercise, sometimes simultaneously until the weight comes off again.

Also, when I walked into the hospital to birth Lincoln I weighed around 230 pounds. this time I might weight closer to 205 pounds. So I will look at this pregnancy as a tremendous success. Perhaps it has something to do with not living right down the street from a MidWestern delicacy called frozen custard. Perhaps.

I did swim 10 laps today, and two days ago I spent a 1/2 hour on the eliptical machine and lifted arm weights. So really, my friends, you have no excuse to not get active this Winter, if I'm doing all that work while 8 months pregnant.

My Nesting Poem, Nate said I should share

I am a little birdie

Who likes us clean not dirty

I love my loving hubby

Especially when he is grubby

From helping me with nesting

Our resources together divesting

To get our house all ready

For our little lady

So please don’t get all stressed out

For this list of dust to grout

It’s just ideas from a mother hen

To the papa of her den

California Dreamin'

So I'm amazed that no matter how often I think I have life figured out, some new vision for the future surprises me. We've met some new friends in town who have been dreaming about forming an intentional Christian community right here in suburban Elk Grove. We felt called to come hear before knowing that others felt that perhaps God was calling us to lives of simplicity, sharing, and outrageous love with our wealth, both spiritual and financial. Right as we have met these new friends, property in the neighborhood I grew up in, which is the only neighborhood with any acreage left, has plummeted in value. Huge swaths of land with older farmhouses, and some newer town homes are selling for around 100k, when just three years ago the land was selling for over 600k. So God is providing like-minded friends, the property, and now we just need to pray for more like-minded friends. It would be a bit daunting to buy up lots of property and not be able to fill it with folks who want to live in community with us. So please pray that we have wisdom in this crazy idea called an intentional community. We aren't even sure what it is, or how it would work, but the seeds are definitely planted.

"The Lord only promises the kingdom of heaven to the poor. That's because anyone who loves temporary material blessings loses the fruits of love. No one can serve both God and money because either one will be loved and the other hated, or one will be served and the other detested...So give away your clothes-your earthly possessions and you won't be pinned by the one fighting against you. Then you can enter the kingdom of heaven via the straight path and the narrow gate. What a great swap! To exchange the things of time for the things of eternity, to get one hundred gifts instead of one, to enjoy life everlasting!" -Claire of Assisi, Letters 1212AD

On a side note, I'm in my 35th week of pregnancy, almost to month 9, and I'm daily floored by practice surges or contractions. Despite my huge energy level which has propelled me to bike, walk, or swim every day this past week, I find that by the evening my uterus is NOT happy with me, and therefore floors me with an endless surge that knocks my breathe away. I can't wait for this baby to come, although then I won't get any sleep for at least 3 months and will be a walking zombie, but at least I'll have my body back. I've lowered my pain medicine before I go to bed since my new midwife advised against it, so the exercise is my way of making sure I can get to sleep at night. Swimming today will likely relax my hips enough so that they won't ache as I lay on my side at night. What a blessing I have to live with such wealth that I have a cozy super soft King sized bed to sleep in each night. I keep wondering how women who are pregnant in hovels all around the world survive as they sleep on dirt floors. God forgive ME for whining!

Practice Makes Perfect

My body wants to focus not on exercise and more on practicing for birthing my baby. This means whenever I do more then just the bare minimum each day, I get these practice surges which tell me to sit down and stop.

Sigh* Oh well. I only have 6 weeks to go. I'll just keep drinking water and focus on getting good sleep. I might go for a bike ride today but my balance might not be good enough. So I guess I'll ask my Mom to pick me up. I love lifting weights though, free arm weights.

I get the best looks of awe at the gym when I am bicep curling 20 pounds with a tummy that looks like the pic below! Lots of fun. My next race will be Memorial Day, a 5k, around 3 months after the birth.

At the Gym

I've made it twice to the gym so far this week and put in 30 minutes on the eliptical trainer, getting lots of looks from fellow gym members as my belly portrudes. Then I go down to the weight floor and either push myself on arms or leg lifts. It feels great, and my back is much better. I read that perhaps the baby was just sitting on my sciatic nerve and now she has moved, which makes things much nicer. I also went walking early I think on Saturday morning and got to know our frosty neighborhood. Walking outdoors when it is in the 30s and foggy is a delight, although most folks here think it is way too cold!

I weigh 190 pounds with 69 days or so to go. My goal is to stay below 200 pounds if I can, which will take some exercise. I was 227 or so pounds when I birthed Lincoln.

Today's Numbers

I met with a trainer and she gave me a weight training routine to do along with cardio, three times a week. I am 80 days from having this baby and have gained around 27 pounds so far. This means I am likely on track to gain another 11 pounds before I'm done, which would put me at 38 pounds gained this pregnancy. This is much better than the 57 pounds gained with my first pregnancy but it is still a bit high.

SOOOOO, I'm planning on working out Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday of this week at the gym (20mins weights, 20-30 mins swim or walk). Then on Tues, Thurs, and Saturdays I can either take a Yoga class or just take it easy and go for a nice walk to my Moms.

Baby girl is active and happy and my back pain isn't as bad when I recognize when I am tired and stop lifting kids into my loving arms. I need to get my sleep so that I can perhaps walk or workout in the mornings before I lose our one car to Nate (who uses it to commute to work from Noon to 9pm) which leaves me stranded in the evenings.

I love the weather here in Sacramento though for working out! There really aren't any days that are impossible for running. No ice covered streets. I remember doing one such run last year (see my blog entitled "I did the Iditorod.") that was in freezing cold temperatures and on ice covered roads. I think the coldest it might get here is 35 degrees this winter, and I used to love days like that in KC in the winter for running. Hey it was over freezing, that was warm after two weeks where it had been close to 15 degrees or less. Usually it is in the 50s here with a really nice crisp fog in the morning. No rain, no ice, no snow. I wish I could run!!!! I'll just have to get my butt out of bed and walk.

Still Focused

Thanks to my brother-in-law I have a new long-term fitness goal, that being to train and run in the Hood to Coast relay in record pace (for me) in August 2009. This will be 6 months after having my baby girl in late Feb 09. As of right now I can walk a 5k, but no longer run it, just due to the weight on my joints of the pregnancy. My heart and lungs miss the cardio and I have jogged a good 1/2 mile recently to get my heart rate above 130 which felt marvelous. It was at night jogging in Old Sacramento and I felt I could go forever, but was cut short due to time.

So I need to stay in at least decent shape until my baby's birth and then return to running as soon as possible afterwards. My left hip is still an issue and with the additional weight of the pregnancy fatigues easily after a day of picking up a 20 lb 5 month old (my nephew) and his brother a 2 1/2 year old with a broken ankle (40 lbs). This week I've gone to a yoga class every other day and either walked 2 miles on the treedmill (with hill inclines) or swam a 1/2 mile in the pool. I find that my weight stays down the more I walk though, so I need to keep this as the focus of my exercise even though swimming and yoga are nicer on my hip. Wish me luck.

My goal for the Hood to Coast is to run my 15 miles or so in record pace for me, pushing it down to close to 10 min miles! I used to be able to run at a 9 min mile pace in 2003, which was when before bearing two kids and pushing over age 30, so lets see what staying focused will do.

Go Red Carpet Warriors...Hood to Coast here we come!

Already Gaining Fast

According to my midwife I'm gaining too fast for her liking since she doesn't like my starting weight. Dispite my numerous explanations of my BMI according to my trainer before pregnancy, she is still concerned.

When I ask her what else she wants me to change though she says she guesses I'm doing all I can to stay fit and healthy. I say, whatever, I'm still going to end up much lighter then I was with Lincolnso I'm not worried. Nursing tends to bring down my weight quick anyways.

And I hit a new PR in swimming the 1/2 mile with a 22:35 time!
And I walked 5 miles today.

So there!

Still Exercising

I'm in my 5th month of pregnancy and have gained around 14 pounds so far, not bad.
So I'm trying to gain only 9 more by the time I'm done which is hard work to stay that low.

I swim 800 meters every other night and play raquetball on other nights or go for walks. The swimming is the best. My leg feels healed and with swimming it never gets aggravated. One thing I CANNOT due is pick up my nephew or son too much as carrying that extra 30-40 pounds really messes with my lower back and my left leg injury.

My current pregnant PR for swimming 800 meters, or 1/2 mile is 23:07.

Wish me luck.

New 5k PR

On the 4th of JULY I ran a local flat 5k in 32:45. This is a new PR for me at least
now that I am over 30. This means I ran it in an average of 10:33 min/mile. This is
great for me as I've been slower then 11 minute miles for some time and it means I am on
pace to do well in the relay later this month.

Running Out and Back

I ran two nights ago with Nate = around 3 miles.

Tonight here was my pace on another run. I'm working on my speed right now.
All legs are .25 miles in length.

1) 2:43
2) 2:36
3) 2.32
4) 2.20
Mile One: 10:12:59
5) 2.44
6) 2.23
7) 2.30
8) 2.38
Mile Two: 10:15
9) 2.49
10) 3.06
11) 3:02
12) 3 minute walk break
13) 2.33
Mile Three: 11:30 (if you subtract the walk break)

So I ran the first two miles a blistering pace (that is for me) at 20.29.13
According to the Air Force fitness standards I now have a passing two mile pace for my age group! Go for me. I had to hit somewhere between 20:30 and 15:48...so this is just passing. I will keep trying to maintain this speed over three miles. Right now my third mile slowed way down to a 12 minute pace, which made my average pace over three miles close to 10 min 40 seconds, which is right where my brother Will wants me for the relay in July. Now maintaining this pace for three legs and despite hills or other tough conditions (like after not sleeping and being on my third leg in 24 hours) is quite another matter.

I would also like to meet the Air Force Standard for push ups for women my age which is between 17 and 50 guy pushups! Right now I could probably squeeze out perhaps 9 or 10. I'll have to work on that.

My New Focus

I felt too sick with a head cold to participate in the triathlon with my brother, though I was there to cheer him on.

I am now focused on training for the Pacific Northwest relay, where I will run 3 legs of around 3 miles within 24 hours on July 25th.

I am also focused on how God might be calling me back to being an at-home Mom after my job ends in July.

Lots of refocusing, but this is a good time.
Keep us in your prayers as we are in a decision time regarding where to go after my job ends (we know we are are called to move back to the West Coast, but what part is still up in the air).

Relay Race Results

We got back from Holly's wedding in California and then got up at 4:30am the next day to make it to the church. We got our three teams broken apart into three vehicles and all made it to the starting line by 6am. After the first handoff everyone got really excited as they began to realize how fun the day was going to be, cheering each other on and running a race as a team.

The course was poorly marked at some points and leg distance had been changed overnight, which made some beginning walkers have to travel far greater and more difficult distances than were planned. They all had good spirits though and often we would slow our team to a walk to stick with the other teams if we were about to pass them. This race wasn't about winning, it was about community building and finishing, while racing in honor of one of our pastors that has Cystic Fybrosis.

I ran both my legs, a total of around 10 miles, at an 11 minute pace. I likely started out a bit faster and ended a bit slower, but I felt fantastic at the end. I could have run another leg if necessary, although my blood sugar was a bit low, as I didn't drink much Gatorade throughout the run. I didn't walk one second of it!

My second leg was along the levee heading into Lawrence, Kansas with farm land on my right. It was beautiful. I got to finish the race for my team of 5 women. In the end all the teams finished the 43 to 45 mile race (depends on whether you got lost, we did) in about 8 hours! About a 10 min, 40 second pace. We had some walkers and some fast runners and some slower runners like me. And together we went the distance. Over half of each team was folks who had never done a road race before. They are all jazzed about next year, and now better understand that you need to be in training for something like this.

Here are some pics of the fun day above. The first is of all the team members, plus Dylan our pastor and his wife Shannon. The second is of my starting out on my second leg. I finished this leg with just my sports bra as it got up to 75 with no shade around the final two miles.

I am now training to complete a sprint triathlon with my brother Eddie in Sacramento on April 27th. Wish me luck.

Ran 5 Miles By Accident

I was showing Nate and old Out-and-Back course yesterday from back when I was training for my marathon. I was sure it was 2 miles out and then 2 miles back. However when we were close to 3 miles out Nate was wise to ask if we were running to far. I then remembered that this route was actually a 4 mile out and back course. I guess marathon training does something to your head and you start thinking an 8 mile run is a short run.

Luckily we turned at around the 2.5 or more mile point and made it back in time for Lincoln to play on the slides at the playground. I pushed myself to stay close to Nate's pace, while Nate was handicapped a bit with a 25 pound toddler in a stroller (I like that ;-)). We estimated we ran 5 miles in around 53 minutes, which for me is fantastic! Exactly on pace with where Will wants me to be by July. I'll have my Timex watch on next time I run to get a better picture of my true speed. I've already run 10 miles this week and I'm only half way done, and feeling great! Now I need to stretch out my left leg before it gets all jammed up again.

Running Away Again

In preparation for my 10 miles in a local relay race on April 6th. I put in 5 miles earlier this week and another 2 miles a few days ago. The day after I run I then have to do some yoga stretching in order to keep my plantar fasciitis in check. As long as I really stretch out my entire left leg I seem to be doing fine.

This routine of running and yoga has been a great relaxing one for me and it is also helpful to have Nate running with me as he is training for the same relay race. Since we formed the team out of friends from church we are surprisingly some of the best runners on the team (this year I recruited a bunch of walkers and joggers). One guy told me last night that he hadn't run in over 15 years, so when he tried to run 4 out of this 8 goal miles a few days ago he didn't make that far and is sore today (surprise surprise). This puts a little more pressure on Nate and I to truly run our entire 10 miles (broken into so legs of 5 miles).

Even so, I am excited to coach a team of friends who is really just doing the relay race due to the vision of the race (it is for Cystic Fibrosis and our pastor has this disease and is in fact sick this week). If you want to support our two relay teams in this endeavor just make checks out to the CF Foundation and send them my way before April 6th. Isn't that how I got into running. I had a vision a few years before my marathon that I should be running in memory of my Dad to stay in shape and choose that life while I had the chance to honor him. He never really choose the fit life while he was here and I am sure he regrets that.

Another motivator is that I gave my scale away! Yes, you heard me right. At church we are supposed to bring something symbolic to leave behind during the Lenten season and leave it on the stage of the church. I brought my scale. I had been weighing myself at least once a day and this behavior was so routine that my 18-month-old son knew how to weigh himself by stepping on and then off and then back on the scale again. He is 25 pounds by the way, what a little porker - actually that is skinny for his age. Anyway, I am healthy and I know my body fat ratio is in a healthy range so I decided obsessing about my weight is only making it harder to loose any and I should relish my current fitness level for the positives I mentioned in an earlier post. I've come a long way and if you need me to run a 10k or due 15 guy push ups I could do that on the spot. Not many folks can say that! So who cares what the scale says.

To answer Dad's question on my last post my next two road races are relays. I love running with teams. The second relay race will be with my Woodward relatives running about a 1/2 marathon spread out over 3 legs and 24 hours. I get to run one at around 11pm and then another around 6am. How fun!
AND

I Did the Itidarod

It’s unlike any other event in the world. A race over 1,150 miles of the most extreme and beautiful terrain known to man: across mountain ranges, frozen rivers, dense forests, desolate tundra and windswept coastline...and I did it!

Okay, not the real Alaskan Itidarod Dog sledding race, but I just did my own Winter Endurance Test. With warm coffee and a fire in the fireplace tempting me to stay inside, not mention Nate's fresh muffins, I layered on many layers and headed out into the 15 degree windchill. I ran my own Alaskan wilderness race through freezing wind, putting in my 3 mile training run, in preparation for the Brew to Brew relay race in April.

And I was greeted by my own beautiful terrain, as the solo runner through the neighborhood. Stars flickered in a jet black sky above and their light filtered through the old oak trees that lined the streets. The old trolley trail crunched with the sound of frozen mud under my feet and I skated out an back again. I did it! It think this was my best endurance feat of the winter, and it was truly all mental. I didn't even mention that I have cold-induced asthma. Time for that inhaler, a nice hot shower, and a few muffins.

Keep trekkin!
Sarah

Swimming with Lincoln

Tonight Lincoln and I talked our way into the YMCA (since my membership is on hold till March 1st) and we went swimming AND played on the slide. Lincoln tried to say "water" and "slide." He was very excited and he is a very big boy. Climbing up the play set to the slide without my help.

Sometimes it is fun to just be a kid again by being active with a kid. God please protect all the kids in this world. I wish they all had a safe adult to just play with.

My BMI

My brother Will challenged me to question the numbers a bit more.
The YMCA did a BMI height and weight calculator that stated I was at 27.1 in my BMI - which is overweight. They also did a 7-pinch Jackson-Pollack test but didn't explain it well to me. Nate found a place on line for me to enter my pinch results-
http://www.linear-software.com/online.html.
Luckily I'm pretty small on all my waist-up measurements, leading to a BMI of 23.6, which is considered normal or ideal for my frame!

Yipee. I guess buff muscles lead to me weighing more - but I love being strong! It is easier to pick up my baby and throw him that way - Lincoln, not Nate - but someday maybe Nate ;-).

RE: Official Results

I had an official fitness test at the YMCA today, my first since this time last year. I found out that I'm actually officially 5 feet 4 inches tall, yipes, an inch and a half shorter than I have always thought. This means my healthy goal weight should be lower than I thought; it should be somewhere in the range of 110 (which is what I weighed in 4th grade - impossible) and 145 (which is what I weighed my Senior year of college). Basically back during my Freshman year of college when I was running a lot and could do 35 pushups, and weighed 127 pounds and thought I was fat - I was actually at an ideal weight for my frame.

So even though I still have some weight to still loose, like at least 18 pounds to at most around 30 pounds (sigh), the GOOD news is how far I have come.

I had a fitness test 6 weeks after having my son Lincoln in Oct. 2006 and can now compare those results to my results today - and I am happy! So in 16 months since Lincoln has learned how to walk and communicate and I have grown as well.

Positive changes since 6 weeks after labor:

• I've lost 32 pounds
• I've lowered my fat weight by 38% and achieved an average lean body mass rating.
  
• I've lowered my BMI from 33 to 27.
  
• I've increased my maximum bench press from 110 lbs (well below average) to 140 lbs. (well above average).
• I've increased my maximum leg press from 220lbs (below average) to 300 lbs (well above average).
  
• My cardiovascular health is rated as average after being well below average after my pregnancy.
• And I am well above average in flexibility as I can reach over 7 inches past my toes!
  

Onward and upward I must say. This is not a time for stopping. Time to keep forging ahead.

Wish me luck.

Weight Lifting but not Losing

So I guess if you lift lots of weights you don't necessarily loose weight, unless you were really overweight to begin with. You just make your overall fat to muscle ratio better. I haven't posted a new weight because I have continued to waver around my Oct weight despite all the P90X workouts I've been doing. But I had to show these somewhat embarrassing photos to brag a bit about my arm muscles. I definately feel stronger and can almost do 10 guy pushups now!

I want to hit the next three weeks with a vengeance and really finish this 90 days strong, then i can start over again and this time actually do the diet right as well. My goal this year is to still get down to my goal weight.

I am down to size10 or 12 pants and that feels great. So even though my weight has stayed the same, I know I've lost around 2 inches in my waist, and a 1/2 inch around the hips. I'll just take it a day at a time and we will see where I end up.

Variety and Holiday Chocolate

I had ten days in Seattle and made sure to go running four days, and cross country or down hill skied on two days. The other four days I rested. The last few weeks before this long break from work I wasn't able to work out much at all due to illness and extra long hours at work. I should be on day 70 of the 90 day workout program I've been trying. But I really feel behind. However, this break was a fun way to enjoy my new fitness. I have never felt less sore after skiing two days in a row, and I wasn't sore at all after running with my friend Cara three days in a row over the hills of Seattle. By the end of my winter break we were able to speed up our run by around 2 minutes, so that we ran it in around 35 minutes instead of 37. I think it was around 3 miles.

I still have a lot of work to do to continue on this path I've started down. Some goals for this year are to fit in the size 12 dress for my dear friend Holly's wedding in April. To do this I need to loose two inches around the waist, and four around the hips by then. I also want to increase the push ups I can do, and perhaps even complete my first pull up sometime this year. Thanks friends for cheering me forward.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Feel free to post your goals here as well.

Re: The flu Equals Weight Loss

One factor I hadn't planned on using in my weight loss plan was catching the flu; however, it has proven strangely effective, at least in the short term. Within 12 hours I went from 158 pounds to 151 pounds by simply retching my way through the evening. I know...such a lovely image...and now I am a bit light-headed and tired and dehydrated. Basically it gave me lots of sympathy for anyone who struggles with bulimia -what a horrible trade-off in strength and health in order to lose weight! I can't image how hard it would be to live day after day tempted to lose weight quickly that way (which also saps your strength and self esteem at the same time).

I'd much rather keep going with healthy eating and exercise, which help me lose weight while gaining self esteem, a nice additive. I'm not going to post this 151 as a true 151 weigh in until it lasts till Christmas, since all the eating I will do until then will likely restore my strength and a few pounds that the flu prematurely ripped away from my frame. I'd rather be a 151 with strength and health, than post a 151 that is merely a weak, dehydrated, fake. But sometime soon I will surely get there (especially with the salted and buttered popcorn Nate is handing me while I type this and he edits my grammar).

For family members needing Christmas ideas though, my size Large running pants are way too baggy now and I would love to slip into some Mediums! Much love and I had better go drink some more Gatorade to rehydrate!

An accomplishment!

I've constantly worked out 5 days a week since mid-October which is starting to make my clothes a bit baggy and my arms look stronger. I also think I've lost a couple pounds putting me in the 150s no matter when I weigh in, night or day! My goal is to loose a few more pounds by Christmas which would put me down at 155 pounds (which I haven't been since Christmas 2003 - 4 years ago).

I am finding it much easier to run now that I weigh less. This time last year I tried running about 2 miles when I weighed around 190 pounds. It was much harder then it is now. Last night it was 60 degrees at 8pm at night. I had to get out and run since this sort of weather only happens one a month in Dec and Jan and NOT at all in Feb here in the Midwest. I just ran all around the neighborhood with all the brick houses lit up with Christmas lights.

I had fun just running without a watch or a time limit. I ended up running lots of hills and through lots of wind which blew the leaves around. The sky looked threatening, almost like a summer thunder storm might start. I think the wind made folks think it must be cold and nasty out because I didn't see many cars or people out at all. We went from an ice storm warning in the morning to a 60 degree windy night, and no one took the time to walk out side to check and enjoy it.

One hour later I made my way back home. My heal hurt a bit but I felt fantastic and so much faster then I have been in a LONG time. I'm guessing I was running under a 10 minute mile at parts. I need to sign up for a 5k soon to check my time. But I don't want to push to hard to fast and aggrevate my heal.


Here are my workouts the last six weeks that have led to my success.
Starting October 21st, 2007
Week One: 2.5 hours Weight Lifting, 1.5 hour cardio, workedout 5 days
Week Two: 2 hours Weight Lifting, 3 hours cardio/Yoga, worked out 5 days
Week Three: 3.5 hours Weight Lifting, 3.5 hours Cardio (ran,swam,yoga), worked out 7 days
Week Four: 5 hours cardio, worked out 5 days
Week Five: 1.75 hours Weight Lifting, 3.5 hours Cardio, worked out 5 days
Week Six: 2 hours Weight Lifting, 1.5 hours Cardio, worked out 4 days
Week Seven: I'm in now.

That's a total of 31 days of working out in the last six weeks!

The rumblings of change

Day after day I get up and workout hard, and eat less, and stay focused. And so far I weigh and look about the same as I did one month ago when I started this workout routine. However, underneath the surface I can tell I'm stronger. I can do twice as many push ups, stretch twice as far (and for those who know me you know that means now I can almost touch my nose to my toes), and am starting to at least feel the muscles under the surface.

I've read that fitness and overall weight loss is an up and down journey. The most important change occurs when I start to form a habit. If I can lock into a new healthy habit then the results will be evident throughout my life, and may not really show up for awhile. Just like if I developed an unhealthy habit, which could lead me to creeping weight gain and a slow decline in overall health. Any change takes time. Right now I'm setting the foundations with healthy habits so that I am growing healthy under the surface, which will slowly become evident on the surface as well.

So far my new healthy habit that I hope to practice now and therefore keep for a lifetime, is working out in the mornings before my family is awake. This gives me a way to relieve stress and get my heart rate up before I meet the needs of the day. Another healthy habit I am working on right now is eating smaller portions and eating healthy (whole grains, fruits, veggies and lean meat). I read the book, "Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy" by Dr. Willett from the Harvard School of Medicine. And I've adopted the food pyramid created by the Doctors of Harvard as the guiding tool for my healthy eating. See below.
So I've started at the base of the pyramid and am focusing on the stuff at there. Daily exercise and weight control, then eating whole wheat and healthy fat and then on up in moderation.

Another healthy habit I am working on includes exploring emotional healing for myself and my family through some great recovery tools and by joining a women's support group. It has helped me risk more in my relationships and is helping me draw on God in a more intimate way, which feeds every area of my life. Now if I could engage this sort of healthy processing of emotions on a daily basis through great communication with myself, God, and others, I would be on my way to healthy living on a whole other scale!

Slowly but surely the pounds are dripping off. But more importantly slowly but surely I'm become a different person, a healthier one, and who wouldn't be proud of that!

A Perfect Week

I did all my early morning workouts this week, except on Friday the DVD player quit on me so I went running instead. My weight swung high the first week (when I was sick) and is now back down to around 160 so I haven't lost any weight. But I am feeling stronger. This program has lots of upper body weight training, yoga, and pushups and pullups. so my arms are definately getting stronger. I think I might go swimming today, my day of rest. I've also had lost of fun video chatting with my brother Eddie as we workout. It always helps to have a friend urging you out of bed in the morning!

From Sweet Dreams to Kempo X

I've learned the hard way that I need to be on the alarm clock side of the bed, or else I sleep in.
Let's just say my husband hits snooze and somehow an hour later I'm late for work and have missed my workout. I was on the alarm clock side this morning, and even then I got up a 1/2 hour late. I made my workout but wasn't able to ride the bus into work. I'm trying to get up earlier in the morning so that I can both work out and ride the bus into work.

The day I'm able to do this will be a miracle and I will post it here, because it will require me getting up at 5:30am, working out for 1 hour, then showering, then walking to the bus stop at 7am, then riding the bus from 7:20 to 7:40am, and arriving to work early! Wouldn't that be fantastic. I would be a healthy, earthly-friendly, early-bird worker. In my dreams ;-)

Well, actually it is my sweet dreams that keep me from this dream of becoming a better morning person. That and the interrupted dreams that my son still gives me at night, with the waking up and needing attention, or delayed dreams due to needing to debrief with Nate or clean the house until 10 or 11pm. To make this work I need to get to bed closer to 9pm, than 11pm. It is a lifestyle change and it will take time. It also involves the compliance of my great husband since for some reason I can't fall asleep without him next to me. So either we both become morning birds, or neither of us do, unfortunately. For right now I'm happy if I just get the workout in, get no shower, and drive my car to work, getting there a bit late. I know it's not really close to my final goal - but its a start.

Kempo X was fun this morning. Lots of shouting though, which I was afraid might wake my guys so I kept it quiet. I tried to Skype my brother so that we could work out together, but I couldn't reach him. My heart rate got up there even though it didn't feel that hard. It was fun and I've been thirsty for most of the rest of the day. I think I will try to make it to the gym to go swimming. I can see why my brother likes it - very close to boxing or karate. I like Yoga better. Maybe a gender bias there.

Over the river and through the cold

to a house full of cough and fitness videos we go! Kleenex's and cough medicine are all over our house as well as used airline tickets from two trips in the last 5 days. No wonder it was difficult for me to keep my perfect streak going. So after pridefully challenging my brothers onto perfection, I got sick with a head cold, went on a weekend trip to St. Louis and had an 18 hour travel and work day to Baltimore in the last week. Since last Wednesday I've only done two of the 7 workouts.

I did Chest & Back on Monday and Yoga X (the whole 90 minutes) on Halloween night. I did do 20 minutes of the Plyometrics video before my son asked for my attention (and my legs were so sore just from the warm up that I fear what the whole DVD will do to me). I also ran 1.5 miles while pushing Lincoln in his stroller last Thursday (which was a feet since I did have a head cold).

I'm back on track and feel strong. That Yoga workout was intense and was way harder then any class I've ever taken. I was amazed at how far I could stretch at the end. I was able to hug each one of my legs when they were stretched out straight.

The Lone Workout

Talked to my brothers tonight and we are all on day three of these P90X workout routine. We were all staring at another massive arm weight lifting work out and NOT wanting to do it. Both brothers said to me on the phone that they were going to call it a rest day because their body needed the rest and that I should just take it easy to.

How could I pass up this chance to rub it in their faces by still doing the workout!

So at 9pm I put in the DVD, grabbed my heavier weights and went to town on 1 hr of shoulder, back, bicep, and tricep lifting. Yes, I am now to tired to even use the mouse on the desk, which might be a problem when I go to work tomorrow. But it least I still have my pride and no I haven't caved already on this program. Unlike some slackers I know who owe me a make up workout sometime in the future!

This program is fun and energizing. It is a great lift to be doing something completely different with my exercise routine. Now I just need to get the diet part right and I should have successful first 30 days. My fingers are getting too tired to type now though due to the arm fatigue so I better go to bed. At least I can go to bed without feeling guilty, unlike some slackers I know who caved on day three of 90!!!!! So sad.

Second day of PS 90X

I'm on my second day of PS 90X. I've done two 1 hr workouts - chest and back on Sunday, and Cardio this morning. I was skeptical that the Cardio would work me out as good as a good old-fashioned run would. But since my brother made me a nifty schedule I'm sticking to it. And the Cardio work out got my heart rate to my running heart rate, can you believe that. And I was inside out the rain the whole time.

My arm and back muscles are really sore from the workout on Sunday and I'm feeling relaxed after my Cardio workout this morning. I have to thank my brothers for doing this with me, because I would have slept in this morning if I didn't know my brothers were up working out.

I'd like to thank everyone who is reading my blog as well. I hear rumors that lots of folks in my family and some close friends are checking in on my and reading up on how I'm doing each day. Please leave a comment of encouragement if you have the time. It will be as if you are another one of my mentors holding me accountable to my commitment to get fit.

Now its a quick wipe down with a towel and a clothing change and I'm off to work.

Drum roll please

I weighed in at 159 pounds, which means I've lost 7 pounds in two months. Now I need to set my sights on the 140s! I weighed 148 on my wedding day, so that would be a nice milestone to reach again. It is a big deal that I'm out of the 160s actually since I have been in the 160s for the last 4 years, with only one short exception. I hope to retrain my body to never think that is a good equalization point.

My brother has also challenged me to a 90 day intensive work out program called PS90X. I took the before photos today which were humbling. I plan to do this and am buying the weights needed. I hope this will push my body onto an even lower level.

Attached is the only before photo I'm willing to share on-line.
I call this one my "game face." Bring it on little bro. I ain't scared of your stinking 1 hour a day workout program.

I think it should push my weight down in the 140s before Christmas, which would be awesome because at this time last year I was in the 190s! 50 pounds in one year is awesome especially when I think about what a year it has been, of becoming a new Mom and struggling with my thyroid not working. Way to go me!

Oh and the YMCA gave me a T-shirt, book on the YMCA and a water bottle for working out so much in the month of September and tracking my workouts on their computer. Yeah for me! I think I ended up finishing 7th in their month-long competition. Rock on!!!

Biggest Loser Weigh In

I'm heading to my favorite gym that has my favorite scale so that I can do my monthly weigh in. Here is the history to this below.
Aug. 13th at 166 pounds
Sept. 15th at 164.5

I'm hoping for below or around 160 today.

I'm winning.

I'm currently winning around four battles.

One is with my heal pain (slowly but surely it is going away after lots of money spent on painful deep tissue massage on my left leg).

Secondly, I'm winning in the battle to get my body to loose weight again. I lost 2 pounds this week and am down to 162.5!

Third, I'm winning in a contest at my YMCA for working out the most in September and logging in my activity on a computer at the gym. Actually I am in fourth place is the YMCA contest. I was quite surprised to see my name listed "#4. Sarah Woodward" on the contest poster next to the computer earlier this week. I've already one a T-shirt, yippee! And now my name is on a poster!!! How is that for motivation. Not sure what I win if anything if I stay in the top 5 or actually win the whole thing. But it doesn't matter. I know I feel great working out each morning. This morning I swam 15 laps and I just feel so relaxed now. Tomorrow I will attend the 1 1/2 hour yoga class that kicks my butt into shape. I'd love to keep this up and if I kept losing weight at this pace I would be down to at least 145 by Christmas.

Fourthly, I'm eating healthier to. This morning I had my Grape Nuts, blueberries and soy milk. For lunch a sauteed eggplant, squash, apple and red pepper in some salsa. It was super yummy and I only ate about a cup of it. I might skip dinner or have a smoothly. It is the combination of eating way less and exercising every day without fail that is finally leading to the weight loss. That and taking my thyroid medicine faithfully.

All this exercise has really helped me keep my cool at work too. It has been stressful the last few weeks but since I workout before coming in in the morning I feel relatively relaxed no matter what comes my way.

Feels good to be a winner! I know my real motivation too. It will be good to always be active for this little guy.

The Health Account

"I weighed in at the gym yesterday, Aug. 13th at 166 pounds. I'll weigh in again in one month, around Sept. 15th. If I keep swimming everyday until then, and eat smaller portions, I should shed some pounds."

Okay. So I went back to the exact same scale today, on 9/15 and I weight 164.5! Now that is only a loss of 1.5 pounds but I am starting to feel some success in other areas as well. The past two weeks I've gotten up and to the gym by 6:30am where I have either swam or circuit trained or run on the elliptical for 30 minutes. So the 1.5 pounds I lost was definitely just in the last two weeks. Another big up is that I found a massage therapist who can make my heel feel better by rubbing my calf muscles really hard, like so hard I cry. He did this on Thursday and the next morning I got up and ran 2 miles and felt great. I guess all along my heel was really related to my calf muscles being all bound up. Now it will take some regular massage and I should be healed!

So I feel hopeful, energized and jazzed about my fitness right now. And I really think I can make it back into the 150s by Christmas. Which would be wonderful. After that I'll have the 140s in sight.

I'm also reading a really good book I got at the library about health called: "50 Simple Ways to Life a Longer Life." I like reading stuff like this about how to really make my life a healthy one. Some tips I've picked up are: eat a low-calorie diet, eat fish, drink tea (black, green, and white hot tea specifically), exercise and eat fruits and veggies, volunteer, and let go of stress.

One paragraph really go me jazzed as it listed all the benefits of regular exercise:
1) it strengthens the heart
2) reduces risk of heart attacks and strokes
3) lowers blood pressure
4) prevents arterial plaque buildup
5) strengthens bones
6) lessens your changes for osteoporosis
7) lessens chance for Type 2 diabetes
8) reduces your changes of getting breast, prostate, and colon cancer
9) fights stress and anxiety
10) lessens depression
11) gives you superior memory and thinking skills
12) lowers your risk for Alzheimer's disease
13) improves self-esteem
14) helps you get a good night's sleep
15) helps you maintain an ideal body weight

All these benefits and the "American College of Sports Medicine reports that" only "3 to 5 workouts weekly, of 30 to 60 minutes each, deliver the vast majority of health benefits." Even just walking that amount delivers some of the benefits above. And the more you put into it the more of the benefits you get.

One fitness nut for 90 years has been Jack La Lanne and he puts it this way, "Your health account is like your bank account. The more you put in, the more you can take out. The only way you can hurt the body is don't use it." listen to some of his inspiration videos...http://www.jacklalanne.com/multimed.html

Thanks Jack! I think I will invest in that account. It pays good dividends.

Heal Injury

Not sure if I'm moaned and groaned about my endless heal injury which has left me just swimming this summer. I miss running. I miss how easy it is to just get out the door and run, without having to plan a drive to the gym. All the doctors and friends who have given me ideas on how to fix this, haven't fixed it yet. I'm so tired of it aching whenever I push myself. So today I went and bought brand new running shoes just in case I get better and perhaps to help it get better. I ran one mile on the treadmill before my heal started to hurt. i'm pouting.

Two Days and 30 laps down...

I don't want to jinx anything here so I'll just say that I've made it to the gym two days in a row for a 15 lap freestyle swim. All thanks to the care giving of my husband who has either brought our son to the pool, or watched him at home. I hope to keep this streak of swimming everyday going as long as possible.

I took my brother's advice and stopped weighing myself every day. I weighed in at the gym yesterday, Aug. 13th at 166 pounds. I'll weigh in again in one month, around Sept. 15th. If I keep swimming everyday until then, and eat smaller portions, I should shed some pounds.

Come and Get the Mommy!!!!

I had a rest day after my great swim. Then I made it the gym last night with baby in tow. I went straight to the elliptical trainer and got in a 1/2 hour of exercise.

I went to check on my baby at the YMCA child care and he was a total mess, sobbing in the child care providers arms. I told them to come and get me right away if he cries!!! I swear these people think that Mommys don't want to see their crying babies. Don't they know that we are instinctually built to want to hold our babies when we cry - its part of the evolutionary process. Jeez!

When I dropped him off they reassured me that, "Don't worry we will only come and get you after he cries for 10 minutes straight. We won't bother you." I gently explained that I am the type of Mommy that wants to be "bothered" by my crying baby. "Come and get me right away, I don't want him to cry for 10 minutes." I don't think I was listened to. It is time for me to get pushy. Next time I go in there I'm going to say to at least two of the workers, "If he cries I want to know about it. If you can't get him to stop crying quickly, he needs to nurse and unless you are willing to nurse him you better come and get me RIGHT AWAY! - or I will complain to your boss." The "I will complain to your boss" part is the only new addition. Hopefully it will get my point across more fully.

It took me a whole nursing session right there in the child care area to calm him down. It makes it hard for me to feel motivated to go the gym when it causes "harm" to my baby every time. But in this heat going to the gym is my only option.

Today, I'm going to go swimming on my way home from work so that I don't have to subject my son to child care again. Argh!!!!

Good Swim

I took a rest day yesterday. And swam 15 laps today in the pool. I tried a new breathing technique where I waited three or four strokes between breaths. I usually breath every other stroke. Waiting to breathe really pushed me and made the workout feel much harder. I'm bummed that my foot doesn't seem to be getting any better, just a lingering soreness in the heal, which means I should NOT be running. But it looks like my renewed effort to eat less and exercise this week may have lost me a few pounds. It's hard to say though because our home scale varies by 5 pounds every day I way in. I don't think its very good. I'll have to do weigh ins at the gym. I'm shooting for 150 or lower, I'm still around 168. This is the exact weight I was at when I got pregnant in Dec of 2005. So NOT BAD for having a 9 pound baby just last September. But I have my hyper-thyroid to thank for most of my weight loss. I want to be a better starting weight for the next pregnancy, which is NOT right around the corner, to any family members that may be wondering!

Heat Equals Sweat Equals I'm Awesome!

So it is 95 degrees here with 53% humidity, which makes it feel well over 100 degrees F. After a brief excursion outside into the heat with my 11 month old son (we played in the hose water), I opted to exercise at the gym.

My foot is still not healed enough to allow me to run, so I got on the eliptical for 30 minutes and then pushed myself through a 30 minute circuit training workout. The gym was somewhat warm, or maybe I'm just out of shape, but with my IPOD cranking I was just drippin' sweat everywhere.

I really felt like I pushed myself even though I'm "injured." And this workout reminded me NOT to buy into the fallacy that if one part of you is sort of hurt, you might as well not exercise at all.

I was motivated to get out the door and exercise again after watch the footage of the Ironman Tri on T.V. today. People were finishing who had only one leg, or were 76 years old. I thought, ummm, I think I can exercise a bit, if they can do that.

What a lazy butt I have been!!!!

It felt good to get out the door, in the gym, and pushing myself again. Now I just need to plan a schedule to make this a normal routine! Wish me luck.

And here is a picture of the cutest boy in the world, my son.

Swimming

So my brother is on me to post again, and sometimes I wonder how often folks even read this thing. BUT since I love my brother Eddie, and he cares about how I'm doing, I will post something. I hurt my foot and I'm pouting. I can't run until it heals really good. So I've taken up swimming again. This past week I've gone swimming only twice but they were great workouts because I went with my friends who are teenagers. They liked to keep racing and beating me in 25 yard sprints. This isn't something I usually do. I usually just go slowly across the pool completing about 15 laps. Which according to a calorie calculator burns around 200 calories (like running 2 miles would). It makes me feel great. But yesterday I think I did around 12 laps, with a lots of sprint laps thrown in there. I then picked up my son from the YMCA daycare and got him in the pool with us. It was lots of fun introducing him to kicking, blowing bubbles and splashing.

Enough talking. I'm up early so I'm going to head to the gym to lift a few weights before work. Love you bro! Sarah

My Virtual Trainer

I'm doing a trial run of the Runner's World Personal Trainer and its giving me weight workouts and cardio workouts on every other day. It's good because it is getting me to do different weight lifting and stomach strengthening exercises, and getting me out the door to the gym. It isn't good in that its inflexible and if I get creative with my workout there is no easy way to note what I did that varied from what is asked me to do. But so far its fun and effective. Today I need to run 45 minutes on a treadmill, and if since I will be traveling tomorrow I should do that work as well if I have time.

New Motivation

I ran the Sactuary of Hope 5k this past Sunday. It was a trail run Challenge Course which markets itself as the hilliest 5k in the nation. I ran it in around 52 minutes with a very friendly 58-year-old women as my pace partner the whole way. Her name was Jan and she kept turning back to this 29-year-old and holding out her hand to help me up the steep hills. The hills were constant up and down, severe grade, over slippery grass, mud and bark trail. But that really is no excuse to be in the shape I am in. Having a very nice but older runner drag me through the course, made me realize that I'm only young once. I should push myself further in my training, and get back it much better shape. I haven't been able to walk up and down our stairs without howling in pain the last few days. This has been a humbling experience, but I'm ready for more and that is a good thing!

Failure and then Success

I only made it six straight days of running 2 miles a day. Then I took four days off from running for no really good reason. But today I ran the Amy Thompson 5k and set a new Post Pregnancy Personal Record. Somewhere around 34 minutes and 30 seconds.
I was averaging 11 minute miles. And this was a hilly course on a humid morning, with a crowded field of runners. I could have dipped into the 10 minute mile range had it been less hilly I think.

This week my goals are to take my thyroid medication faithfully, so that I have the energy to get out the door and exercise. I am now focusing my eyes on my several future 5k races. One is June 16th, a little charity race for an amazing interfaith retreat center, called the Sanctuary of Hope. Then I run my first trail 5k in July. I hope to put up better and better times at each event.

Cheers!

20 day update

Day Five: Monday, May 21st ran to Waldo Pizza on the Trolley Trail from our house. I was very slow due to it being eight hours since I ate or drank anything. This was a full 2 mile run with hills. Husband and baby ran with me!

Day Six: today, plan to run Loose Park. or do another late night run with husband.
Oops never mind. Didn't get to the park yet again. But I did set a new record for myself, I will call it the nursing cool down. Had to go for a run at 10:30pm because I put it off all day. Husband came with me and pushed baby in the jogging stroller. 1.25 miles into the run we are three blocks from home and baby wakes up very confused and crying. I take him out of the stroller and nurse him while we walk the rest of the way home. I guess I was burning lots of calories doing a nurse/walk; I wonder how many... ;)

Cheers!

20 days, 2 miles a day

Attached is a picture of my team at the Brew to Brew on April 1st of this year and me at the hand off point. I always want to be in shape enough to run a 5k with no problems or do other road races like this one. I will be running a 5k on Memorial Day with family.

So here is the summary of how my current goal to run for 20 days in a row, is going.
Day One: Thursday May 17th, 20 minute run around Overland Park midday.
Day Two: Friday May 18th, 30 minute walk/run around Crown Center during my lunch break.
Day Three: Sat. May 19th, 25 minute run around neighborhood at 10pm, I gutted this one out, really wanted to just go to bed.

Day Four: Sunday, May 20th, ran 1.5 miles, out and back route from my house. I bit hilly but makes for a quick 20 minute or so run.



This does take planning and focus...

Two Miles a Day, to infinity and beyond.

My Coach from when I ran my first marathon, is an inspiring ultra-marathoner, named Koach Karl. Karl is currently running 26 marathons in 26 days around the Kansas City area to raise money and awareness for Team in Training.

I saw him on his tenth day on May 10th and was inspired. I figure if another human being can run a marathon A DAY for weeks in a row, I can at the very least run two miles a day for at least as many days in a row as he can.

Karl had to stop after 10 straight days of marathons.
I am going to make it my goal to double his 10 days.

I therefore commit to run 2 miles a day for 20 straight days.
I've already completed 2 days, as I started this endeavor on Friday, May 17th.
I will take my first day off on June 6th, IF I need it!

I ran on May 17th, during my lunch break while I as down in Overland Park. I ran probably 1.5 miles during the midday heat.

I ran on May 18th, during my lunch break around Crown Center, up and over the WWI memorial. I need to make this a daily habit, and next week should bring all my gear to work with me and start and end from the same place. I am a creature of habit and it would be especially good to start this workout habit within my workday.

Today I will run later tonight, right before dinner.

To many this might not seem to be a big task, to others it might seem insurmountable. The goal here is that I want to become a person who is consistent and disciplined about something. If I make it past 20 days and increase my daily mileage to 3 or 4 miles A DAY, that is even better! I figure trying to set these daily endurance records is a way to motivate myself to be in better and better shape.

Update on my thyroid: I decided to take the medication to help with my hypothyroidism. I have my first doctors appointment on June 1st, and I will ask lots of questions about whether all this is related to just having my first child.

Update on my anxiety: Slowly but surely God is calming my heart about being in my house on my own. The burglary earlier this month made me very jumpy, but I figure I can't be afraid all the time.

Cheers!!!

Sarah

RE: Roadblocks

This past month I've gained back 10 pounds.

I've been hit with two roadblocks:

1) Hypothyroidism - apparently my thyroid was hyper, which helped me lose all that weight and has now swung to hypo (underperforming). This condition can lead to rapid weight gain. I've diagnosed myself with post-partum thyroiditis, which occurs to 10% of women after having a baby. Doctors don't talk much about it but it basically means our body goes on a hormone rollercoaster for awhile before calming down after 12-18 months. Then our thyroid returns to normal functioning. My doctor instead called me on my cell and said, "Your thyroid is underperforming and now you must take a pill for the rest of your life, because hypothroidism is a life-long condition." When I called him back and asked if he had ruled out post-partum thyroiditis he said you can never rule anything out and that if I was unhappy he would refer me to a specialist. I am so frustrated that I can't get anyone to talk to me about post-partum thyroiditis, which is what most women say happened to them when they brought it up with their doctors. After much research on my own I decided to take the thryroid hormone prescribed by my doctor until I get to see a specialist on June 1st. But I am really just hoping my thyroid will come back on its own in its own good time.

2) Anxiety - I was hit was a big dose of anxiety after I was a victim of a first degree burglary in early April. I heard footsteps on the stairs at 9:30pm at night. I was in bed with our baby and my husband was talking to me. I stood up and yelled and my husband ran towards the stairs. The burglar ran out of the house, thank God! But now any noise makes me jump and showering and relaxing when my husband is not in the house are impossible. I find I just like to go over to friends houses or stay outside gardening.

With both these roadblocks sapping my energy and cluttering my brain, running has been far from my mind. Although perhaps it should be at the front of my mind, as a life preserver helping me to escape. John "Penguin" B. has a quote on this matter:

"Lately I've noticed that in times of stress I reach for my running shoes. Earlier in my life I might have reached for a cigarette or a beer or food or the company of another person. And, when I once would have turned outside myself for help in tough times, running now allows me to turn inside.

I've noticed, too, that in times of celebration and joy--when before I would have reached for something to eat or drink--I now reach for my running shoes. I find myself running when I'm happy as well as when I'm troubled.

Through the activity of running, more than through the sport, I have come to be a much better friend to myself. Through running I have learned to console myself, congratulate myself, and be accepting of myself.

There are times in my life, though, when there are not enough miles to run. There are times when the movement of my feet seems like the only measure of control I have in my day, in my life. On those days--on the days when circumstances conspire to show me only the worst of who I am and, more discouraging, the worst of who I am becoming--my running shoes become life-preservers."

RE: Personal Records

Post Pregnancy that is...

As a new mother this blog is about the last thing I'm able to get to after a full day of work, connecting with the baby, and then maybe a quick run after doing house chores. But I do want to brag a bit about how my times are getting faster and faster each week.

I ran the Brew to Brew, Leg 7 on Sunday. And I LOVED it! This leg starts out on asphalt, fighting a wind that is blowing Eastward across that plains, which makes for some serious resistance training.

Then you reach a fork in the road that says to the left, "Boat route," to the right "Road Route."
A race volunteer stands at the fork and tells you the estimated boat wait time. When I got there it was 10 minutes. Since I am running 11 minute miles now a days, and the road route adds an extra mile, I decided for the boat route. But to be honest I would have taken it no matter what because I was extremely curious.

So you make this pivotal decision for yourself, which could possibly effect your relay team's final time and turn left toward the boat. Immediately you are now trail running, which I am totally interested in, though have never officially tried. I ran another two miles on a dirt road, that turned to a hilly gravel road and then a mud path to the river. Once at the river you have to grapple over logs to get down the mud cliff to the boats. There, a bunch of muddy runners linger to get across on a 10-person rowboat that is pulled over by a rope and a four wheel on the other side of the river.

As I waited my turn to get in the boat I can honestly say I felt I had arrived. I wasn't a volunteer standing at the side of the banks of the river. No! I was one of the special ones - a runner, a muddy sweaty and tired runner, whose eyes were still focused on the goal of the end of my leg. I had run over 4 miles at an 11 minute mile pace through an extremely tough wind and on rough gravel. When I had registered for the race before Christmas I had estimated my pace to be 14 minutes per mile, on a clear day. But since then I have lost 15 more pounds and trained hard to get faster.

So my new personal record for running an off-road 4.7 miles, with a 5-minute boat ride included is now 58:50 minutes, a 12:34 pace. If you take out the boat ride I was on an 11:25 pace despite the wind.

Other post-pregnancy PRs:

5k training run - hilly Loose Park: 34:45, 11/mile pace
2 mile training run - hilly Loose Park: 22:16
2 mile training run ( a week earlier): 23:17
2 mile training run (a few weeks earlier): 27:40

I just keep getting stronger and faster.

My next goal is to run the Trolley 4 mile Run at the end of April in less than 44 minutes.
Also my brother-in-law gave me the fitness test requirements for folks in the Air Force and Army. I'd like to meet and exceed their minimum requirements for women my age.
If I do this I think I will get myself an Air Force or Army workout T-shirt as a reward.

RE: A Breath of Spring Air

Crisp Spring Air.
I cut through it with a swift gazelle-like leaps and bounds.
The Canadian geese are blocking the trail.
I touched the tail feathers of one. Goosed him and he waddled away.
Kept running up the hill.
Felt like rain at times on my cheek.
Ran by the cannons of this old battle field. Thoughts of my Dad made me run harder.

I felt so alive.
I felt so proud.
I felt like myself again.

At the end of the run was my son waiting to be held.
He discovered grass today, letting it run through his 6 month fingers.
He also watched his first parade and his first birds in the trees.
He is discovering his first Spring and so am I.
My first Spring as a Mom.

Thank God I can run.

Ran a 40 minute 5k on the treadmill earlier this week as well.
Use to be able to run it in 31 minutes. Someday I'll get there again if not better.
I'm training to run 4.7 miles, Leg 7 of the Brew to Brew Relay on April 1st.
Got three weeks to get there.

RE: The weight falls off

It feels good to lose 55 pounds in 5 months. I highly recommend it. I am 169 now and loving it!
My training schedule was a combination of nursing a growing baby and circuit training at the gym. Now I just need to get my heart pumping again with some running.

I held off on running much when I was extremely heavy after having son. My balance just felt way off and I felt to weighed down by my weight.
Now that I weigh LESS THAN I did before my pregnancy.
LESS THAN I did when I ran my marathon in 2005
and most importantly
LESS THAN MY HUSBAND...I no longer have an excuse, I need to start running again to celebrate my freedom from all that baggage.

So Sarah recommends:
Nursing babies
Slimfast
Fruit and Veggies
Joining a Gym
Circuit Training
and getting good sleep

I guess I would call this the Nurse and eat little diet, invented by ME!

Time to get real now, and push my limits toward a new goal.

My pre-marriage weight, and a new PR in the 5k.

I hope you are inspired and either go find a baby to nurse OR go find a gym to join.
Guys you only have once choice I'm afraid. So get off your bums and go find a gym and go every day and love it!

RE: Ten Days of Rest

So I worked out for one week and then after Thanksgiving took 10 days of rest.
Because I was too tired when I came home from work, wanted to spend time with my baby, a snow/ice storm hit, and we all got a family cold.

But even so I lost around 8 pounds in that time by just nursing and eating healthy!

I love this milk diet. Do any other babies need nursing.

I am now around 12 pounds from being back to my prepregnancy weight.
And around 35 pounds from my ideal weight.

Got back to the gym today for some cardio and weights and took the baby to the childcare center for the first time and he didn't seem traumitized. So perhaps I can take him more often.

Here is my favorite pic of him. How could a mommy go to the gym instead of play with a boy like that?

RE: Results and Motivation

I need a routine. Last time I lost 20 pounds running it was because I ran every day at 4:30pm, 3 hilly miles. Over this long Thanksgiving weekend I have gone for two hours midday or evening to the gym. However, my boot camp like tenacity has not really happened and instead I find the day sliping away with all teh stuff a working mom has to do, before I can get out the door to the gym. I also fill this mommy guilt, like I should be spending time with my son, and who gives a damn if I loose weight.

But still, I need to loose and I need to exercise to loose. Just nursing any more isn't cutting it. My weight has stayed at 189 for four weeks straight no change (it is down from an all time high of 220 at the end of pregnancy).I have 20 pounds to loose to get down to my prepregnancy weight. Then 20-30 more after that to get to my ideal weight. I'm leaving to go swimming this morning for an hour. Slip away while the baby and daddy are still asleep. I will make sure to eat healty today, cereal, Thanksgiving left overs in moderation, than a light dinner.

RE: Boot Camp

Time is running out on my maternity leave and I am somewhat panicking. I am deciding whether I should return to work a bit early to avoid loosing money on my next pay check.
If I do return on Nov. 15th that means I only have about another two weeks to myself at home.

I would like to make the best use of these two weeks so that I can get in better shape before I have to worry about working 40 hours a week again.

I am therefore declaring the next two weeks my boot camp. I want to attempt to run three times a week, and lift weights at the gym three times a week. That would total to 12 workouts in the next two weeks.

Please feel free to post comments asking me about my progress. I could use the accountability.

Last night I went for a run. It was my first time running since March of 2006 when I was three months pregnant. It was amazing. I ran through the crisp fall air and felt wonderful. I thought I would be struggling every step of the way but instead I walked for 3 minutes, ran for 12, walked for 2, ran for 12, walked for 10 (totaling about 2 miles). My heartrate soared above 200 which was a bit scarey - but that is why I am working out - to get OLD Bessie, thats my heart, back in shape.

But as I ran at my snails pace under the starlight I remembered how much I loved running. How it loosens up all my muscles and makes me feel like I'm running away from the worries of adulthood, hence the title of this blog. And with a new baby in my life, and my job looming in front of me, as well as our new car purchase this week, a run away from it all was just what I needed.

What's a good Boot Camp cheer! HOOAH! Go Sarah!

Here are three pictures of what exercise I've done since the marathon!
I've gotten pregnant, had my first child, and am now nursing him.
Go amazing body! I will focus on exercise soon as it has been around 6 weeks now since his birth and I hope to get the go ahead from my doctor tomorrow.

RE: Hello Again

It has been close to a year since I wrote my last blog rejoicing over my marathon finish.
This past year since the marathon I've really accomplished only one physical goal: I've carried and birthed my first child! In so doing, I've gained 50 pounds and lost most of the strength and health of my marathon training a year ago. But I have also "gained" along with the weight, a beautiful son who was very much worth the weightloss set backs.

Lincoln Paul W. came into the world as a 9 pound, strong and healthly little boy, around six weeks ago. I am at home on maternity leave nursing him and sleeping. These two activities take up most of my energy and my time, but I am starting to dream about daily exercise and weightloss once again.

In the next few blogs I will post some pregnancy photos, and baby Lincoln photos. I hope to use this blog to write about my goal of getting back in shape after this pregnancy. I hope to loose both the pregnancy weight and around 20 more pounds (since I was slightly overweight when I got pregnant). Total that is 70 pounds! I've already lost 30 pounds just by giving birth and nursing. Yipee! More later.
Sarah