10% and In the Lead

I've lost 10% of my body weight, that is 17.8 pounds in 5 weeks and vaulted to the lead out of the 75 people racing to win the weight loss competition at our gym. Now I'm feeling quite happy but also quite fatigued. My hip hurts and I'm hoping I can still loose around 9 more pounds before June 13th, the final weigh in.

Just read my friends post about adopting her daughter. God always lays on my heart perhaps we our next children will be adopted.

New 5K PR...post age 30

My overall 5k PR is 30:39 (9:53).
This morning though I ran faster than I did in last years 4th of July run, setting a new post-age-30 PR. No bad when you consider I've gained and lost 50 pounds since running that 5k in July 2008 due to my pregnancy and delivery of a large 8lb 12 oz girl.

July 4th, 2008 my time was: 32:45 (10:33)
April 13th, 2008 my time was: 35:17 (11:21)
This morning my time was: 32:31 (10:25/mile)
1st 5k back in 2003 was: 32:54 (10:37_

I'm especially proud that I ran the first mile in 9:59. I like seeing that 9.

By the 4th of July run I should be closer to 10 minute miles (if not faster) and 20 pounds lighter! Perhaps I'll even beat 30 minutes.

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!