(Image via CookingLight.com)

Current Weight: 214.1 lbs

Total Weight Loss: 20.3 lbs

This past week, I completed my first ever race!  It was a 5-miler around a lake here in Dallas.  Honestly, I didn’t really set any goals for this one – well, other than just completing it.  I finished in 1:02:11 and I’m pretty happy about it.

My running partner and I decided to follow the “run 2 minutes, walk a minute” strategy for the 1st 4 miles, then run the last mile.  That said, after a 1/2 mile through the last mile, we opted to walk for a minute, then resumed running.  Overall, I’m proud of myself.

This week we start our hill training, so if I don’t post anything next week, it’s because they killed me.  (So many flashbacks from my high school basketball days…)

Enough running talk, here are a couple of recipes that I tried out this week:

» Continue reading “Weight Watchers: More Running, More Recipes”

Current Weight:  215.2 lbs

Total Weight Loss: 19.2 lbs

Last week, I discussed my struggles with refueling after my long Saturday runs (6+ miles).  As we all know, being completely ravenous and eating everything in sight isn’t very Weight Watchers-friendly.  Well, I’m happy to report that I seemed to figure things out…for this past week at least.

Pre-run I ate my usual banana with a little bit of peanut butter which is usually sufficient for any of my runs up to about 5 miles.  Sometimes if I wake up extra hungry, I’ll have a whole grain waffle with peanut butter and a banana.  I just sort of go by how I’m feeling in the morning.

During the run, I ate a couple of Clif Shot Bloks for a little added energy around mile 3 or 4 with some water.  It really seemed to help out my energy level for the last half of my run.  Personally, the Gu gel stuff sort of freaks me out, so I like the gummy bear-esque quality of the Shot Bloks.

» Continue reading “Weight Watchers: Raindrops On Roses And Whiskers On Kittens…”

Current Weight:  215.3 lbs

Total Weight Loss: 19.1 lbs

Last week, I talked about food journals and the importance of them when trying to lose weight.  They hold you accountable and really let you see where things are going wrong (if you’re not losing).  Over the past week, I was pretty meticulous in recording everything I ate and drank no matter how far off track I got.

The results?  Well, I ended up using all of my Activity Points and was -17 on my Weekly Allowance.  Not so good.  That said, I looked at each day and started to reevaluate my eating habits.

Tuesday and Wednesday were not so good, but I think a lot of that was readjusting to the strict WW regimen .  Thursday and Friday were A LOT better.  I stayed within my Daily Points allowance, only using the Activity Points I actually earned for that day if I did go over.

Then came Saturday…

Saturday morning I always do my long runs for my half-marathon training.  This past Saturday, we ran a total of 7.9 miles.  I’m still trying to figure out how to equate that into Activity Points, but that’s roughly 15 Activity Points.  Honestly, I haven’t worked out that much for that long in quite some time and never while trying to lose weight, so I’m struggling.

After the run, I was exhausted.  I ate my protein-rich breakfast, drank a lot of water, and did some stretches.  Then, I took about a 2-hour nap.  After waking up, I was still starving, so I tried to eat fruit and drink more water hoping that would do the trick.  It didn’t.  I made a sandwich.  Still hungry.  And just proceeded to eat and eat and eat some more.  Not exactly ideal when trying to lose weight.  I was tired and hungry all day.

At this point, I’m trying to figure out how to combat this.  I can’t eat everything in my house every Saturday and expect to lose any weight.  Plus, I don’t enjoy feeling rundown all day Saturday…not so good for the social life.  This week, we’re supposed to run 8 miles, so my current plan is to drink more water on the run and to make sure I actually eat my energy chews during the run (I didn’t on the last run and looking back, maybe that will help).  I currently have been eating a banana with some peanut butter pre-runs.

Sunday and Monday were both pretty good days, so really it seems like if I can get my post-run eating figured out, I should be able to get with the program and start seeing more results.  If any of you have any advice, feel free to send it my way!  I could definitely use some!

Current Weight: 213.8 lbs

Total Weight Loss:  20.6 lbs

Like I said last week, I didn’t really believe that 212 weight, and the scale definitely agreed with me this week.  213.8 definitely seems more reasonable.

Non-Weight Loss Victory:  I suffered through a 30 minute run/walk by myself in 100+ degree heat on Thursday.  It wasn’t pretty, but I did it.  And I managed to stay within the 12-13 minute/mile range.

» Continue reading “Weight Watchers: Week 2 Training & A Recipe”

Before you think you’ve stumbled upon the wrong site, let me explain. This is not a post about a spiritual rebirth or confession of sin. And, this most certainly is not a post about a quest for salvation inspired by the media’s fixation on Broncos Quarterback, Tim Tebow.

Instead, this is a post about the rebirth of my personal relationship with the sport of running and my commitment to getting back on track – literally!

… As a child, I was exceptionally shy and always found reasons to hide behind my older sister. It wasn’t until fifth grade, when I finished ahead of the pack (boys & girls!) in our weekly PE runs, that I began developing interests of my own.

I took up running cross country and track in middle school, and just as quickly as my feet hit the ground, my love for the sport solidified.  Running allowed me the ability to set and meet personal goals and taught me the importance of hard work and dedication.

After moving to Florida from New Hampshire my freshman year of high school, running was my connection to a new group of friends as well as comfort in an unfamiliar environment. I steadily climbed the rankings to become top runner on the team. I was featured in the newspaper as one of the “Best in the County” and “Someone to Watch For.”

I consistently earned MVP awards and clocked a PR and new school record of 19:32 in the 5K. At my peak, I was ranked #17 in my division in the state of Florida, earned All-State honors and had aspirations of taking my running talent further.

After a crushing State Meet my senior year of high school, none of my accolades or titles mattered anymore. My disappointment in myself was overwhelming and I pushed aside my running dreams and redirected my energy toward college applications and future, career-oriented, goals.

» Continue reading “Born Again”

In less than six weeks, I’ll be running my second half marathon. The freak-out phase has already begun.

At this point, I have absolutely zero clue as to why I thought it would be a good idea to sign up for a mid-February race that would require serious training during a time period that included major holidays, increased hours at work, and a move to a new home.

Alas, I have already paid my $60 dollar registration fee and I am not the kind of person to quit on something or waste that kind of cash.

If I add about a mile to my long run each week between now and February 12, I should at least be able to finish this 13.2 mile bad boy.

I have that general plan in mind, but as I did with my last half, I’m looking to my former cross country coach from Palm Bay High School for training advice. About eight weeks before my first half, my coach sent me the following training plan.

Please note: The following plan is not for beginning runners. The long runs for this particular half-marathon training guide begin at 5-6 miles. But don’t worry, newbies, we’ll take care of you in a later post.

» Continue reading “The Run Never Ends – Hello, Second Half Marathon!”