Current Weight:  212.3 lbs

Total Weight Loss:  22.1 lbs

Yeah, I was totally not prepared for that number when I stepped on the scale.  I mean, I spent the whole week not counting points.  What is that all about?

Non-Weight Loss Related Victory:  I showed up for my first group run AND did my training work in between.  Hopefully, this is a pattern that repeats itself.  (Guys, it’s HOT out there, so dragging my butt outside to even walk 30 minutes after work or to attend a hot yoga class is a challenge, so I must say I’m proud of myself.)

How I’m Staying Active:  Well, Saturday was my first official group run, and I think it went well.  I’m currently in a walk/run group that is aiming to finish the half in 2:40.  During our long runs, we run for 2 minutes and walk for 1 minute which I’m a big fan of.

Honestly, I’m not sure I would have survived having to run 4 miles in its entirety this past Saturday.  3 miles is pretty much my max.  Part of me is thinking I’d like to try and move up to the 2:30 group that is training to run the whole thing before it’s all over, but we’ll see.   I kinda like the idea of the 1 minute walk break.

The group I’m working with meets every Tuesday night and Saturday mornings to run.  In between, I’ve been doing hot yoga (which has helped my tight hips and glutes) and done some walk/runs on my own.  I’m taking every Friday off to let my body recover and prepare for the Saturday long runs.  So far, so good!

What I’m Eating:  I’ve been in a weird food mood lately.  I’ve sort of been having really random dinners…like what I had last night for instance – a bowl of cereal and sauteed zucchini.  Don’t worry, they were eaten separately…the bowl of cereal around 7pm and the zucchini around 8pm.  I have a habit of eating my dinner in stages to force me to eat slower and to drag out the eating process since one of my big downfalls is nighttime eating.   It seems to work for me.

Image by Flickr user Juergen Buergin.

Current Weight: 214.3 lbs

Total Weight Loss: 20.1 lbs

Non-weight loss related victory: Well, I guess the big news is that I signed up for my first half-marathon. I’m pretty nervous, but excited. Should be interesting!

» Continue reading “Weight Watchers: A Half-Marathon? What?”

Hi,

My name is Cheryl and I can’t stop working out. It is immensely fun and as of yesterday, I have worked out for 230 days straight.

Yes, you read that right, 230 days straight. This all started due to an email my gym sent to members. Work out for 30 days, and they would pay for a month of dues. Given the month of dues as this was occurring around the holidays, I was all over this. In a spin class that I take regularly, our instructor asked how many of us were doing it and I was the only one who did it.

After the 30 days were up, my spin instructor challenged me to 50 days. That seemed like a piece of cake since her challenge came around day 35 of my continuously working out. On February 29th, I hit 100 days. After 100 days, I thought I would take a day off, but it just never happened. Then it became “let’s see if I can make it 120 days.”

» Continue reading “Tales Of The Workout Obsessed”

A week before traveling to Austin for UT Baseball’s Opening Weekend, I found out that the LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon was on the same weekend.  After thinking about it for an hour and consulting with my family and friends, I signed up for the half marathon!

Going in, I knew this wasn’t going to be a PR (personal record) race since I had a 4-week base of logging 19-24 miles/week that included a long run (8-10 miles), two speed workouts, and a recovery run.   I thought this would be a great “training race” to gauge my early-season fitness level and tune up for the Rock ‘n’ Roll USA half marathon I was originally training for.  » Continue reading “Avoid The Post-Race Blues With A Plan”

Hang up those shoes for a few days. (Image by Flickr user rene j)

You’ve finished the race and now what?

The months of preparation and training are over and you suddenly find yourself with a lot more time on your hands. You no longer have to plan your days around a training schedule. And, what do you do with the block of time you carved out on Saturday mornings for distance runs? » Continue reading “Post-Race Recovery”

One tipsy night back in November, I signed up for the St. Petersburg Rock N’ Rock Half Marathon and, in my impaired state, I typed in 2:00:00 as my expected finish time. For some people this would not be a big deal, but this was 15 minutes faster than my previous best time!

Fast forward 3 months of not nearly enough training later, and it was race weekend. My friends and I laughed when we saw the expected time I registered for back in November. My excuse, “I was drunk!”

Race morning arrived and we said our “good lucks,” before I departed and made my way up to the corral with the other runners who registered with similar finish times as mine. I looked at all the runners around me and couldn’t help but feel a little guilty about my unrealistic expected finish time. In the 10 minutes I stood there alone before the gun sounded, I thought about how great of a feeling it would be to actually finish with this group of people and to earn my spot in the corral.

Three minutes into the race I spotted the group of 2:00 pacers. (A pacer is a runner participating in a race to help another runner maintain a particular pace—usually a faster and more demanding pace that may be too strenuous for the runner to achieve alone.)

One of the guys was waving a neon pink sign in the air with the numbers 2:00 handwritten on it. In addition to the sign, each member of the 2:oo pacer group had a neon pink bib on their back with the same goal time displayed on it. I decided I would stay with them for as long as possible.

» Continue reading “The Power Of Pacers In Long Distance Running”

Since I began running competitively in middle school, I’ve always had certain rituals, routines and superstitions that I’ve practiced in the days leading up to a big race. This week is no exception.  On Sunday, I will be running the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in St. Petersburg, FL (Fellow Aerys writer Sarah Tyson will also be running!). And, in anticipation of my upcoming race, I thought I’d share some of my more “normal” pre-race rituals.

Throughout the week leading up to the race, I continue to taper my training. For ex: This Sunday morning I will be running 13.1 miles. The farthest distance I’ll run this week will be 5 miles and I’ll continue to decrease my mileage each day until I eventually have a day of complete rest prior to the race.  I also like to pay more attention to my eating habits and besides my necessary morning cup(s) of coffee; I stick to a strict water-only diet.

I’ve learned it’s important to make a checklist of “Race Day Essentials” a few days before the race.  This past October I ran my first half marathon and forgot to pack my iPod! Since that fateful day, I have vowed to always make a pre-race checklist! This is especially important this time around considering I’ll be traveling a little over 100 miles to my race on Sunday and I won’t have the luxury of being able to return home and grab something if I forget it. Items on my list: shoes, water, iPod, running bib, extra safety pins, hat, shorts, socks, sports bra…etc.

The day before a race is the most important pre-race ritual day!  Of course, one day won’t make up for a lack of training, but it can help you to have the most successful race possible. This is the day I like to get my head and my entire body into the “zone”. Every runner knows the evening prior to a race wouldn’t be complete without carbo-loading!  I like to indulge with a large bowl of bread and pasta! » Continue reading “Pre-Race Rituals”

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!”