Why is it that every time I run a marathon I feel like I can slack off for about a month afterwards and load up on all of the bad food I've been avoiding without working out and without consequences? That is like, the OPPOSITE of what I should be doing.
I do this every year though. And then I get this gross muffin-top that makes me crazy.
Usually though, it is much longer than a month before I do something about it. This time I pretty much decided to stop after this Sunday, when I loaded up on fried food and alcohol. I felt bloated and gross for days afterwards. Yuck. I've already gone back up to my largest size. (I vacillate between 3 sizes during the year.) In a MONTH.
So Sunday night I decided: no more muffin top!
Here was the plan:
• Get back into running. It does not have to be every day, but at least 3 times a week.
• Add in some combo cardio-weight training and plyometrics
• Add in at LEAST a day of yoga for stretching
• Keep a food journal
• PLAN meals out of the Prevention cookbook which has healthy AND tasty options
So far, I have found out that yesterday (when I thought I was good and skipped the 3:00 treats at work) I overconsumed by 500 calories. BUT on the plus side, I had the perfect balance of fats/carbs/proteins, which is a HUGE step in the right direction for me.
I have also found out that I am not a fan of fat-free balsamic vinagrette (low fat is okay though).
I NEED gum to keep me from stress-eating.
Also, I am VERY SORE from doing a double workout yesterday. Yes, I actually got up in the morning to do the Jillian 30-Day Shred (the plan is to do all 30 days over a short period of time, like possibly 2 months, if I am not so SORE like I am now). Then at night I ran with Bill.
I didn't think I worked out that hard, and I was only using 5 pound weights during the workout, BUT I was concentrating on good form and THINKING about which muscles I was using. It must have made a difference. Either that or I am in totally awful shape.
Tonight is Yoga. And for the first time in my life, I am looking forward to it.
P.S. Believe it or not, I can touch my toes now. That's from NOT running. (Running = fit me, but Not Running = more flexible me)
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Fast Girl
OK, so Bill and I always run this one stretch in Riverside Park. It is my easy run and I always feel like a loser when I do it because it is such a short distance that it is almost not worth putting my running clothes on. However, when I pretty much don't feel like running I feel like running this is better than not running at all.
We FINALLY mapped it out on mapmyrun (because I keep forgetting to charge my Garmin) and found out that it is more mileage than I thought. Hurrah! For some reason, I feel like 2.88 miles is much more worth the run than the 2 miles I thought it was.
It also helped because Bill kept figuring out our times based on 2 miles and it just seemed so SLOW. This made me sad, because I felt like we were going fast. Like, it was winding me.
Turns out, we were averaging a 7:59 pace. And that was with some walking when my shoulder cramped up. That makes me feel a LOT better.
This weekend I told Bill we should aim for a "long" 4 miles.
Haha. I love the off-season.
We FINALLY mapped it out on mapmyrun (because I keep forgetting to charge my Garmin) and found out that it is more mileage than I thought. Hurrah! For some reason, I feel like 2.88 miles is much more worth the run than the 2 miles I thought it was.
It also helped because Bill kept figuring out our times based on 2 miles and it just seemed so SLOW. This made me sad, because I felt like we were going fast. Like, it was winding me.
Turns out, we were averaging a 7:59 pace. And that was with some walking when my shoulder cramped up. That makes me feel a LOT better.
This weekend I told Bill we should aim for a "long" 4 miles.
Haha. I love the off-season.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Running Again
Last night I went for my first run after the Nike Run as One run.
Yes, I have been extremely reluctant to run since the marathon. I think I need a break from it. The problem is that if I'm not running, I find it very hard to do cross-training or anything else productive in the fitnessy arena. Mostly I just sit around and watch TV while knitting socks.
Anyway, it was not a great run for me. First of all, it was only 2 miles. But instead of enjoying it like I should have been doing, I was trying to work out my stress demons in my head. I know a lot of people who love running for this particular reason. However, I am not one of them.
Actually, when I am very stressed I find that it makes the run longer and harder and not enjoyable at all.
At the turnaround, I was feeling crampy, right in my left shoulder/chest area. Yuck.
So I had to turn around and walk back until it went away (which was quickly), but still...
It's too bad, because it's been very warm out.
Yes, I have been extremely reluctant to run since the marathon. I think I need a break from it. The problem is that if I'm not running, I find it very hard to do cross-training or anything else productive in the fitnessy arena. Mostly I just sit around and watch TV while knitting socks.
Anyway, it was not a great run for me. First of all, it was only 2 miles. But instead of enjoying it like I should have been doing, I was trying to work out my stress demons in my head. I know a lot of people who love running for this particular reason. However, I am not one of them.
Actually, when I am very stressed I find that it makes the run longer and harder and not enjoyable at all.
At the turnaround, I was feeling crampy, right in my left shoulder/chest area. Yuck.
So I had to turn around and walk back until it went away (which was quickly), but still...
It's too bad, because it's been very warm out.
Monday, November 2, 2009
The NYC Marathon!
OK. I have a completely new respect for all of the cheerers out there!
This weekend, my friends ran the New York City Marathon. It was so exciting! I watched it last year, but it is so much more fun when you actually know people in the marathon. I had this schedule all figured out with public transit and everything. As I planned, we would be able to see my friends at three places in three boroughs.
Stop number one was Brooklyn, around mile 4. For NYC, it wasn't very crowded, so this was a great place to see the girls. They were wearing these feathery diddly-bopper things on their heads to make them easier to find and THANK GOODNESS because the NYC marathon is so crowded...I mean NON-STOP runners.
Mile 4 is also complicated because depending on which wave you were in, you could be on opposite sides of the street. Bill and I got there early with my favorite sign that I made (I made four of them). This one said "2476 calories burnt = 17 beers!" We got lots of laughs, thumbs up and just general attention for it. Some people even took pictures. And we saw GINA!!! I was so excited and screamed her name as she ran by! Bill and I ducked back into the subway and RAN under the street to see Pam on the other side! Yay! We saw her! Then we ducked back into the subway and RAN under the street again to see Donna. (The girls were all in different corrals). No luck. And we were getting super close to the time we needed to be on the train to our next stop in Queens. I was bummed, but we had to run to catch the train before we saw Donna. :(
Next stop? Mile 15 in Queens.
This stop was majorly crowded. Bill and I were pushy and got up to the front right before the bridge. The cops kept pushing everyone back, which made me think that I was not going to be able to run with the girls for a little while like I had planned. We had separate candy for each of them as requested, and I was trying to figure out the best way to hand it out. Gina would be first, so I grabbed a handful of candy oranges in one hand and my stick of BodyGlide in the other. Hmmmmm. No Gina. No Gina. My eyes were scanning everywhere for their headbands. I told Bill to get out Pam's Skittles just in case we missed her. We saw all these people that were running AFTER her, so I thought either we had missed her, or she was injured. I was really worried then. Bill said now I know how he feels when he is looking for me. My eyes were getting crazy from all of the scanning of the runners. I told Bill when I ran it next year I was going to wear florescent pink. In this crowd, even their headbands didn't help.
I put the oranges away and grabbed Donna's licorice while simultaneously texting my friend Elida, who was at 23, to see if she had seen Gina.
No Donna either. I was getting really bummed. I felt REALLY bad because they had specifically assigned us to Queens because no one was going to be there. Ptttt.
We hopped on the train and headed to stop 3, which was mile 25.
I got a text from Elida saying Gina just past mile 23. Perfect! That meant I had about 18 minutes before she ran by me. I started scanning the runners again.
Of course, Bill and I only saw ONE of our friends at 25 and it was Pam. We frantically shouted her name, but she was in the zone :)
D'oh. Epic fail.
Luckily, we all met at a bar afterwards to celebrate. I found out that:
1. Gina SMASHED her goal of beating 4 hours by getting a 3:56!!!
2. Pam took 27 minutes off of her January marathon time!!!
3. Donna, Miss 11:49-Minute-Miler ran a 4:33, which is why we didn't see her at all!!!
YAY!!!!!!!!! So exciting!
This weekend, my friends ran the New York City Marathon. It was so exciting! I watched it last year, but it is so much more fun when you actually know people in the marathon. I had this schedule all figured out with public transit and everything. As I planned, we would be able to see my friends at three places in three boroughs.
Stop number one was Brooklyn, around mile 4. For NYC, it wasn't very crowded, so this was a great place to see the girls. They were wearing these feathery diddly-bopper things on their heads to make them easier to find and THANK GOODNESS because the NYC marathon is so crowded...I mean NON-STOP runners.
Mile 4 is also complicated because depending on which wave you were in, you could be on opposite sides of the street. Bill and I got there early with my favorite sign that I made (I made four of them). This one said "2476 calories burnt = 17 beers!" We got lots of laughs, thumbs up and just general attention for it. Some people even took pictures. And we saw GINA!!! I was so excited and screamed her name as she ran by! Bill and I ducked back into the subway and RAN under the street to see Pam on the other side! Yay! We saw her! Then we ducked back into the subway and RAN under the street again to see Donna. (The girls were all in different corrals). No luck. And we were getting super close to the time we needed to be on the train to our next stop in Queens. I was bummed, but we had to run to catch the train before we saw Donna. :(
Next stop? Mile 15 in Queens.
This stop was majorly crowded. Bill and I were pushy and got up to the front right before the bridge. The cops kept pushing everyone back, which made me think that I was not going to be able to run with the girls for a little while like I had planned. We had separate candy for each of them as requested, and I was trying to figure out the best way to hand it out. Gina would be first, so I grabbed a handful of candy oranges in one hand and my stick of BodyGlide in the other. Hmmmmm. No Gina. No Gina. My eyes were scanning everywhere for their headbands. I told Bill to get out Pam's Skittles just in case we missed her. We saw all these people that were running AFTER her, so I thought either we had missed her, or she was injured. I was really worried then. Bill said now I know how he feels when he is looking for me. My eyes were getting crazy from all of the scanning of the runners. I told Bill when I ran it next year I was going to wear florescent pink. In this crowd, even their headbands didn't help.
I put the oranges away and grabbed Donna's licorice while simultaneously texting my friend Elida, who was at 23, to see if she had seen Gina.
No Donna either. I was getting really bummed. I felt REALLY bad because they had specifically assigned us to Queens because no one was going to be there. Ptttt.
We hopped on the train and headed to stop 3, which was mile 25.
I got a text from Elida saying Gina just past mile 23. Perfect! That meant I had about 18 minutes before she ran by me. I started scanning the runners again.
Of course, Bill and I only saw ONE of our friends at 25 and it was Pam. We frantically shouted her name, but she was in the zone :)
D'oh. Epic fail.
Luckily, we all met at a bar afterwards to celebrate. I found out that:
1. Gina SMASHED her goal of beating 4 hours by getting a 3:56!!!
2. Pam took 27 minutes off of her January marathon time!!!
3. Donna, Miss 11:49-Minute-Miler ran a 4:33, which is why we didn't see her at all!!!
YAY!!!!!!!!! So exciting!
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