Training Recap - Week 8

I have no excuses.  I was lazy this week.  I didn't go to the gym and I didn't run outside like I was supposed to.  I did walk during all of the commercials when I watched TV.  I parked at the back of our parking lot so I could get extra steps and whenever possible took the stairs instead of the elevator.  I just didn't do my normal training.  Next week I will be better about it. 

Sunday March 16--Fitbit log 1,593 steps

Monday March 17--1 mile 16:27 min Fitbit log 10,019 steps 

Tuesday March 18--Fitbit log 2,887 steps

Wednesday March 19--Fitbit log 10,034steps

Thursday March 20-- Fitbit log 5,651 steps

Friday March 21--Fitbit log 5,986 steps

Saturday March 22-- Fitbit log 2,979 steps

Training Recap - Week 7 and My First Race

This was a big week for me. Race week! I had my first official race ever on Saturday.  It was a 10K in downtown Salt Lake City.  The Leprechaun Lope at Capitol Hill/Memory Grove area.  It was a tough race.  The entire first half was uphill in cold canyon winds  I was not expecting these conditions.  When I registered it said the route was mostly flat with a slight hill about halfway through.  NOT TRUE!  It was super hard.  I almost quit twice.  When it came to the point where the 5K runners turned off and went a different direction I wanted to quit and just do the 5K.  But I didn't I wanted to finish what I started so I continued up the hill and into City Creek canyon.  My right shin was really killing me and I was having trouble breathing as we got about halfway up the canyon.  I wanted to just turn around and quit.  But at that point the rest of the runners were coming down the hill and cheered me on as they went past.   One of them said, "You are almost to the turn around point.  You can do this.  You will be so proud of yourself in the end."  That gave me the energy I needed to continue up the hill.  Once we started going downhill I knew I could finish.  I was almost able to get back to my walk/run ratio.  Thankfully I had a wonderful friend helping me along the way.  I would not have been able to finish without her.  I knew I was the last person in the race.  My friend had only signed up for the 5K so she really wasn't doing the 10K.  As we exited the canyon and turned into Memory Grove I saw the finish line.  I started to get emotional.  I pushed myself to run across the finish line and tears of pure joy filled my eyes.  I did it!  I finished the race.  Yes I was the last person across the finish line and my time wasn't great but I finished and that was all that mattered.

Sunday March 9--Rest day.  Fitbit log 1,266 steps

Monday March 10--Fitbit log 4,192 steps 

Tuesday March 11--1.53 miles 26:20 min Fitbit log 10,707 steps

Wednesday March 12--1.84 miles 31:24 mins Fitbit log 8,750 steps

Thursday March 13-- 1 mile 20:03 mins. Fitbit log 7,804 steps

Friday March 14--Rest day (or it was supposed to be) Fitbit log 7,854 steps

Saturday March 15-- RACE DAY 10K 1:53:01 Fitbit log 22,496 steps

 

Training Recap - Week 6

I reversed my training days this week.  I usually do my long run on Saturday but this week I did it on Monday.  It worked out because the weekend was not great for me.  I ended up with cyst pain on Saturday so I did not feel up to training on Saturday.  I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and every once in a while it acts up.  I was diagnosed at the end of 2006.  I developed a kidney stone on my birthday (December 22) and ended up in the ER on Christmas Day 2006 in tremendous pain. During the ultrasound to locate the kidney stone they noticed that I had multiple ovarian cysts. After the kidney stone passed I went through some further testing and was diagnosed with PCOS.  It is not a difficult disease to deal with for the most part. Once in a while a cyst will burst and that is painful.  The side effects or complications are not fun though.  One of the problems is that it causes insulin resistance so I have a hard time losing weight. Ironically losing weight eases all of the symptoms so I am in a constant battle with my body. I am hoping that this new training program will finally help me win the battle.  Anyway once in a while I get a cyst that causes pain or bursts.  This is what happened on Saturday and Sunday so I again had to take a break from my training.  Luckily I had done my long run on Monday so I didn't feel too bad about resting over the weekend. 

Sunday March 2--Rest day.  Fitbit log 10,037 steps

Monday March 3--5.0 miles 1:32:22 hours Fitbit log 12,664 steps 

Tuesday March 4--Toning 30 mins Fitbit log 10,099 steps

Wednesday March 5--1.56 miles 26:21 mins Fitbit log 10,070 steps

Thursday March 6-- 1.84 miles 31:33 mins. Fitbit log 10,403 steps

Friday March 7--1.25 miles 30:02 mins Fitbit log 4,214 steps

Saturday March 8-- No training. Fitbit log 5,074

Training Recap - Week 5

I can't believe I have been training for a month now.  180 days until the Half Marathon but I only have 11 days until my first big race which is a 10K on March 15th.  Training is still going well.  I am having a little trouble with some pain in the second toe on my right foot when I walk/run long distances.  I am going to try lacing my shoes in a different way and see if that helps next time. Other than that I am doing great.  I think I have finally figured out a menu plan that will work for me.  I am going to try it out the next couple weeks and see how I do.   My schedule was a little crazy last week so I didn't get all of the training in when I had planned it. I walked on my lunch breaks a couple days so I was able to still get 10,000 steps each day which helps. Saturday I wasn't feeling good so I missed my workout and didn't get a lot of walking in.  I just rested to help my body heal itself from the sickness.

Sunday February 23rd --Rest day.  Fitbit log 10,063 steps

Monday February 24th--30 min walk at work Fitbit log 13,742 steps 

Tuesday February 25th-- Yoga 60:00 mins Fitbit log 10,337 steps

Wednesday February 26th--2.56 miles 36:23 mins Fitbit log 10,056 steps

Thursday February 27th-- 2.56 miles 36:25 mins. Fitbit log 10,403 steps

Friday February 28th--1.25 miles 30:02 mins Fitbit log 9,793 steps

Saturday March 1st-- Missed my training. Fitbit log 3,598

Training Recap - Week 4

Hooray, another week of training is complete!  I don't have a lot to say about this week.  It was a good week overall and I completed all of my goals.  I am finding that my energy levels are starting to increase which is good because that means I get more done each day.  I am still struggling with the nutrition side.  I am a picky eater especially when it comes to vegetables and most fruit.  I am working on trying new things since I know that will help with the weight loss and help me feel better during my training.  I also have a hard time getting up in the morning (I am a night owl) to have breakfast so I have to pick things I can either eat on the way to work or once I get to work. This is another area I am working on.  One thing at a time though. 

Sunday February 16th --Rest day. 

Monday February 17th-- 2.62 miles  36:32 mins  Fitbit log 10,683 steps 

Tuesday February 18th-- Yoga 60:00 mins Fitbit log 10,035 steps

Wednesday February 19th--2.61 miles 36:24 mins Fitbit log 11,886 steps

Thursday February 20th-- 1.25 miles 30:02 mins. Fitbit log 13,007 steps

Friday February 21st--Rest day Fitbit log 11,090 steps

Saturday February 22nd-- 2.82 miles 40:08 mins Fitbit log 10,122

Training Recap-Week 3

Another week finished.  This week was tough physically and surprisingly it started with an intense massage on Monday night.  My massage therapist has been trying to help me get the tension out of my back, upper chest, forearms and shoulders.  I have been feeling numbness and tingling in my hands lately. The tightness in my shoulders and upper chest causes poor circulation in my arms.   Sitting at a desk all day for 8+ hours typing on a computer doesn't help.  I was a little surprised by how it affected my entire body. I felt like I had just completed an intense workout.  Tuesday I felt fine so I decided to try my first run out in the cold air.  My lungs didn't agree with it. They were burning when I got back home and I coughed the rest of the night.  I am going back to training on the treadmill until it gets warmer and the Utah air is a little cleaner.  Wednesday I was beat.  My whole body just ached.  I took the day off to rest.  I did some stretching which helped a lot but I did not walk or run at all.  Thursday was much better. I was still sore but ready to get back to my regular training schedule.  Friday was an easy day and unfortunately I missed my run on Saturday but I spent the evening chasing a 9 and 6 year old while carrying a 7 month old baby so I figure that was my workout for the night.  My nieces and nephew came over to play while my brother and sister in law went out for their Valentine's date. 

Sunday February 9th --Rest day. 

Monday February 10th--2.57 miles  36:11 minutes  Fitbit log 10,592 steps 

Tuesday February 11th--2.44 miles  36:33 minutes Fitbit log 10,304 steps

Wednesday February 12th--Rest day. Fitbit log 7,705 steps

Thursday February 13th--2.43 miles  36:22 minutes.  Fitbit log 9,519 steps

Friday February 14th--1.29 miles 20:02 minutes Fitbit log 10,226 steps

Saturday February 15th--Fitbit log 7,108

 

Weekly Update (February 2-8)

I can’t believe January is already over.  It was a super busy month for me so I guess that is why it went by so fast.  Superbowl Sunday was so much fun this year.  I was cheering for Bruno Mars.  He is one of my favorite music artists right now so I was super excited that he was performing in the Half Time show.  I think my family saw a side of me they haven’t seen in a long time as I danced to every song.  It was so much fun and I had a great workout too.  I forgot how much I love to dance.  My niece Ella danced with me for most of it.  As far as the real purpose of the super bowl I didn’t really care who won but I wore Seattle Seahawks colors since I don’t own any orange.  I chose the right colors to wear apparently.  I felt bad that the Broncos lost by so many points though.  The game was a little boring for me.  I prefer a game with a lot of action and close scores.   The commercials weren’t all that great either in my opinion.  This was the year of great music though.  Both "America the Beautiful" and our "National Anthem" were amazing and as noted above I loved the halftime show.  Overall it was a fun night.  For those who don’t know me that well, I really do love sports.  I prefer to go to live games especially baseball, basketball and soccer. 

I didn't take any pictures this week. Most of this week was dealing with some issues at work.  Monday and Tuesday were extremely emotional days.  By Thursday after some changes things looked better.  I don't want to get into a lot of details but these are changes that have needed to be made for several years.  I have been doing the work of 2 1/2 full time employees for three years and lately I have been very burned out.   After a long discussion with my boss and our HR director we were able to come up with a better system and I think things will start to improve over the next few months.  I love the work I do and I wanted to continue to be happy with my job but some changes needed to be made.  The other thing that happened is that my closest friend at work quit so that was a little hard for me as well.

Outside of work most of my week was spent training and resting.  I have some organizing projects that I have been working on.  I just can't seem to get my space organized and clean.  I am a perfectionist and want it to be exactly as I have planned.  Unfortunately a lot of my ideas don't work in the space I have at my parents home.  It will come together eventually though.