Back to My Daily Grind...

... uh, I mean routine. ;)

My Weekly Schedule and Goals

I arrived back home yesterday from the cabin and had full intentions of doing something physical last night, but I just had no energy.   Today though, I am ready to go and excited to getting back to my daily grind.  Since I have had this week pretty much of of any running, today will be around 3ish miles (5k) to get my legs back, and then I will head off to hot yoga later.  If it doesn't look like I will reach my daily step goal with my Fitbit by supper, I will be heading for a walk either outside or on the treadmill.

Speaking of routines, here is what my routine is right now which includes the 30 day yoga challenge.

Monday:     Yoga
Tuesday:     Yoga, weights at gym (full body workout)
Wednesday:     Yoga, run (speed work/acceleration gliders)
Thursday:     Yoga, weights at gym (full body workout)
Friday:     Yoga, run (speed work/cadence drills)
Saturday:     Yoga, walk (1 hr)
Sunday:     Run (LSD), yoga

My daily Fitbit step goal is set to 12000 steps/day.

Current weight is: 155.3 lbs (down 8.7lbs from original start weight, but up 2.3 lbs from last week)
Bodyfat is: 38.3% (down 0.1% from last week, down 0.5% in last couple weeks since getting our Aria scale)

My Galloway 1/2 training plan using the Lolo app is set for 12 min/mi @ 2min run/1 min walk, pace goes between 5.6 mph and 6.2 during the various workouts. Overall goal is to improve my half marathon time.  I will be playing around with the run/walk ratio as my fitness improves.

Oh how I missed thee...

For eating I follow my Fitbit's recommendation of calories (except this last week at lake) with Weight Watchers as my guideline still.  I don't eat much meat at all right now and will only have the odd chicken or turkey if I have no choice, but I will have the odd eggs and eat when I can fish and seafood.  I am not trying to be a vegetarian or vegan, but I am adopting part of the eating habits with some of my food like cheese (I use soy cheese) and I use almond, soy, hemp, or coconut milk instead of regular milk.  I have found that as I am getting older I am having more stomach aches and started to take food out of my diet.  I did the whole take away all bread stuff at one point but found I could not last too long so I have it in moderation.  Beef and pork though I found I was having just too hard of a time digesting them so I stopped eating them.  The cheese part, well, I went vegan for a while and found I like the cheese so sticking with it.  There are a couple of things that I have stayed with.  If you have read my post in the last week here about coconut oil, I don't think I need to explain that one anymore beside I use it and it is my main oil source.

I also try to limit the processed foods I eat and eat as clean and raw as possible.

For water, I try to get in over 64 oz/day of water in (this does not include any other sources of liquids)

So there you go, my weekly routine schedule posted now for the world to see, or at least the few that may stumble across my blog.  :)

Now off I go for a longly anticipated run...

What are some of your routines?

New Year... New Life

Well, well, well, it has been quite a while now hasn't it. lol

I don't want to really give a long and drawn out novel about what happened to me the last while but I will summerize as much as I can. I don't want to give a bunch of excuses either because I must become accountable for what has happened. This is my third attempt at wt loss and I will make it this time. If running is not to happen any more then so be it I will find something else to or try tri's or something... that would really be a feat in itself! I just can't sit back and do nothing as I have always been active. So here it goes.

I was doing great, then bad and all over the place... Between family heart attacks (x2), strokes (x1), attempts of suicide (x1), cancer (x3), pancreatitis (x1), and many other general misfortunes... I let myself down and did not take care of myself. Simply said. Then whenever I had tried to, something else happened.

I tried to keep up my running and that even went to the wayside as my stupid knee just does not want to give up, more like it is prob the IT band but we have done pretty much everything besides surg and I am seeing the surgeon here at the end of the month. Right now I am off of work due to the fact that the pain is now up in to my lower back. Yes, have done the evil roller, stretches, ice, wrap, etc... you name it. I just can't be comfortable in any spot at the moment.

One good thing about this past year is that I am officially a non-smoker!!!! WOOOOO HOOOOO! I will admit that I slipped here and there but as of the end of March beginning of April. I don't have the exact date because I was not trying to focus on it which worked for me - not to mention the Champix! lol Which I will mention, that stuff is EVIL but it worked. I found that if I did not focus on how many days and stuff it was easier for me. Some people want the exact day and I am like what is the diff, I am not smoking now. :0)

So my weight... ah yes... not too pleaseant. I started of the year at 158.6!!!! my highest in such a long time. I gave in to old habits and used food too much as a comfort. So let's just say I did not handle the stress too well.

In other good news, I did take some trips this past summer. My son and I did a driving trip by ourselves in my new truck - yes you read right, a new truck. Not a huge thing, just a Ford Ranger but I LOVE it. It is my third one and my car finally had it... I do wish that I would have bought a 4x4 though... So, yes, my son and I did a mommy/son trip to Jasper and around BC, mainly Prince George and such. We had a great time together and I taught him how to gold pan which was in prep for my next trip that we did in August. Alaska!!!! The three of us, hubby, son and I, drove along with the two dogs (Denver had to be put down - another not fun thing last fall) and off we went. We originally were just going to drive to Anchorage, but we felt that since we were there we may as well see lots more! So we ended up going to Fairbanks, then took the Top of the World highway (not for the sqeemish) to Dawson City, Yukon. It was an amazing trip and I will fill in pics of some of this later.

So, my new plans? 1. get my life back 2. have better coping mechanisms 3. get healthy 4. fix knee so I can run again or start speed walking lol but mainly find cause and see what can be done 5. get physically active again with other things 6. lose wt back to healthy norms again

So there is a brief summary of what is up... oh and by the way - We got a new house and moving in 1 month. Lets see how I can do this... lol

Wii Active: 1:14 hrs (including day 3 of 30 day challenge)

The Ticket is Bought...

... and I am officially going to England this Thursday (tomorrow).  I will be flying in to London and then going to Salsbury for the weekend to visit some relatives then to Nottingham for the funeral.  I guess it is going to be quite quick as my grandma wanted an Irish Wake and the relatives there would only settle for the last part of it - the send off from the pub.  This should be interesting...  I have managed to get on the same flights as some of my relatives for the long duration flights so I will not be alone.

During the weekend I will get to see where my mom grew up, relatives that I know and don't know, and Stonehenge.  When we go up to Nottingham I will be going to the castle and seeing the Robin Hood stuff, step foot in Sherwood Forest, and see some other new relatives.  We will be paying our respects for the other relative just before we go to grandma's service.  I have already been to London before so I won't be doing any site seeing there.

I will be bringing my laptop and camera, so hopefully I will be able to check in here once and a while.  I have to make sure that everyone is still being good! LOL :)

As for walking, I tried to move around a bit more yesterday and things were still not good, so today I am on the couch again planning what I need to pack and get to that later today.

My son tried to go to school here yesterday for the first time in a week and was sent back home by lunch, so he is going to stay home another full day with me here today.  His asthma has kicked in full force here with the chest congestion and we are trying to get it back under control.  I guess I am going to be pulling out the inibulizer (sp?) and put him on that a couple of times as needed.  We are hoping that we get that in check before I go also... Not really the best time to go away...  He is pretty good about everything though and is making sure that he is resting too.  My mom and my sister can handle it though and know when to go to emergency if necessary so I know he is in good care.

Running... I am so missing right now... as with all this sitting around it is driving me bonkers and I stepped on the scale today and was not too happy about it.  I was 3.6 lbs up, which is understandable... but depressing.  I have been up more than this a few times during this journey and I have managed to get back on track, so I know I can do this.  I just have to watch what I am eating while I can not move about.  I am hoping that I will be able to walk here soon, especially with the trip here tomorrow.  I guess that will be one good thing about the 7-8 hr flight... I won't be walking around. :)

Back to 100 lbs loss!

I am so doing a happy dance right now!  It is official this morning that I am now back down to 100 lbs lost from my highest wt! :)  The scale registered 124.4 lbs this morning and I was very happy that I had managed to get over the hump that I was feeling earlier this week. :)  On this journey, my total wt loss is 22.2 lbs!  It is so time to celebrate here.... :)

This morning I will be heading out for my long slow run of 18k and I am going to start from my house this time.  I will be on my own so I have mapped my route and told my husband where I am going to be.  For this run I will be introducing a new drink to try along with my water to see if this helps me with my sodium issues while running (I lose sodium fast).  I normally do not worry about it but starting at this amount of km, I am going to give it a shot.  I will be taking my normal power jelly beans (couple) and two small pcs of granola bar.  That should tide me through as I am going to be running for about 2:15 hrs outside doing my 10:1's.  I am feeling great this morning with no aches and pain, just a little tired from a restless sleep (someone was snoring heavily last night... and it wasn't me) ;)

After I am done my run, drink my chocolate milk, get all stretched up, ice if needed, and get all cleaned up, I am going to enjoy a good lunch. :)  There will be about 13-14 APs to be eaten on top of my normal. lol ;)

The rest of today I am not quite sure of yet.  There won't be too much done strenuous wise because I have to make sure that the rest of today and tomorrow I recover well from today's run with my 5k fun race on Sunday.

Yesterday, my son's Running Mania zippered hoodie arrived and he was really happy with it.  I bought it for him to show how happy I was that he is getting outside and doing something like the biking and going to do a kids 1k race on Canada Day. :)  The only person I do not have decked out yet is my husband... You see, when I do my 1/2 marathon here in the end of May, I would like to have a good orange cheering section for me. :)  There is always a sea of Running Room clothing mostly with the odd Brainsport one on races and run/walk events here and I am going to break that monopoly up. :)  There are hardly any Saskatchewan people involved with the Running Mania (a great running forum and support site for runners and such) and I am going to wear my colors with pride.  So if any of the Sk people out there see any pics at the end of next month with a girl wearing an orange shirt or tank top, bright orange socks, and some fake tattoos, that's me! :) And hopefully I do not embarrass myself too much during the race. :)

I am starting to get really excited now about the half.  There is only 3 long runs left including todays for this schedule and depending on how it goes, it will determine what races I for sure go in next. 

Well, not much else here besides a happy wi, planned good food, and some good ol' R & R before Sunday.

run: 19.4 km/2:16:03 mins, avg 159 bpm 7:00 min/km, cold wet run and really windy, opened up my stride and ran at a comfortable pace with out looking at what pace I was doing.  Good run though

ww wi...

... and I am back down again. :)  125.2 lbs! Onwards and downwards! :)  I ate literally every pt available to me this week as I earned 39 APs!  My body really needed the fuel. :)  My pts reset today so I am going to go and enjoy something here... haven't decided what yet.  Maybe I may call my Nanny and see if she wants to go for breakie. :)

I also took my measurements this morning since I keep on forgetting and wowza!  Body changes are a happening here!  I am down 25 inches!  Everything is moving proportionally except for my arms... well, I have always had arms on the bigger side and I just have to face that fact. :)

Well, I said I was going to take it easy last night at hot yoga and well... I did... it was just that the instructor came to me a couple of times to advance my moves in a few poses!  Happy... but not happy as my shoulder's are again on the sorer side... :(  My legs feel great after the hills though.... :)

Today is going to be some cross training on the stationary bike and some wts.  I am NOT going to be pushing myself at all.  In fact I think it may be on the more of a leisurely side today. :)

Not much planned for today outside as the weather is supposed to be turning for the worse here at some pt. :(  I was looking forward to getting some things done outside but I don't think that is happening.  I still have to manage to run to a few stores here as I did not manage to yesterday...  I know what I am going to do though... I am going to start my seeds!  Last year my son and I planted some Lunar pumpkins and they turned out really cool!  So, I found some seeds last week and we are doing them again - had lots of complements last yr. :)  I only have a 8 foot by 8 foot garden (super small) but I can pack quite a bit in there.  The pumpkins did take over part of the yard outside of the garden though.... We are also going to try these things called Lemon cucumbers.  My son thought that they looked pretty neat so they are going to be in there also besides some other regular stuff.  Corn is also going to be in there this year instead of the sunflowers. - yes... my garden gets REALLY packed. lol  I also do some container gardening with tomatoes and lettuce... I am going to see what else here that I can put into a container on the deck - which is also really small. :)

Other than that, life is pretty good today and I am looking forward to the weekend here.  Tomorrow is going to be a really needed rest day and by the looks of things... with the snow coming... there will be no bike rides also. :(

Non-smoker! :)

As I expected...

... official wi and challenge wi today and I am up 1.2 lbs which makes me at 126.6 which is OK with me. :)  I knew the wt came off a bit too fast there for a bit...  Also, this week was TOM, I know I did not have my usual amount of water this week, AND my DH brought home OPA last night for supper!  Realistically, OPA is not that bad except for the sodium and the tzaziki sauce that they put on it.  The sauce and the white pita bread were really not core.  As I said, I am OK with the gain and I know this puts me back in the 'safer zone' of losing wt. :)  My body could also be slowing down now in the wt loss due to all the muscle that I am putting on.  I did miss one work out this week due to being sick too AND maybe a bit of overtraining symptoms prior (fast loss of wt).  So, I guess there are lots of factors on why I went back up. lol  Oh ya!  I did eat every pt allowed to me this week also in the end. :)

I had to think there for a bit what day it was here... lol  Glad it is friday. :)

I am still in the inspirational mode here from the movie. :)  So, I can see a great workout coming my way.  Today is stationary bike and wts tonight, I may slip in a super easy recovery jog with Tala this morning because she really looked hurt the last couple of days when I did not take her (too far for her yet).  :(  30 mins max is all I am going to do there. :)  And as I said, SUPER easy as I do not want to over train. :)

Well, I have never changed my official wi day before... so this should be interesting...  I was a bit leery about it this morning when I saw the scale, but I know this will be better for fueling up days (Saturday) before my long slow runs on Sunday.

Food wise for today, I am still not quite sure except for my breakie. :)

Austin ended up staying home yesterday because he was sick and I am waiting her to see how he is this morning if he needs another day off or not.  The one thing about cold meds and his regular meds... the cold negates his other meds and things get quite interesting around here.  I keep on telling him that he needs to relax on the couch... but ends up running around in his self-made ninja costume... lol He has such a hard time controlling himself...  and when he can't calm down when he is sick... that is when we end up in the hospital.  When I talked with the school and his EA last night, they both had said to watch for Foot and Mouth because it is in the school right now.  Maybe keeping him home another day might not be such a bad idea.... :S

Well time to check up on him and to see what I should do.  Another mommy/son day would be nice. :)

Oh ya!  Hills yesterday... I worked so hard on trying the positive self talk doing them!  I made it!  All six times up and down. :)  It was funny because when I started there were these city workers setting up on the side of the road doing something and ended up cheering me on as I kept on running up them.  I know they must have thought I was crazy or something (Stacie... I vote for the crazy too!  lol)  but they kept on saying 'how many more left?' and cheering.  It was just a bit creepy... but it was really great and helpful also.  My time also improved running them as I went to the hill that I used to train on.  The warmup and cool down trail is flatter and it is away from the downtown area of the city.  The hill street is also less busy and a smoother road surface.

OK.. did I talk your head off yet?  lol

Non-Smoker :)

run: easy 30 mins morning with Tala, temp +8 and sunny, 3.97km/27:33 mins, avg 147 bpm 6:53 min/km, it turned out to be a bit faster than I wanted. :(  Need to focus on staying on a slower pace on recovery runs.

stationary bike: 60 mins tonight

wts: 30 mins tonight

Finally Sunday...

Well I took my son to the movie Nim's Island after the unfortunate news yesterday.  My son was pretty upset about Suki and was really focusing on the whole death issue of the other pets.  I assured him that right now everyone is OK but things in life do happen.  We had a good long talk about the whole thing...  I am not too sure how he is now because this morning he was upset with Santa (yes Santa, I told him the truth this year because he is in grade 6, but he still believes).  At x-mass Suki started to get really bad and I thought she was going to die then.  My son had already wrote Santa previously, so he re-wrote another email to Santa requesting that he wanted to take back everything that he wanted for x-mass and have Suki get better instead.  So now with Suki gone... he is pretty much in the angry stage right now, especially with Santa.

As far as how was the movie Nim's Island?  Wonderful!!! We both really liked the movie and I thought it was pretty good for a family movie to all go see together. :)  I only heard one little girl that was about 3 yrs old say that she did not like one part in it because she thought it was scary.  My son is a real scaredy cat at even the slightest scare and he had no problems.  I would definitely recommend this movie for the whole family to see. :)

Today I went out to run 16k.  It is a good thing that I check the weather station before I leave because the weather decided to change things up a bit.  Started off at -2 and plans for 1-3 cm of snow.  Great! :(  Well it is a good thing I was prepared because what a snow storm!  It came up at about 4k in to the run and lasted till the last k.  So it was lots of fun!  *insert sarcasm here* lol

Well it really was not too bad of a run in the end though.  Today I was really focussing on going slow and trying to keep my HR low.  I checked in to some sites that I was referred to and looked at paces geared for me for my different types of runs.  I found myself going a little fast at times and had to really focus on the slow part.  I guess the hardest part is that I am basing all of my training paces on my 5k runs that are on the paths here that are really hilly.  I can't wait for my first event here so I can get a realistic time for one and then go from there.  I had heard once from someone that was wondering how slow to go because they felt fine at the faster pace for their long slow runs.  Their pace was based on what they had done in a race last yr.  Another person replied that maybe this person was not going fast enough when they run their races and therefore their long slow ones would be geared faster.  This kind of struck a point with me.  I know I have improved tremendously in the last couple of yrs from going from a snail's pace to a turtle, but maybe I am better than what I think I am... I figure since I have been running for a couple of yrs now I should start looking at tweaking things a bit while still remaining injury free. :)

I am having a bit of troubles with my garmin and the distance that it is registering that I am going.  It seems like it is saying that I am going farther than I actually am.  My Nike+ actually recorded the distance better than my garmin when I mapped out my run.  For now I am still going to use the garmin stats to keep stats consistent though.

Well 3 people, that I know of, are injured from running with the running clinic.  The one girl that I was running with was having some problems and finally did herself in one night pushing herself a little too much.  I like the instructor in their clinic but I am finding that too many people are going too fast for what they should be and therefore injuries.  Their clinic is for first timers doing the 1/2.  This kind of takes the fun out of running and many lose interest because they are getting constantly injured.  I have done this and learnt my lesson.  The good thing is that I never gave up and found my proper way of getting my mileage in.  So for all you newbies out there wanting to start running...  take it slow!  Please?  lol  Your body will thank you so much more for it! :)  Now unless you are quite physically fit already then fine.  Go at what feels comfortable but remember the 10% rule with distance, time and effort. :)  There, did my little parental nagging for the day. lol

Food wise, things are better again.  After much thought, I am going to move my wi day to Fridays instead of having the 2 wi's on Friday for the challenge and Sunday for the official.  With my 1/2 marathon coming up and some other events always ending up on a Sunday, I would like to be able to eat more on the Saturday night so my body is fueled up properly.

As for my official wi today, my wt has stayed the same. :)

The rest of the day here I am going to do some cleaning and laundry and hopefully something with my son. :)

No Smoking. :)

run: 16.04 km/1:59:55 mins, avg 160 bpm 7:29min/km, temp -2 with snowstorm, wore 3 light layers, felt pretty good except for the snow, tried to remain on the road where I could that would be the same route as the half marathon, ran with the running room group but was by myself at the back taking it slow. :)

and the total is...

... 128.0 lbs!!!!  How did this happen?  I do not know but I sure am not complaining this week.  :)  I just love the little message that you get if you go over a 2 lb loss though in the ww weight tracker thing. lol I like how it says to make sure that you are eating all your APs and WPs.  lol  That's all I did this week!  :)  I have never ate more food during this whole time that I have been on ww this time and the time before.  I am so happy right now and I can see a great run coming this am, if it wasn't for the cold...

I will be back after my run...

I'm baaaaacccck! lol Gotta love that runner's high. :)  Well about an 1hr and 42 mins later... we finished doing a nice respectable slow but faster than we have pace today.  The one girl was there and here legs were better so we went just a little faster, but not too fast.  She was having some lower back pains so we worked on breathing techniques and running posture.  I am not the best at this but I am working on it continually to improve.  So when I would do my posture checks during our run, I would remind her to do hers.  It was so funny because it was like a light bulb moment for her near the end of the run when she finally 'got it'! :)  She's was like "OMG! I finally see what you are talking about.  It makes a huge difference in effort and I don't feel as much pain!" lol  I just love it when a new runner makes a break through with something. :)  I am so happy for her.

Well I just finished stretching and enjoying my chocolate milk and now I am going to ice for a bit then take a shower.  Then I get to enjoy the profit from all my hard work this am (11 APs earned).... Dim Sum! lol  I am sooooo looking forward to it right now. :)

Yesterday I was going through all my running clothes and such seeing how everything was for fit and such.  I came to the conclusion that I am going to need some new things here.  So I went and looked around and came back home with a sportskirt.  I have heard of them, and have seen them the very odd time here in toon town but never really thought I would like them.  I tried them on and they are comfortable!  And CUTE!!!!  I never thought I would wear something like that before. :)  And when I went to try them on... I grabbed a size L first, then had to go to the size M, and then went to try on size S!!!!  You have to keep in mind though that these are stretchy fabrics. :)  But the waist was gaping... so I have a size S!!! Woooo Hoooo!  I have alway bought size L or XL in the past! :)  So that was the only thing that I bought and I am going to try to hold off for any more new things until my weight is more closer to what my body wants as a goal.  My husband completely agrees now that I need new clothes as yesterday he was laughing at me in my pants again.  He said that he thinks it is about time for some new things.  I told him to just hold off for a bit till my body says it is quit time.

Still no smoking!!!! Yeah for me!  It is getting quite easier though but I have found my self lately purposely smelling other people's smokes!  Weird I know especially when I hate the smell of the stuff even when I still smoked.

Exercise today - done, food - Dim Sum and who knows at this pt (but other will be core healthy), and some cleaning and homework.

run: 14.61km/1:42:31, avg 167 bpm 7:01 min/km, with running room group, temp -13 when started with windshield of -18, felt warmer out and only wore windpro jacket with thin liner (2 layers), the sun felt so good and was really soothing and warm, no pains and ran in my New Balance, I had turkey bacon, 1 egg, and 2 ww dry toast for breakfast (I ran out of oats) this carried me through for a good long time and no stomach problems eating 1 hr before.  A good run today as my pace was quicker.

Quit Smoking:

Funny British/slapstick movie...

My DH and I went to see this movie last night and we both enjoyed it.  It has a bit of fowl language in it so just a pre-warning incase you may be offended.  Although it makes fun of many running cliches, and not really realistic to train for a marathon in that short of time, it had a good moral to the story.  My DH and I had a good talk afterwards about things like hitting the wall and other such running issues that I think my DH is looking at what I have done in the past differently (better) and is more interested in my running now. Who would have thunk it that this comedy would have brought on all that?  lol  It was a mindless funny show though that I will actually buy when it is released on DVD for my feel good/funny/motivational running movies.

Yesterday I had a great ride on my stationary bike and increased the resistance a couple of times for some intervals.  My wt session also went well and I am really focusing on making sure that I am getting a total body work out so I am balanced more in my strength.  Today is a rest day for me and I will just be getting in some leisurely walking in at the GardenScape Show here.  I am so excited to go and get some new ideas.  :)  I am working on trying to have a more 'green' habitat out there with the composting, rain water collection, and solar lighting.  I sure hope they have some new things that I can take advantage of at some pt.  I have a dream to have a house one day on solar power and water reservoirs under the drive way and such... but it sucks that so much money is needed first to be able to do these things... It kind of defeats the purpose if you ask me...  Low income families would have cheaper utilities if all the houses were more eco friendly...

Tomorrow is official ww wi day so watching sodium and drinking lots of water.  I have no more flex left from earlier this week :), and no APs will be earned so today I think may be on the tougher side.  That is the one thing that I really like about core though... I do feel I am quite satisfied on less than I ate before which makes me think in the end that it will not be as bad as I originally thought.

My DS comes home tomorrow and I am so excited.  It is always so hard for me when he is gone to his dad's.  He gets the typical spoiled time all in a short period of time and then wonders why he can't have/do these things here.  I keep reminding him that he only sees him a little spurts maybe 5 times a yr so yes, it seems like a lot.  I simply ask him in about a years time what have I done... It is really disheartening though because my ex really flaunts the money around and when my DS called me the other day... he's like hi mom, I am talking to the Lexus!  So... my ex bought another luxury car... Well at least he did not threaten my son this time like when he was told not to not tell me about the beemer...  Who cares.  Am I hurt? Realistically... yes.  But just because it seems that my ex is trying to buy my DS's love and attention.  No amount of money in the world would ever bring me back to wanting this man and my son will soon figure things out on how his dad really is.

Well, thanks to the cold weather, I was not able to take my new bike out for a spin yet and today is looking the same.  It is sunny today but still cold.  We are supposed to have a bit of snow yet again...  Not much... but just enough to say... enough already! Bring on Spring!!!! :)

Happy Easter!!!

So, was the Easter Bunny good to you this year?  He was to me!  My DS and I have had a great time this weekend doing what he wanted.  Now that things are winding down, I am in the middle of doing laundry so that I can pack his close for his trip this week.

I just finished downing my McD's of a McRib and med fries with a diet coke... all in all the McRib was not so worth it but the fries sure were!!!! :)  Yesterday I did stay within my pts but it really was not that much core.  Today so far the only thing that has been core was my breakie.  *giggle* Oh... those little Lindt chocolate eggs... ate them too.  Don't know how many and don't care today.  I just finished running 12 km and being Easter with just my son around... I let myself go. :)  It was well worth it and I know that I still have a 1 pt left of my daily pts - I think and my flex.  (the little eggs confused me)  But... If I eat well tonight and just stick with my eat out Tuesday... This week should be a good one still.  I know I can get back on track again.

Well.... drum roll please.... I am down to 130.8 lbs! and a whopping 18.5 inches!  Ya Hooooooo!  It was really funny yesterday because I was trying to find a pair of pants to wear and they all looked terrible!!!  I only have 2 pairs of jeans at this moment that I can wear in public. :)  Those 120's are looking mighty fine close at this pt.  The last time I thought I was this wt was back in 2004!  I am really not too sure at this pt because the scale I had been using was out.  By using this new scale and the way the clothes are fitting me... I think I am skinnier.  :)  So I know that when I hit my goal wt before 2004... I really did put wt right back on.  Not this time though!  I will not let myself get past 130 lbs again.  My goal wt is set for really low rt now but I am waiting to see where things taper off more and that should give me a good indication of where I should be now in this time of my life.  I still can't get over the pants though because 3 yrs ago I bought these one pair of pants one summer and today they look extremely baggy... I sure let that wt come back on....

Well today's run went super well.  It was a bit on the slower side again as I was helping with pacing with 2 other girls.  They have a bit of a problem going out too fast at the start and then almost keel over with being so tired.  The distance today was really hard for one of them...  The other was a bit stronger though so at the last half km of the distance I let the other go in stronger and I stayed back and only pushed the one a bit hard coming in.  They are doing quite well though.  My new shoes worked out great!  I am so happy that I went yesterday and got them.

The rest of today is rest besides getting my DS ready to go and then it is all alone time for me for 24 hrs till my DH comes home....  Gee... what am I going to do with myself!  :)

run: 12.02 km/1:28:29 mins, avg 164 bpm 7:22 mins/km, temp -5 small wind, outside and sunny, wore med layer with wind shell.  New Mizuno's worked great.

Quit Smoking: 1 month 11 days

Hit my 10 % goal!

The big news for today is that I have officially hit my 10 % goal mark on wt loss today!  Woooo Hoooo!  Now I really need to look closely at what I want my goal wt to be.  I am not quite sure that I really want to get all the way down to 116 bls yet.   I may shoot higher and see what happens.  This lighter wt is really helping with my running though. :)

Well I went for it, my run, and I did not do too badly.  My chest/ribs did OK and I did not swing my arms as much so I would not bug them.  I only had a hard time with my IT band.  It really sucks because I was not able to go to my hot yoga and get a good stretch in, so I am hoping for tomorrow night, but I do not think that will work out because my husband is working and I do not want to leave my son home that late alone.  I really have to get this worked out and figure out how to not have so many problems with it...  It really aggravates my knee.

Well today I am attempting core and even with all the questions and reading that I had last week I have more questions today.  Like APs for example.  Today I earned 8 APs just for running... now are they like extra WPs for today?  Like extra noncore stuff?  I am not sure if I have thought going on this core plan thoroughly enough to see if it is for me.  I really like my eat out Tuesdays and I am not too sure how this will all fit in... the same for Sundays after my run... I like to make sure that I am eating enough afterwards.

Tonight I am making turkey chili.  It is core even though a lot of it comes from a can - surprising... Edit:  Ok made my first core goof up... I just found out that my chili is NOT core!  Arrrrgh!  The brown beans in tomato sauce I guess are not... The same with the ground turkey meat.  I guess ALL ground meat is NOT core!  :(  This is going to be WAY harder than I thought.  I went to the grocery store and picked up some core items that I did not have and hopefully I can make it at least one week.  lol  I am still going to count my pts just to make sure that I am not eating WAY to much food this week.  Somehow I just don't trust myself just yet.  The last couple of days I have really been trying to pay attention to the way I feel when I eat and to make sure that I stop eating when I am satisfied enough and not stuffed.  :)  Well, today so far, I just finished wolfing down some grapes with sour cream and don't really remember eating it.  lol  This is going to go well....

Tutoring went well, thus the hunger.... She is catching on quite fast actually.  I am happy for her.  I still have to get some homework done myself here and time wise it is not looking good for me so far.

Well, time to get some dishes done so I can get some supper going...

run: 10.65 km/1:18:24 mins, avg 170 bpm 7:22 min/km, temp -6 cloudy then sun came out, felt pretty good except for IT band bugging my knee, must stretch more and make sure I get my yoga in, wore 3 layers (stupid) was really warm, ran with another lady and kept her company since my other running person was not there (moving), breakie worked out well again but need to wake up just a little bit earlier

yoga

Quit Smoking: 1 month 4 days

so nice to run in the warmer weather...

Well, this morning's run was in a nice temp of -8... It felt sooooo good!  I could even have dropped down a layer in my clothes.  It was kinda funny because we were talking about that it was almost nice enough to wear shorts!  lol  Seriously!  Sun was shining and the wind was low.  It was pretty icy out though.  Thankfully no one slipped.

Well for lunch we are going out for dim sum... I have done well eating there before... so I know I can do this.  :)

Yesterday, I finally made it back to hot yoga and got my butt kicked hard!  I am feeling it this morning.  It should be fun tomorrow with both feeling it from the yoga and my run because I am going with my son's school skiing and I am taking a snowboarding lesson!  Yes... I am crazy... and scared... :(  I have always skied.  So I will be out there with all the students in the morning lessons.  This should be funny...  Ask me tomorrow night how I feel.  Watch... I will break something.  lol

Supper tonight is going to be spaghetti or something with chicken from the ESBM book.  I am thinking a chicken recipe from the book would be better as we are all enjoying trying the new recipes.  Well supper turned out to be Domino's Chicken Kickers.  After 1 hr 45 mins walking around the dog park and  being really good at Dim Sum, I figured will all the APs I have earned today, I am going to treat myself. :)  It is the beginning of the ww week for me and including the chicken kickers... I still will not have touched my FPs with 2  APs left to spare!  The sodium is going to be higher today, oh well. water, water, and more water... :)

My husband was also talking about taking all 3 dogs to the dog pard today... we will have to bring the muzzle for the little guy though and he will need to be on a lead.  Denver, the little guy, lasted about half way and then was put in the car.  We are thinking that we may have to look into doggy calming meds for times like this till we can get him back accustomed to other new animals.  Not something I really want to do, but this is a total last resort.

Official wi: 133 lbs, down 13.6 lbs and 15.25 inches!

run: 9.2 km/1:05:00, avg 169 bpm 7:04/km, temp -8 with windshield -14 and winds 13 km/hr, sunny, 8:30 am, dressed with my 3 layers top, 1 bottom, and headband. (a little too warm)

Quit Smoking: Day 28!

Frozen

Can you say f r o z o n !!! 'Cause that is what I am right now! In all the times I have run... I do not remember myself being this darn cold! I am even having a really hard time typing right now. I must be weighing less than I used when running. No 'extra' padding to keep me warm! :( I started off my susposively 9 km run at -15 with windshield of -24 and then all H*LL broke loose and the temp dropped to -17 with windshield -31 and wind gusts of 45-52 km/hour. Now I have run in snow storms and times colder than this, but today took the cake for sure. I do have one problem though... this is the second time I have run with this running room location and the distance was out (only a bit) again. Usually it is a bit over so we can ease off or ease into. So my 9 km run was 8.76 km. Close enough I guess... I will just have to watch the longer runs to make sure that I am getting in my distances. I did have my smoothie with milk this am and it was good. Right after the run, I had 1 cup of chocolate milk.

Well, as you can see by my pic of mushrooms... I have found a new love! Portobello mushrooms. I have been grilling them for the last couple of days for a burger and I LOVE them! I went and picked up some more yesterday because everyone was gone and so the supper I had originally planned is going to be tonight instead, potato fish cakes. I have had this one filet left in the freezer and it is not enough to feed everyone so I decided I would give making fish cakes a try.

OK... I can't stop shivering here! Warm thoughts.... think warm thoughts....

Well I am done for exercising today. I think I earning something like 7 or 8 APs. That's enough. I am just going to stretch out now and dream of a hot bath since I can't have one after a run. Stupid muscles. And I am way too cold to have a cold bath to take care of my muscles... Again... stupid muscles...

Today is homework - I am really falling behind now and have to smarten up! Then some house cleaning and pick up my son from my mom's. He wanted to stay again last night. Go figure... wouldn't you if you got spoiled rotten and could eat anything you wanted?

I almost forgot... official wi today and I am at 133.4 lbs! (weight before run) Woooo Hoooo! I am off now so I can take my measurements before I forget - yes I do them weekly... It helps me through this. :)

run: 8.76 km/1:06:07, avg 173 bpm 7:33 mins/km, sunny -17 windshield -31, wind gusts 45-52 km/hr, 3 layers top, touque, neck warmer, 1 layer bottom (needed two), mitts, felt really good except for the cold and running into the wind, 8:30 am
Quit Smoking: Day 22

the day after...

Well last night's supper went well but way too late. We did not end up eating till about 8 pm. Jason's brother also ended up ordering so things were not so familiar recipe wise, so when I tried to look in the tracker and online, it was hopeless. So I ended up giving my best guesstimate for everything. I again avoided all rice, noodles, and drank lots of water and tea. I ate all vegetables and about 3 oz of chicken. As for the sauces? I have no clue. Jason's family is starting to wonder what is up because we always eat rice at our meals and I avoided them again. They do not know about ww. I am a little embarrassed to say anything. But as it goes without saying... this is a lifestyle change, not a diet (although I know some would disagree as I sometimes do) and there will be things that I will not be having as much as I used to. I really think the hardest part for me is the sticky rice on days we go for Dim Sum. I just love sticky rice! I just have to realized that I can't have the whole thing. :)

Today was official wi day for me. I was down 0.8 lbs. I am not sure what to expect. On one hand I was truly hoping for more because I was really careful on how much I ate last week, but on the other hand I had some questionable dinners that I am not close enough to 100% knowing how many calories or sodium I have taken in. This can be so confusing some times. I have drank 3+ L of water every day and made sure I got my APs in. I did not go overboard in getting APs. I really tried to watch my sodium and I am measuring everything. Today, I may be going to walmart and checking out the digital scales there. I am starting to wonder if mine is out. But good news is that it is a loss and not a gain. So for the grand total of things, I have lost 10.6 lbs and 13.5 inches since Dec. 30/07! When I just sit back and look at that... I am on track and losing the proper amount that I should be. So I am doing well.

Yesterday's hot yoga went as well as planned. Loved it! Nothing like draining your body of all fluids.. :) Every thing was soaked and wet around me. The towel I had kept slipping so I may have to go and get a 'proper' towel.

My son decided he wanted to stay at my mom's again last night... he just loves it there because they keep on giving him the stuff that is 'off limits' for him here like fruit loops! Besides being absolutely terrible for sugar (he gets hyper way too much) he breaks out all over his face from it. So he lives a life of pop, sugar, chips, and all other known junk foods while he is there. Yes I have spoken to her, but it doesn't help.

Today I am going for a run and some yoga. Tonight for supper I am making the ww slow cooker lasagna.

run: 30 mins/4.03 km, 7:30 pm,nice out, treadmil, felt good until last 3 mins
yoga
challenge exercises
Quit Smoking: Day 8

WI day, quit 'nasty' day...

weight: 136.6 lbs
inches lost: 10.5"
quit smoking: day 1

Weigh-in today went well and I am happy. I am .2 lb from my 10 goal mark but that is ok. I just realized that I forgot to finish my daily points yesterday and I should have had more water for that popcorn I had. I am feeling pretty good about how everything is going and trying to get ready for when things are going to go bad.

Today I quit smoking. Yep. I took the plunge and I had better do it this time. I have tried all sorts of ways before so here I go. Its funny 'cause I would have had a good couple now already. I feel a little funny in the fingers... It has to be in my mind... nerves. Be prepared for some grouchy days ahead... I am trying the nicorette lozenges, so I get to look like a chipmunk hoarding food in my cheek several times/day. :)

So, with my day full of an adventure already, my plan is to keep myself busy. Have to get to the grocery store here soon and stock up on what we need for the week. I will be getting some walking in on the treadmill, the elliptical, then follow up with some yoga. Water is going to be a big thing today as I would really like to get at least 4 L in *flush!* . Then the rest of my plans for the day consist of homework, housework, and just generally keep myself busy. I am making ww slow cooker lasagna for supper tonight, so that should keep me busy for a while. :)