What Taper?

It's been a fun week fitness-wise, probably because I'm tapering for the half-marathon so all my workouts are "light", which also makes them a bit more fun.  I feel like a kid playing around with the grown-up weights.  On Monday I rode the bike for 20 minutes, level 5 (down from 25 min on level 8) and then did legs/shoulders/core - though fewer sets than normal.  On Tuesday I had an "easy" 3 mile run on the agenda.  I got on the treadmill with the intention to run at 6mph the entire time.  But as I neared the 10 minute mark I was getting bored so I decided to do 7mph for 1 minute out of every 5 minutes.  I did that a few times.  At the two mile mark I upped it to 7mph and decided to see how long I could run at that pace (8:30 minute  miles) and after a few minutes I got the wild idea that I might run the whole mile at 7mph.  I didn't start feeling taxed until I was at the 3/4 of a mile mark, and you know I wasn't going to back out then.  So I kept running, and breathing, and thinking, "I'm going to do it, I'm going to run a mile in 8 minutes and 30 seconds."  And I did.  And there might as well been a crowd of people cheering me on at the end I was so inspired.  It got me to thinking that I need to let go of any idea that holds me back - I shouldn't place any limits on my ability because who knows what I can do if I keep pushing and growing and working hard? 

Of course this was supposed to be an easy taper run.  So much for that.  I was still 4 days away from the half marathon so I think I'm ok.  That night my mom came over and I ended up tagging along with Miguel to his pool league (as in billiards, not chlorine) night.  It was at a dud of a bar but I still managed to have a bit of fun with a couple cocktails and the jukebox.  When the league was over we stopped at Yack-in-the-Box and I had way more food than was necessary.  Two tacos, a $1 burger and an Oreo shake.  I know, I know - not going to hit that goal weight this week, right?  The only bad part is the burger.  I really didn't need or want the burger, I ate it because it was there.  Silly girl.

Wednesday was a day off from exercise, other than the painful neighborhood walk I took with the kids.  Painful because halfway through Marek decided he didn't want to ride his bike and tried to kick Myra off the scooter.  When I wouldn't let him take her scooter he decided that he wanted me to carry him.  I couldn't carry the bike, his helmet and him so he threw a major tantrum the whole way home - walking behind us screaming and crying.  He even tried to get in front of Myra and I and block us from walking.  Sheesh - I am not used to these full on tantrums, thank goodness they are rare.  I got a few looks from the neighbors but I surely wasn't going to kill myself trying to carry him when he was being so unreasonable.  Good thing our neighborhood walks are short. 

I went out to dinner last night with some mom friends - Michelle and Michelle. Yes, there were three Michelle's out to dinner together.  We're going to start exploring new restaurants together. I had a couple beers and dinner, topped off with coconut ice cream.  It was very high calorie I'm sure but not crazy big volume, I wasn't uncomfortably full. I'll call it the beginning of carb-loading (though it was actually a protein heavy meal).  I read that starting today I should be eating 90% carbs at every meal. I don't think I can do that!

Anyway, that brings us up to date.  I have a 2 mile run on the plan for today.  It's going to be hard to go easy for such a short distance.  Tomorrow is another light bike ride (level 5 for 20 minutes) followed by some easy strength training.  And then Sunday is the big day. I'm shooting for 11:00 to 11:30 minute miles.  I'll be thrilled if I can pull that off.  I probably won't post again until after the race so wish me luck!

Listen to Me on The Half Size Me Show!

I was interviewed by Heather of The Half Size Me Show...how fun!  My portion of the interview starts at 13:40 but I encourage you to listen to the whole thing because Heather has a lot of motivation and tips to share.

T - 7 Days and Counting

Phew, this weekend has flown by!  But before I get into all that I just want to recognize my weight from this past Friday's weigh-in.  145.6 pounds.  What the...?  I was shocked when I saw that number on the scale because just the day before I was in the 147 range so I wasn't expecting to see a loss.  The scale is nothing if not befuddling at times.  In any case, that means I am .6 pounds from my goal weight.  This is a goal I've been moving toward for over 5 years, and in some ways, my entire life.  And I have to tell you the truth, with everything else that's come along the way, it might be a bit anti-climactic.  Or maybe I'll break down in tears when I get there, I'll just have to wait and see.  All I know is it's coming soon.  Maybe this week, maybe next.  I'm all about the 2 steps forward, 1 step back when it comes to my weight so it's hard to predict.  I didn't want to post that I am less than 1 pound from my goal weight as if it were no big deal, but I was honestly too shocked to write anything at the time.

Ok, on with the rest of the weekend.  Friday I hit the gym and did the upright bike, random level 8, for 25 minutes.  Followed that up with back/biceps/core work.  Love my biceps, they are getting really strong.  And I'm doing seated rows now instead of the standing dumbbell ones I was doing.  A strong, hard core guy that works at the gym told me they are better and those are the people I tend to listen to.  And I think he's right, I'm up to being able to do THREE neutral grip pullups now (palms facing in).  It still feels weird to grasp the bars, and with no use of momentum whatsoever, I pull my body up until my chin passes the bar.  And I can do this three times!  Or did I already mention that?  Will I ever not be surprised by my fitness feats?  I hope not because it sure is fun to surprise myself.

Saturday was a day off from exercise.  Miguel had to work and I had no plans.  But when I was watching the morning news I saw the Golden State Warriors basketball team was having an open practice so I hurried to get the kids in the car and off we went.  It was a fun little adventure!  Mostly anyway.  Myra was not as interested as Marek and started loudly saying, "I want to go home!" about halfway through.  So we hung on as long as we could.  At least Marek and I enjoyed ourselves.

Today, Sunday, we took the kids to a pumpkin patch.  Marek is Superman this year and Myra is a cat.  They are too cute together.  I was hoping Marek would pick Batman because then I was going to dress Myra up as Robin - how cute would that be?!  Darned kid has a mind of his own.  Oh well, maybe Superman has a sidekick cat, I never did read the comics.

We came home from the pumpkin patch starving!  I ate a late lunch at 2:45pm and then sat around waiting for the food to settle so I could head out on my long run.  I was ambivalent about how far to run.  My training plan said 12 miles but most things I read suggest a shorter run since this is the beginning of the taper.  I mapped out a route that was 12 miles but in the end I decided 10 was better so I mapped a shorter route.  I was a little worried it would be uncomfortably hot out there but it turned out to be perfect.  I'd guess it was in the mid-to-low 70's.  I did a great job pacing myself (I'm finally appreciating how important that is) and managed to have a faster last mile than first.  My last mile would have been even faster except I got stuck at a friggin' light!  So when the light turned green I ran as fast as I could to "make up" the lost time and get my pace back under 11 for that mile.  All in all I had a fantastic run, felt very comfortable out there.  Man, have things changed.

So I'm super excited for my second half marathon that is only one week away.  I'm secretly hoping I can average an 11 minute per mile pace but I'd be happy if I can do 11:30.  I don't know much about the route and hills, elevation, etc so I don't want to make any hard goals.  All I know is, I'm going to pace myself and try and balance enjoyment with effort - the sweet spot.  This week will be all about the taper.  Short, easy runs, cut back on the intensity with the strength training.  I want to arrive primed at the starting line next Sunday.

And then, I'm supposed to be at the starting line for an Olympic triathlon only two weeks later.  What was I thinking?  I haven't swam in the bay since doing the sprint version of this event last year.  And only two weeks after a half marathon.  Yikes!

Cowboys, Moonshine, Rock-n-Roll and Love

How's that for a title?  It was a jam packed weekend and I will make no attempt to detail it here.  But I'll share pictures and a quick overview (if I can be quick, I'm not so good at that).

We flew out Thursday.  SF to Dallas, check.  Dallas to Aspen...not so fast.  We flew to Aspen but it was too windy to land.  So we flew around in a circles for a bit before returning to Dallas.  It's late, we're tired and we are now traveling with my Aunt, Uncle and two young nieces (the daughter's of my cousin Russ who was getting married).  I made some calls and managed to secure us a car to take us to Aspen.  Four hours and a mountain pass later (with a bit of snow thrown in) we arrived in Basalt in the dead of night.  I was happy to hit the sack.

Friday comes and we decide to go see the Maroon Bells.

Gorgeous, right?

Yep, that's me!

I was planning to go to a local gym after this jaunt but we got back too late.  I had only a half-hour before I had to start getting ready for the Friday night party.  So I threw on my clothes and did the best I could, running the block around the hotel three times, which was probably about a mile, and then doing some shoulder and leg work next to the river.  I found some small boulders to use as weights.  It was fast and fun!  I am a firm believer in something is better than nothing, it was 20 minutes but it was intense.

Next up was the party!  It was at a local tavern and oh boy was it a fun time.  I kept my eating in the sane realm, I think.  I munched on chips and guacamole and other appetizers that were everywhere.  And I had ribs and onion rings for dinner, which I only ate 1/2 of because I was getting too full.  But the bar was open and the drinks flowed.  I ended the night at a local bar listening to cowboy stories.  I've always wanted to go to a rodeo but now I'm really dying to go - wild horse races sound like so much fun!  Ok, here are the only pictures I took that night.

Cutest cowboy of them all!

They played Rocky Mountain High for me!

 

Love the rodeo buckles!

I had hoped to run 11 miles on Saturday morning, or at least run 2 hours and call it close enough.  But after the wild Friday night outing, it didn't happen.  Though I actually felt pretty good when I woke on Saturday morning, good enough to toy with the idea of a short run.  In the end I decided that would be pushing my luck so instead we just went for a BIG country breakfast and relaxed until the wedding, which started at 2pm.

We were shuttled out to a GORGEOUS ranch outside of Aspen.  There was a cover band playing and I had a drink and danced once or twice.  But it was early so I had to pace myself accordingly.  I had some appetizers and walked around checking out the beautiful property and the wedding decor.  I felt a bit queasy and tired after a while, probably leftover from the night before, but I rallied before the wedding got started.  It was a picture perfect affair, with my cousin and his gorgeous and super sweet new wife getting married under an alter of flowers in a beautiful meadow.  We were all sitting on hay bales, taking in the love.

Russ loves Nikki.

After the ceremony and some dinner (of which I again stayed sane with my eating), the moonshine came out for the toast.

Moonshine - "it will change your life forever" - Don Wood.

I had my share of moonshine but I decided if I was going to last the whole night I'd better step it up a notch - so I had vodka and red bull for the rest of the evening.  And I needed it because this was one hell of a party!  After the early-to-bed crowd departed we danced the night away.  There was a DJ for a bit, and then an incredible band, Emphatic, and then a DJ for as long as I can remember.

The only picture fit for publication!

I made it home safely thanks to some gentlemanly cowboys, we managed to fly out of Aspen the next morning - and eventually back home.  It was great to see my babies again and to be back in my own bed.  But after such a fun weekend my normal 9-to-5 life really looks like it needs some sprucing up.  I'm thinking maybe line dancing lessons?  I miss country music.

I got right back into the swing of things with my exercise routine.  On Monday I went out for a run.  I was in a funk so I just told myself to run until I felt like stopping.  Lo and behold, I felt great!  I ran 8 miles and the only reason I stopped was because I was out of time.  I needed that.  On Tuesday I hit the gym and rode the bike followed by legs/shoulders/core work.  Wednesday was a day off and Thursday was a 3 mile run followed by chest/triceps/core work.  I felt fabulous after that workout.

And today is weigh-in Friday.  145.6 pounds.  What??!!  I'm so shocked I have no comment as of now.

Before I close, here's a final picture of my cousin Russ and his new bride Nikki.  Congratulations you two!

FTW

Hot Weather Running and New Jeans

So I'm pretty much not tracking at all.  I wonder if I'm just transitioning out of tracking mode as I get closer to goal.  I switched my tracker to the Simply Filling Technique and I'm supposed to be tracking any foods that don't fall into the SFT list.  But I'm not.  Instead, I'm just eating healthy and hoping the 80/20 rule will work.  80% healthy, 20% not so much.  When I lost weight in my 20's this is essentially how my eating evolved.  The difference this time is that I will continue to monitor my weight and intervene with more monitored eating when needed.  I want to maintain my free status at WW once I'm lifetime so that means at minimum a monthly weight check.  But I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, considering I haven't even gotten to goal yet.

Friday night Miguel and I had our date night.  We tried out a relatively new restaurant, Terrapin Crossroads.  We sat at the bar and had drinks, I had a vodka soda, which was strong enough to keep me to one drink.  The bar is pretty big and we were directly in front of the wood burning stove so we got to watch all sorts of yummy food coming out of the oven.  We got to our table and ordered curried naan with peach chutney for an appetizer.  For our entree I had a "small bites" plate of fried oysters on tiny crepes with spinach - like tiny fish tacos.  There were three of them.  Miguel had a steak that came with Tabasco onion rings.  Fortunately for me he doesn't like onion rings so I got to eat those too.  A very carby meal but super yummy and I was full at the end.  Desert looked good but I didn't want to eat desert on a full stomach, just seemed like a waste.  So we left to play some pool and I figured I'd find something sweet later.  After pool we drove by a local ice cream shop and it was still open!  I had two scoops of ice cream with caramel sauce, minus the couple of bites Miguel had.  And I was full again.  The whole evening was great.

And we had a family filled day Saturday, albeit not very exciting.  We stayed home and organized the kids clothes - which seemed to take half the day.  Myra has grown out of so many of the clothes in her drawers so we organized everything.  Normally I do this on my own so it was nice to have Miguel do it with me.  The kids "helped" too.

I've been re-focusing on dinner.  I am SO tired of figuring out dinner at the last minute.  During the week it's a real time-crunch.  By the time we get home I have 30-45 minutes to get dinner on the table.  If I make a menu for the week I can be sure to have the ingredients on hand and get started on dinner the second I walk in the door instead of staring into the pantry/fridge/freezer for 5-10 minutes while my brain puts together a plan.  So for dinner I made chicken and rice, a one-pot meal tweaked from The Quick Recipe Cookbook by Cook's Illustrated.  I steamed some broccoli and made myself a salad too.  I have meals planned for the rest of the week and did a menu for next week too since I'll be gone this weekend.

Have I mentioned I'm flying to Aspen for my cousin's wedding?  We tried to make it work so Miguel could come with me but it wasn't feasible.  Taking the kids didn't sound like a good plan either so I'm going with my mom and Miguel is staying home with the kids (bless his heart!).  I'm leaving on Thursday and returning on Sunday.  The wedding is on a ranch and everyone is wearing jeans.  Of course I don't have any that fit really well so my mother offered to get me some as a reward for my weight loss achievement.  More on that in a bit.  But first, I want to tell you about my run today.

It was hard.  Really hard.  Miguel had a soccer game in the morning so I had to run in the afternoon.  It got into the 90's today.  Need I say more?  I maintained an average 11:16 pace, which I was thriled with given how I felt and how friggin' hot it was.  Funny thing, 11:16 is the exact same pace for my last 9 mile training run a couple weeks ago.  The difference is that today's route had a little hill.  I managed to run up and over it on the way out but on the way back I was struggling.  I looked at my watch and my heart rate was getting into the 170's.  "Don't be stupid Michelle, you have 2+ miles to go and it's hot as hell out here, just walk."  So I walked up the short but steep hill and started running again as soon as I reached the top.  I hate carrying water so at mile 2 I ran into a Subway and they let me have some tap water.  At mile 4 I passed a school so I found a fountain there, re-passed it at mile 5 and had more water.  Then at mile 7 I went into a Mexican restaurant and got water.  People are nice when you come in sweating (and probably red) panting for water.  In both restaurants I got a cup right away so I didn't have to stand around waiting for water.  It worked out great but if I ever do another long run on a hot day, and that's a big IF because it's just too difficult, I might have to carry water.  I also ate six Clif Shot Bloks along the way, two at mile 3, two at mile 5 and two at mile 7.

I was so friggin' happy to get back to my car and stop running.  I had started to get the chills and felt slightly nauseous a few times starting around mile 5.  I decided that if I threw up I'd stop.  Duh, right? But that never happened and the nausea was very mild and went away altogether before too long.  As hot as it was I felt like I was getting a decent amount of water.  I swore I'd never run on a hot day again unless I'm running along the bay and get that cool bay breeze.  I came home and read up on chills while running in the heat.  Not good.  Which I kind of figured was the case.  Chills can be a warning sign of heat exhaustion, which could then escalate to heat stroke.  If I were to stop sweating that would be a very serious sign.  Hopefully I'll never have to worry about this again because running in such heat is not fun and I don't plan on doing it again.  But it's good to know the signs of overheating.

After the run I came home and showered.  Miguel had just put the kids down for their naps so I relaxed for a bit and then decided to go jeans shopping.  I didn't have a lot of time and I'm not the most experienced shopper.  Add to that I am shopping for almost an entirely new body (and Mom was gifting me the jeans!) and I decided to go the The Blue Jeans Bar in Mill Valley with the hopes that they would take one look at me and hand me the perfect pair of jeans for my body.  It wasn't quite that idyllic, but close.  I told the saleswoman I wanted boot cut jeans that help my butt look less flat than it really is.  She had me try on about 5 pair and gave me a good critique of each pair I tried on.  I found some that I really like, DL1961 Milano Boot Cut...and, they were on sale!  Mom would be happy about that part.  I'd never heard of DL1961 jeans, but I've never heard of any of the brands they had in there, too high end for my normal budget.  I think they are a size 27 or 28 but I can't remember now.  The waist measurement just doesn't have the same ring as, say, a size 4.  Anyway, they were super comfortable and I like how they look.  Now I just need to find a suitable shirt and maybe a vest and I'll be set for the ranch wedding!  Man, this post is all high-end sounding - Aspen wedding, fancy jeans...but in reality our budget is more black beans than filet mignon - which is fine by me.  We have everything we need, and sometimes, as in the case of these jeans, then some.

Tomorrow will be a gym day, followed by another on Tuesday.  Wednesday is rest. Thursday is supposed to be a gym day but we're flying to Aspen that day so who knows.  Friday is a gym day so I hope to find some way to exercise.  Saturday is normally rest but I might do my long run in Aspen (If the air isn't too thin for me) since we're flying home on Sunday.  If I don't write again until after the trip, wish me luck with squeezing my exercise into this trip!