Recovery Week Revisited

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Ok, what day is it? Yeah, I'm that tired. I've been staying up way too late these past few nights. So tonight, 11pm curfew. It's 10:40 now. Yikes!

Quick workout rundown... I recently looked at My Current Workout page and noticed I said I do a recovery week every four weeks. Uhh...right. I haven't done one of those in quite a while. No time like the present! So starting yesterday I did less cardio and fewer reps/less weight for strength training. Yesterday was the bike, I did 15 minutes on level 5. Easy stuff, though I did break a sweat. Then I did legs/shoulders/core, recovery style. I was in a cranky, cranky mood (which I now know was due, in part, to TTOTM starting up) so doing less was good.

My mood was better by today's gym visit. At least I wasn't hostile about being there. Today I ran outside, had a plan to run 15 minutes but once I got going, this loop around my gym seemed like a good idea. Except it was 80+ degrees out and the loop includes a giant (but short) hill. So to make the run easier I walked the steepest portion of the hill. I was out there for about 25 minutes, 10:30-something pace. After the run I did back/biceps/core, light.

One of the "big" weight lifter guys was there so I asked him about this recovery week concept. We chatted for a bit and in the end he recommended I take a week off, no weight lifting at all for 7 days, every six weeks. Whoa. That's deep. I don't know about that, "read up on it," he tells me. Ok, I will. He acknowledged he's sore when he comes back after the week off, "but it's the good kind of sore." Hmm, we'll see. The good thing is, you can up your cardio during that week if you need the buzz of a good workout, though he said really you should take it easy, give your body a break.

Random pre-workout picture from yesterday. Note the cranky smile.

Ok, exercise is going well. On to food. I'd give myself a solid B+ if I had to grade myself. It was be an A if not for last night. I blame my menstrual cycle. I started snacking - first I polished off the chips, then a protein bar, a string cheese...maybe more that I can't remember. I was hungry when I started eating the chips but not after that. I intervened on myself, sort of, but not really.

Even with that, I still get a high B because #1, I'm still tracking. That is a victory in-and-of-itself. Tracking can be a pain in the ass. And #2, it's the first time since I started that I totally blew away my calorie goal (4th of July doesn't count because it was intentional). Oh, and the biggest thing, #3, I'm feeling better about everything. The scale hasn't changed but I my clothes are a tad more comfortable and I feel better just knowing I'm taking back a little of the control that I'd lost, or given up really.

Uh oh, it's 11:01pm. Signing off...

I Can't Stop Eating These Chips

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My last post was so chock full of weekend goodness that I forgot to tell you about the yummy lentils I made for dinner last night. I modified a recipe, Simples of Simple Yellow Lentils in The Indian Slow Cooker by Anupy Singla.

1 lb lentils (I didn't get yellow ones)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3 small vine red tomatoes
1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and diced
3 cloves of garlic, diced
1/2 green chile, seeded and diced
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
3/4 teaspoon salt
1.5 teaspoons turmeric powder
dash of cayenne pepper
8 cups water

I put the water and lentils on to boil. Once they were boiling I dropped in the tomatoes for easy peeling. Meanwhile I diced up the onions, garlic, ginger, chile, and sauteed them for a few minutes in a little olive oil. Once they were fragrant and a bit soft I added them to the lentils. I removed the tomatoes, peeled them, diced and added them back in. I dry toasted the cumin seeds for a few minutes (don't ask me why, just seemed like a good idea) and then added that along with the rest of the spices. Let the whole thing cook for 20-30 minutes in total (from when the lentils started boiling).

Served myself 1 cup of lentils over a 1/2 cup of white rice. Oh my yumminess. So good. Ok, that's my recipe share for the year, on to other things.

I went for a run this morning, as planned. I met up with Amber and Anne, a couple Marin Tri Club ladies. We ran along a levee that has some beautiful scenery. We were all together at the start and then I drifted off on my own, made a wrong turn and ended up having to backtrack. I had my Garmin but didn't look at it much. At around mile three I glanced and saw my overall time was close to 33 minutes, averaging around 11 minute miles. Oh come on, I can do better than that. So I picked up the pace.

And I kept picking up the pace. Mile five came in at 9:27 even! Fortunately the path is almost completely flat, running along the water and all. I was so happy with my final time, 1:02:09 for an average pace of 10:21 per mile. I'm inching my way back.

post-run smile

Speaking of inching my way back...I registered for a half-marathon, the US Half Marathon San Francisco in November. Finally got something on the books. While this will be my first time running this particular half-marathon, I've run in this area many times now, both in races and for fun.

It's hard to go wrong with a route that includes running over the bridge. So I have plenty of time to train, November 2nd is still 17 weeks away. But I'm also thinking about doing the Santa Cruz Triathlon again. Such a great race. That's in September. We'll see.

Back to the present. After the run I came home and we packed up the kids to take them to breakfast with my mom.

I'd already had my morning cereal before the run so this was pretty much my second breakfast, being it was still too early for lunch. I had a 2-egg scramble with onions and mushrooms, a slice of dry sourdough with jam and a bowl of fruit.

After breakfast #2 we took them to the pool. It's been a pretty warm weekend and they're starting swim lessons tomorrow so I thought it would be good to get them in the water in preparation for the lessons. We all had a great time, me especially because during one of the adult swim sessions I swam laps for 15 minutes., probably my first time swimming since Santa Cruz. My arms were aching at first but they settled into a rhythm before too long. I really do love swimming, so relaxing, especially the way I do it, like a casual Sunday stroll, but in the pool.

After the pool both the kids and I were sort of burnt out. We really packed a lot into this weekend. We basically vegged out for the rest of the day. I did household stuff, laundry and whatnot, while the kids fried brain cells watching cartoons between short bursts of outdoor activity. It was a cranky evening for all of us but we survived.

The tracking continues to go well. The biggest thing is that I'm still doing it. Tonight was a little touch-and-go for a moment when I was on the couch with a bag of potato chips (leftover for our 4th party). I had some, put the clip back on, took it off, had some more - you know the routine. And then I had the thought, "I can't stop eating these." I recognized this as a sabotaging thought that basically gives me permission to keep eating them. So I responded with, "Hey, maybe put them back in the cupboard, that would probably help you to stop eating them." So I did, and then I made myself a cup of tea. So far, so good. I logged the chips and that put me 16 calories over for the day. I'll take it.

Ok, so I stayed up ridiculously late last night, don't want to repeat that, gotta go to bed. Thanks for reading.

Four on the 4th + Tons of Fun!

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Oh wow, what a weekend so far. I think I packed more into yesterday than in the rest of the week combined. The day started with my talking myself out of bed to do the annual 4th of July Firecracker Run. I've done this run the past few years so for me it's become something a 4th of July tradition I guess.

I told myself I could run easy and that I'd feel better about all the holiday eating if I started the day with this run. I met up with a few fellow runners from Marin Tri Club and my friend Jackie (who's guest blogged here before). Here we are, pre-race. That's a pretty weird face I'm making.

Vince, me, Jennifer, Nancy and Jackie

For some reason they didn't have us sing the national anthem like they usually do. So the race got underway with a little less fanfair than usual but the point is, we got our butts moving. The route starts out following where the town parade will start in a couple hours so there's people out and we get a few cheers here and there, which are nice.

I didn't have my Garmin on, only my heart rate monitor, so I couldn't give a quick glance to check my pace. Jackie and I ran together for a little while, which was nice. But the hills, ugh. I still don't understand why they route a holiday fun run up all those damn hills. At mile one I checked my time, 9:08, or somewhere around there. Holy crap, I'm running fast! I decided not to check my watch at future mile markers, it would just mess with my head.

If I were still running fast, I'd use that as a warning sign for being too tired and slow down. If I were running slow, I'd figure I might as well take it easy and run even slower. Either way, I guessed it would slow me down to look. And since this race was so short I didn't really need to worry about bonking. I remember in past years really working hard during that last 1/2 mile and this was no different.

I ran toward the finish line (which they moved and I swear the course must have been a bit over 4 miles because they moved it like a half block away) and saw the time, 39-something. Yes! Under 10-minute miles!! I was happy. My watch said 39:22, my official time was 39:26.5 for a 9:52 pace. Awe-some. I was 14/23 in my age group and 82/130 overall. Not in the top 50% in either category. Damn these local runners are fast!

Got my finisher's cup!

After the race I hustled home to get the kids ready for the parade. Our other annual tradition is walking in the parade with my local mother's club. I've been doing it since Marek was just 4 months old. I think I might have missed one year.

We're ready for the parade!

This year Marek really got into it, he was handing out candy like he was the mayor! And what's with that pose? Isn't he a little young to be "cool"??

Marek (and a buddy in the wagon), Me, my buddy Michelle (waving) and Ms Myra

After the parade we had to hustle home because we were hosting a little 4th of July shindig. Nothing fancy, just a few friends over for a little bbq and kiddie pool action. Oh my goodness, I had the most wonderful day. The kids are at an age where they played all afternoon with their buddies. A hot dog, a few chips, an assist with the swim clothes and my job was done.

I spent almost the entire remainder of the day sitting on my rumpus drinking and eating and catching up with friends. Perfection. Oh, and I wore a bikini (top anyway, I wore shorts on the bottom). I felt naked for a little while, I mean, it's not like I was at a beach. But it was hot and we had the kiddie pool out so, why not, right?

That night after the kids were in bed I started thinking about snacking. I had the old, "Well, you've already eaten a ton of calories, might as well do what you want" f-ed up line of thinking. But did I fall for that? No. "Go to bed, it's true you indulged a lot today, which is fine, it's a holiday, and if you go to bed, you'll feel fine about how much and what you ate. But if you sit up eating a bunch of crap right now, when you're not the slightest bit hungry, that you will not feel good about. And you want to wake up feeling good, because you had a great day." It worked. I went to bed.

And I was right, I woke up feeling fine about my choices. The bbq chicken, the chips, the cookies, the wine, the sugary vodka drinks, all of it. But had I sat up eating goldfish crackers or kid granola bars or whatever other crap I would've eaten, no, not good. And this morning, I got up, started my day, and posted this to my FB page.

I couldn't have said it better myself. Wait, I did say it. Ha!

So today we hung around the house, enjoying absolutely no plans. I organized toys, went through the massive pile of mail, and I logged another great day. And when Myra came up and asked me to dance, I danced. I almost went to the gym this afternoon but I decided my body probably needed rest. So I'm all ready to go on a run in the morning. Oh crap, it's already morning. It's closing in on 1am. That's what happens when you start blogging while watching a Jennifer Aniston romantic comedy, you lose track of time. Ugh, I'm off to bed. Oh, and guess what? No evening snacking tonight! Winning!!

She's Got Legs

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While I was at the gym yesterday I came up with a great blog post title. Unfortunately, I can't remember it. What good is genius with a bad memory?! LOL, oh well, it will have to be whatever probably-less-genius title I come up with for today.

Yesterday's lunch (I saved the egg for a snack later)

Things continue to go well around here. I'm finally taking action with regard to my food intake issues. Why didn't I just say "eating" issues? I've been doing this too long. Aaaanyway, yesterday was Day 2 of tracking my calories and I couldn't be more pleased with how that's going.

On Tuesday, my first day of tracking, I logged 1922 calories eaten. That's my daily budget of 1424 plus the 500 calories I burned at the gym. Yesterday I logged 1757 calories eaten, leaving 152 calories on the table (no pun intended). I could have snacked a bit more but I really didn't want to.

I'm not sure how long I'll track, if history is any guide it will probably be for a relatively short amount of time. I'll stop tracking when I'm back on track, cutting out the unhelpful habits that had crept into my daily routine. Of course I don't expect perfection, never do.

Speaking of...I'm having some mom-friends over on the 4th of July for a little gathering. It's a potluck and I'll be grilling chicken. And there will be alcohol of some sort. Calorie counting should be interesting. I'm planning to do the 4-mile Firecracker run that morning so at least I'll start the day with a calorie deficit.

Oh, here's a random thing...

Yes ma'am, those are my legs. I was walking out of a client's house yesterday when I caught this reflection in a mirror she has on the floor in her entryway. Not sure why she has the mirror on the floor but seeing my legs like this really caught my attention. Why? Because they look good! Not big like I always imagine (and see) them as. They actually look like normally sized legs. I had to snap a picture (fortunately my client was in the other room). I sometimes wonder if my body-size perception will ever catch up with reality. I'm not sure, but I think moments like this help.

Quick exercise recap. And a note to The Running Nurse, Ivayla, who asked for more details on my gym workouts. My whole routine can be found on the My Current Workout page under the What I'm Up To tab at the top of my blog. It might be slightly out of date but it's very close to what I do now.

Ok, so my exercise is going really well. Yesterday I went to the gym and did 25 minutes on the upright bike, level 8, followed by back/biceps/core work. I managed to get my whole workout done, arriving to my office with a whopping two minutes to spare! I worked until 7:30pm last night and fortunately I'd had the foresight to pack an energy bar to snack on, otherwise I might have fainted.

A new little issue is surfacing with my knees. They have been a bit twingy lately and yesterday at the gym they were outright aching. I don't like that at all. So I'm thinking about skipping the gym today...maybe, or if I do go, doing things that are easy on the knees, maybe the elliptical. I think chest/triceps are up for strength training so that's not too hard on them. And I should probably start icing them. I'll tell you this, if they keep hurting I'm getting myself into physical therapy ASAP. I can't have knee issues. Cannot.

Ok, that's it from me. Hope you have a fun 4th of July!

RMR Testing @VO2 Max Sports

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Another day, another set of numbers. This time I got my Resting Metabolic Rate tested at VO2 Max Sports in Berkeley. I want to tell you all about that but let me toss out a quick workout recap first. So far, the week has been great! I've been pulled in several different directions lately so to be logging any gym-time feels like a win.

So yesterday I went to the gym and rode the upright bike for 25 minutes...on. level. 9! Yippee! It was tough but I was tougher. Or at least tough enough to finish. I looked back in my workout log and the last time I did 25 minutes on level 9 was in February. I'm not sure why I dropped back down to level 8, must have been sick or something, and then the surgery. I'm also not committing to doing level 9 from now on, just going to see how I feel. After the bike I did chest/triceps/core. For the first time in forever I actually exercised for a full hour.

Today was a bit more rushed but I felt determined to do my full cardio so I started with a 3 mile run on the treadmill. Oh, but first...I get to the gym and I'm pulling my workout clothes out of my bag to change when, wait, where are my shorts?! No shorts. I did a quick assessment of the pants I was wearing and decided I could some type of workout wearing them.

Fortunately the material was thin and I figured, why not? Plus I liked the idea of not using no shorts as an excuse to skip my workout, reinforces my sense of self-efficacy. Besides, I was lucky, had I been wearing a skirt I don't think I would have tried. Depending on the skirt.

So I got on the treadmill and soon realized I should try rolling up my pants. Once I started running they were a little floppy around the knees but really they were great. I wasn't sure how long I was going to run and the first mile or so was a lot of back and forth but in the end I ran 3 miles at 1% incline in 29:03 (9:41 pace!). I varied the mph between 6.0 and 7.0, with the last .05 miles at 7.5mph! Man were my feet flying.

After the treadmill I did legs/shoulders/core. Not enough time to finish my whole routine but enough to feel like I hit the high points. Here's a post-workout shot showing my pants.

With the legs rolled up you hardly notice they're not workout pants

So, there you go...two days of workouts in the bag. Now I just need to figure out when to get my last two in and also if I'm going to do the Firecracker 4-miler on Friday. Hoping I can swing it, I usually post a good time at this event, despite the mile long uphill section.

Ready for my test!

Ok, on to my RMR testing. I arrived at studio early in the morning because the testing requires that you fast, no food, no beverages except water (which means no coffee) and because it fit in my schedule. Michael and I chatted for a bit and then I laid down on the massage table. He gave me a clamp for my nose and then the thing to breathe into that was hooked up to the machine.

A couple minutes later the testing started and I just had to lie there quietly, sort of meditating while I waited for 12 minutes to go by. Easiest test ever. When it was done we went over the results.

My Resting Metabolic Rate was 1397. So that means if I laid quietly still for 24 hours I'd burn just shy of 1400 calories. But I don't lie quietly still all day, right? So you add to that the calories you burn doing your everyday activities like showering, walking to the car, carrying groceries, talking on the phone, making dinner...you get the idea. The testing estimated I burn an additional 417 calories doing that stuff. Then you add exercise. For example yesterday I burned 573 calories at the gym, today 501.

And that, plus a bump in burning you get while recovering from exercise (which takes roughly the same amount of time as the exercise - ie, if you spend an hour exercising you will be recovering for an hour and during that time your body will continue to burn at a slightly higher rate as it settles down). So if I take today as an example I burned 1397 doing nothing, another 417 or so doing regular stuff and 501 at the gym. Grand total of 2313 burned today.

Starting off the morning armed with the RMR number I just couldn't help but track my calories. So I downloaded a tracker app and started plugging in my stuff. I forgot how powerful tracking is as a means to pay attention to what you're eating! The app gave me around 1400 as a daily allowance. This is based on a goal to lose 8 pounds - I had to choose something and 139 was close to what I was when I wasn't doing all this evening snacking and over-indulging. Of course if I stop the bingy/negative eating and don't get to 139, I'm ok with that. It's the unhelpful habits that I really want to change, not the number on the scale. I logged all my meals and snacks and then added in my 501 exercise calories (which I happily ate) and here I am, sitting in my living room and for the first time in ages, not snacking. Feels good.

So, what's the take home message? If you are lucky enough to be able to find out your RMR do it. Just find a reputable person NOT using the handheld tester, I read a bunch of reviews and those devices are WAY unreliable. Having numbers that are not pulled from a chart somewhere feels very empowering. I'm not simply hoping this is a good target for me, I know it is.