Hospital Hill

I must admit I wasn't looking forward to this race for several reasons.  My sister signed us up for this one a while ago and I always planned to "train" for it but that really didn't happen.

I did run a little bit prior to it.  My job offered a "cube to 5k" program that I participated in for about 6 weeks. We would run Mondays and Wednesdays over lunch. The program is similiar to the "couch to 5k" program where you start off in intervals and work your way up to straight runs.

I did this, but never did the training on the weekends (I suck!). 

Another reason I wasn't looking forward to this race is because it's ALL HILLS (hence the race name). URGHHH. The Crossroads that we ran last year was very hilly and that was the saddest little race I've ever done.

Next reason, I was freakin sore. Took a new class (Tabata or High Intensity Interval Training) the Thursday before race day and it killed my legs and glutes. The soreness was so intense I had to rest the next day.

The last reason I didn't want to run this one is because we went to a concert the night before and I didn't get to sleep until 3am-ish...and had to wake up at 6am the next morning. 

So yeah. This one was mentally challenging. ALL MENTAL. But on race day,  it was on!!
I told everyone I was definitely walking this one but my adrenaline kicked in and we were off.  I told my sister she could leave me (since she's normally faster than me) but she said she would run my pace (which turned out to be the same as hers). 

This race was HUGE. They had people running 5k's, 10ks and half marathons. It's said to be one of the most challenging halfs in the country. I had never participated in a race where they had starting corrals (based on estimated pace).  The energy was unbelievable!

We started off well and pretty much kept the same pace through most of the race. Of course we slowed up on the hills but it averaged out going down.  The last 1/2 mile we sprinted. I was so surprised how strong my legs felt. My running just pretty much flowed and I wasn't tired at all at the end of the race.

I'm so hard on myself. On one hand I was pretty proud that I was able to run the entire race but then I started thinking..I totally could've/should've ran the 10k. If I wasn't tired at the end of that 5k that means I didn't push myself (harsh thoughts huh????). Next year we will be signing up for that half! PROMISE!!!!

Final time: 36:28.  2nd best race thus far!

My sister and I after the race

I'm not a beer drinker, but I love free!

Awww I love Title Boxing

Typical Daily Meals

Breakfast:

16 oz of skim milk, 1 cup of cheerios, and a banana


Lunch:

1/3 of a large sweet potato with a sprinkle of cinnamon, approx 4 oz of rottisserie chicken (with skin), green beans (w/garlic salt)


Snacks:

Strawberry Greek yogurt, protein bar, cup of cantelope.


For dinner I'm having 6oz steak and broccoli.

What's really going on with me.

I can say for the first few months of this year I have just been kind of chilling. I would "kind of" eat right and my workouts were the same. Title boxing 3-4 days a week. Due to this, I basically maintained my weight (which is GREAT to know I can do this) and stayed about 185-190 lbs.

Last week however, I started the cube to 5k program at work. We basically do run/walk intervals for 30 minutes durning lunch. I will be doing this on Mondays and Wednesdays. I'm also suppose to do another run on Saturdays but I'm not going to stress it. I've come to the conclusion I don't like running. *gasp* I just don't.

I also added Jillian Micheals 30 day shred to the routine. OOOOHHH WEEEEEE. I LOVE IT! It's 20 minutes of circuit training in a 3-2-1 form. 3 minutes of strength training, 2 minutes of cardio, then 1 minute of abs. You do this circuit 3x's. Sounds easy? IT'S NOT! It's a beast. I like the fact that it's "only" 20 minutes. I can convince myself to get off the couch and get it done.  I'm seeing so much definition in my arms. I am stunned by how this program has slimmed and toned me up in less than 15 sessions.

I am SUPER happy to report that I am back on the losing wagon and weighed in  yesterday at 178 lbs. I'm 4 lbs away from moving my BMI from the "obese" category to just "overweight" lol.  I'm  excited about that. I have always been obese. I can't ever remember anything else.  I'm also less than 25 lbs away from my goal weight of 155 lbs (1/2 my starting weight) Yes, this number is arbitrary (kind of) so I'll see when I get there if it's really my goal weight or I may be ok with being slightly more than this.

I'm still not tracking but definitely paying attention to what I am consuming. I think that is more of a realistic way of living for me. In the beginning I NEEDED to count calories, now I *think* I'm ok with not doing it. But I know if I start to gain, I have got to start doing it again. I still weigh and measure some though.

It's crazy to me that my goal is so near and that I can reach it this year. I'm excited and re-motivated to kick my fitness up.


Keeping this blog short, but will do better about writing things out here.

Update!

Nothing to much to report.  I still haven't weighed in because I need a new battery for my scale. Obviously it's  not a big deal to me because I just replaced the battery on my food scale, I just didn't rush to get one for the other one.

Not too big on weighing in anymore? Why?  I just know what I feel and what my clothes feel like and I can tell I'm progressing that way. As much as I like to think it doesn't, weighing in DOES affect me. I'm all hype if it's going down, and disappointed if it's not.  So why put myself through it right?

And also I take my measurements monthly and definitely seeing progress there. That's good enough for me right now.

Don't get me wrong. I still want to get to 155 lbs.  I guess just so I can say I've lost 1/2 my starting weight. Other than that, I really care about what it looks like more than the actual #.

I'm still tracking my calories since I started back a couple of weeks ago. Though I failed to do it this weekend. I kind of gave myself a pass to have some bs food.  The crazy thing is if I look back I still didn't eat to bad. I had some bbq on Saturday but instead of consuming all of it at once like I would have done in the past it actually rationed out to 3 meals and I still have some fries left (they do give you hella fries though). 

I'm noticing my appetite isn't what it used to be. Hate to jinx it, but I think my stomach is shrinking. I simply CAN'T eat the amount of food I use to. It's really strange to me that this is happening. I hope it's true. I'm pretty greedy so being full sooner would be THEE best thing ever.  Automatic portion control!

I registered for the Color Run on 6/30. It's not a competitive race at all, but that's fine with me. As you know running has fallen by the wayside but I'm ok with that. I still work out and I  eat pretty clean and that is working for me.

That's about all that's up with me. Still hanging in there. Nothing to serious, no new challenges. Just kind of floating along. Maybe one day I'll be ready to step my fitness game up a bit.


Have a good one!

Lent

LENT -  period before Easter in Christian calendar: the period of 40 weekdays before Easter observed in some Christian churches as a period of prayer, penance, fasting, and self-denial. This period, starting on Ash Wednesday in Western churches, commemorates the 40 days that Jesus Christ spent fasting in the wilderness.

 
I've never denied my love for coffee or diet pop.  LOVE THEM BOTH. But coffee...oh my word. Need it every day, sometimes twice, three times a day.
 
Not only do I love the taste, but quite honestly I use it as an appetite suppressor. In the morning I wake up around 6:30 starving so I drink a cup of coffee and that holds me over until I get to work around 8am when I eat my "real" breakfast.  There are afternoons when I'm hungrier than usual, so I sip on a cup of joe and it helps get me through.
 
I've not researched one thing about it, but I don't think me drinking a cup of coffee a day is a big deal, what bothers me the most is the amount of sweetener I use.  Say I have 2 cups of coffee a day, that's 28 packets of Equal I use each week. INSANE. Not only is it un-clean, but it's expensive too!
 
And this doesn't include the diet pop I drink every now and then (Cherry coke zero. LOVE IT)  I actually do think I can go without pop. #1 It's expensive so I don't buy it hardly. #2 I usually only have it when I eat out and again, expensive and I hardly eat out anymore. So I think I'm ok there.
 
I've been knowing for a long time I need to kick my Equal addiction. Though it doesn't have calories, I don't want the health risks associated with it. Again, I'm going to try and eat as clean as I possibly can and give up those things I know I can live w/o. 
 
This morning I was going to go w/o my cup of coffee, but my stomach was GROWLING (I guess I could've ate some fruit though huh?) I made a cup of coffee and added one teaspoon of regular sugar.  I guess my justification is my body recognizes and understands what to do with sugar more than it does with this man-made chemical called Equal.  I'll sacrifice and have the extra 16 calories in the white stuff.
 
Another thing I was afraid of is my reaction to the sugar. Would it make me start craving more sugar? I guess I will see what happens, but it's not like I've completely cut out sugar from my diet anyway. What's one teaspoon? 
 
Man it was such a different taste. I don't think I would even want more than one cup of that stuff but again, it did its job. I was good until my real breakfast time.
 
So that's my sacrifice during Lent.  More of a wordly reason than I spiritual one I suppose.
 
 
 

Back to the Basics of Calorie Counting and other Randomness

Even though I feel like I am still losing (based on comments and my jeans) I think I need to go back to calorie counting. These last 35 lbs or so are going to be difficult and will take a long time so I just need to make sure I'm doing my part in aiding this thing along.

Based on my current weight, current workout schedule, and goal of losing 1 lbs per week, Sparkpeople says I should be eating 1620-1970 calories per day.  I was shocked when I plugged my meals and was about 1200. I had to add some more protein so I'm getting at least 100 grams each day. 

Today is only day #2 of counting again. We shall see how long I can last but I'm going to really try and see if this helps me get back to losing some fat (not necessarily just weight).

I've become addicted to shopping AND finding clearance items. I know for some this is nothing new, but when I had only a few stores to choose from if I like something, I would buy it no matter how much it costs. Why? Because it wasn't often I found something cute.  To find something cute and inexpensive. YEAH RIGHT!  Don't get me started on Lane Bryant and those high a$$ prices (even on the clearance rack full of crap no one wants to wear) Sorry. I just went off a little.

Anywho. I get a rush finding shirts for 5 bucks and $10 dresses. It makes my freakin day.  But I need to chill the hell  out with all this shopping. It's insane that every weekend I look forward to going to Forever 21 and JCP to find bits of pieces of outfits and making something happen.

The joys of weight loss and being able to fit clothes *BIG SMILES*

Here is my latest comparison shots. The first one is in August 2011. The 2nd one is from  yesterday. I see a slight difference. Nothing major though. That's just how SLOW my weight loss is going now. 

Slight changes???

Finally my sister and I got through the whole Plyometrics P90X DVD.  We did much better than last time and I'm definitely not as sore..well my thighs aren't but my calves are BURNING. Ouch!

Have a great Tuesday! :-)

 

FB Message

Last night a woman I went to high school with inboxed me the following message:

Hey Alicia, how have you been? You look stunning might I add. I had to share this with you because you have truly been a blessing to me. Girl, I just had my baby in October and after reading your post over the past few months you have encouraged me to do a 90 day workout challenge and I thank you for the motivation.. It's great to see you doing so well. Take care and keep up the good work.

But what is cool is how much her sending this message blessed me. Sometimes I get a bit arrogant about the process and my success thus far. I belittle it (a bit out of humility, but also out of ungratefulness), I get tired of it, I also forget about how far I've come and think too much about how long I still have to go.

But on this post, I want to take the time to recognize my heavenly Father for all that he has done for me.

Lord knows my walk is not what it should be and what it had been in the past, but I will never forget that I promised God that anybody who asked me how I did it, I would not first recognize him.

So I'm asking for forgiveness because many times I have not acknowledged that I could not have done this without him.  My journey is my testimony of God's grace and mercy on me so how dare I not  begin every morning with a " Thank you Jesus".

Yeah it's hard but like my friend said once everything major that you've done in life (education, family, work) is hard.  The bigger the pay-out, the harder the journey.

Anywho, I'm thankful for exactly where I am and that my life has touched someone to be healthier.

It's a lot of pressure, but I'm  up for it!

Happy Wednesday folks! 

 

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