My 4th running life !! (Comments Welcome)

[Angelica123]

In relation to weight loss which is the key to unlocking everything I feel I am adopting a slightly different strategy going forward, previously I would just count calories and whilst that provided a small measure of temporary success it does not last.

The issue is eating the wrong kind of foods just in smaller amounts and not eating the right type of things.

I am in a similar position as you. I have tried dieting in the past - and after a few weeks I would get demotivated. I would either try to eat like a bird which was demotivating or I would eat smaller portions of unhealthy food and always feel hungry.

With everything that's been going on with Covid-19 and the associated risks as BMI increases, I decided to try to get healthier again. I joined Noom because I knew the external accountability would help and I like their motto of tackling psychology rather than providing diet rules.

What I realised that by increasing my veg intake - I was filling up on low calorie dense food keeping me fuller, the increased fibre also helped me keep fuller and the better nutritional content has made me feel like I have more energy. And because I am not "dieting" and living on celery, it feels sustainable.

Well done on having a good week!

 

[col1]

I am in a similar position as you. I have tried dieting in the past - and after a few weeks I would get demotivated. I would either try to eat like a bird which was demotivating or I would eat smaller portions of unhealthy food and always feel hungry.

With everything that's been going on with Covid-19 and the associated risks as BMI increases, I decided to try to get healthier again. I joined Noom because I knew the external accountability would help and I like their motto of tackling psychology rather than providing diet rules.

What I realised that by increasing my veg intake - I was filling up on low calorie dense food keeping me fuller, the increased fibre also helped me keep fuller and the better nutritional content has made me feel like I have more energy. And because I am not "dieting" and living on celery, it feels sustainable.

Well done on having a good week!

Sounds like the change in emphasis has worked well and paid off for you that is great news !! I am just in the first few days but if I get the same benefits as you have described I will be over the moon

 

[jmasgat]

previously I would just count calories and whilst that provided a small measure of temporary success it does not last.

Now that Boris has "gotten religion though illness" and decided to tackle obesity in the UK, I am seeing this article that I had previously read last year from The Economist pop up in my FB newsfeed. It's an interesting read about the "calorie".

https://www.economist.com/1843/2019...wZFwqaBy6aeA0Iq34GBHnfUmnqT8wrzDUSQ2WX0P1hkpA

 

[col1]

Week 9

Bit of a late report this week

Running

4 days back to back is not ideal I have tried to run alternative days wherever possible but this week it was that or miss runs so back to back it was.

Was in Scotland to visit DWs parent , first time since lock down was lifted, with work and babysitting duties at the end of the week made to a busy week.

Tuesday
3 miles @ 11.10 pace

Wednesday
3 miles @ 11.28 pace

Thursday
3 miles @ 10.49 pace

Friday
3 miles @ 10.24 pace

Weight Management

Not so good early on the week when we were back in Scotland, but tried to balance out with good behaviours in second half, end result was second week in a row with a + 1 lb outcome not good but could have been worse.

Must do better.

Hope everyone is having a good week

Stay safe

 

[col1]

Week 10

Ok so little late again posting

So running this week, due to life getting in the way only 2 runs

Monday 3.02 @ 11.10 pace

Wednesday 3 miles ish about same pace, watch played up and did not record part of it but it was a regular route so I know it was 3 miles.

Disappointed as this was the least amount of runs so far with 3 a week kind of being the minimum I hope to do , but with family visiting, heavy work schedule and university work deadlines looming I struggled.

Weight Mangement

-1lb this week so happy with that.

So only 1lb left to lose to get back to the -8 is was at couple of weeks ago.

Goals for this week

4 runs and - 2lbs

Stay safe folks

 

[shellott-hill]

Life does get in the way! I would worry too much about it. Accept it and move on. Next week will be better.

 

[col1]

Hey Folks no post last week so 2 weeks combined here today

Week 11

3 runs on the 11th 13th and 14th each of 3 miles Duration. Pace varying between 10.37 and 11.10.

Quite pleased as I had to work hard to fit those runs in around my work schedule and babysitting so basically did my shift, changed into my running gear , caught the train to the station near my Grandkids house then ran the 3 miles there.

Missed target of 2lbs off was 1.4 but still satisfied with it.

Week 12

Different story..... Zero runs in the books and no weigh in this morning.

Combination of a couple of days away , 2 days watching grandkids and rest trying to finish Uni work.

Not great but...... reflecting on overall progress in 12 weeks

Miles ran - 114 just under an average 9.5 a week.

Heart rate whilst running shows a significant improvement over the 13 week period so whilst not getting noticeably faster I do think it shows I am getting fitter.

Finally as of last Sunday I have lost 9 lbs, so not quite an lb a week but happy with it.

So at this 12 week point I am declaring it a success as an exercise in building consistency and losing weight.

I am ready for next week, 1 Uni Assignment done and one at about 75% with 1 week remaining.

Have Grands staying with us until Friday and I am working Monday through Wednesday but confident I’ll get it all done

Have all my food prepped for tomorrow, reducing Carbs a bit but nothing drastic, just replacing Bread at breakfast for eggs and potatoes for broccoli and cheese etc.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Stay safe folks

 

[col1]

Week 13.

Running

2 runs this week

Thursday 3 miles at 11.42

Sunday 3 miles at 11.02

Thursday was first run for 13 days so took it nice and easy was also running with my son so was chatting quite a bit.

Enjoyable run today. Bit disappointed not to get the 3rd run in but with grandchildren staying for the week, Uni deadlines and work it was a crazy week.

Weight Management

A week of watching my carb intake saw me lose 2lbs which I am pleased with so now 11lbs down.

Plan to keep that going this week.

In the week ahead I have 3 days of work ahead then 2 nights away. We are heading for a city break so not worried about getting my runs in as running when away is something I really enjoy. We will be eating out so will need to watch that.

Looking further ahead once these nightshifts this week are done over the next 8 weeks I only have 8 shifts to work which are within a 12 days period (using up leave before the end off the year) This gives me about 6 weeks to focus on running and weight loss.

Have been looking at the Star Wars weekend in April but unfortunately our Annual leave roster has not opened as yet for 2021 so would be a huge gamble to spend hundreds of dollars then not get the time off.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Stay safe

Col

 

[col1]

Hi Folks, little bit of time since I updated but have been following along with everyone else’s progress.

Unfortunately I allowed a genuinely
Crazy busy Work/Home/School 2 weeks , where I didn’t run much and ate poorly, to extend to an additional 2 weeks of Sitting around doing nothing and eating poorly, regained all of the 10lbs I lost and ran only 4 times in 4 weeks.

Have managed in the last 10 days to get back on track and have 4 weeks free from work to focus on getting my routine back.

Week 14

One run Tuesday 1st 3 miles @ 11.30 pace

3lbs on

Week 15

No runs 4lbs on

Week 16

Monday 14th 2.6 miles 10 minute mile pace

Tuesday 15th 5 miles 11.38 pace. 81 degrees ....Roasting !!!




2lbs on

Week 17

Wed 23rd 3.5 miles 11.49 pace

2lbs on

Week 18

So this week normal service has resumed with 3 runs and as of today I have managed to rid my self of 6 of the 11lbs I regained.

Thursday 1st 3 miles 11.21

Friday 2nd 3 miles 10.56

Sunday 4th 3 miles 11.28

Focus going forward is to maximise the next 4 weeks running at least 4 times a week with one longer run per week whilst continuing to focus on healthy eating.

Will get back to updating on a weekly basis also.

Stay safe

Col

 

[col1]

So

Week 19

No runs

Week 20

5 runs as follows

Monday 3 miles at 11.10 pace

Tuesday 13.1 @ 12.57 pace, a somewhat ill advised gang busters effort, have not been happy with my progress so felt I needed to push myself. Given the last minute nature of it (I didn’t plan it until I was actually out running) I chose a pretty hilly route so it wasn’t pretty and my left itb was a significant issue after 6 miles but an adjustment to my run walk intervals helped somewhat but was pleased I did it and will include a decent longer run each week from now on. This week probably 6 or 7 miles.

Friday 3 miles @ 12 min miles

Saturday 3.06 miles @ 11.51

Sunday 4.05 miles @ 11.37

So a little over 26 miles for the week and that has not happened for a long time, this week has kicked of with a 3 miler today.

Will be attending physio next as the hip groin issue from the spring has never fully cleared up.

Have been feeling in somewhat of a low mood recently and these runs have certainly helped with that.

Weight wise have managed to get back to -10lbs so next target is to get into the 17x’s

Hope everyone is doing well and coping with the dip in temperatures ok.

Stay safe folks

Col

 

[col1]

Hey Folks

It’s been a minute 7 weeks to be precise.

Following my last update I managed to put together a 7 day streak from October 26th to November the 1st, however that is where it kind of ended, over the remaining 6 weeks managed 3 more runs in November and 1 so far in December.

In terms of weight I have put some back on but not back to where I started yet so that is positive. Have been trying to work through my kind of low mood and making progress however despite knowing that getting out running regularly is key I still struggle to do so....... weird.

Between Work, University and 2 days a week childminding there is rarely a quiet moment just now, work particularly sucks but I am grateful to remain employed in the current climate.

We have made some big life decisions and our house is on the market, we will be downsizing and hopefully moving to the coast, this will take us close to where my DD and DGK are so would mean an end to the 90 minute drives and overnight stays to watch the DGKs. We always planned to retire to the coast so moving now is just making the move a few years early. Will depend on the house selling but things are quiet due to the pandemic so just have to wait and see.

Will be heading out for a run today and plan one tomorrow.

In terms of how to improve things I think I will return to my original plan of a minimum of 3 runs per week and if I want or can do more it’s a bonus. Also plan to try and get at least 8 hrs sleep a night and see how that goes in improving

Hope everyone is doing ok.

Stay Safe

Col

P.S only 78 days until the meteorological 1st day of Spring winter is flying in

 

[col1]

So finished the week with 2 x 3 mile runs so pleased with that. Will defiantly run Monday and Tuesday as the weather is to be nice and dry with sunshine which is too good to miss.

Need to cram for my Uni assignment to get it in for Friday but running will provide a welcome break so not an issue.

Have been reading various things and listening to audiobooks around changing my thinking process etc, something I am doing is to apply the process of incremental improvements to my life particularly around health and self care, mental and physical.

So new routine is as follows

8 hrs in bed a night

Minimum 3 runs a week no excuses must happen.

My new morning routine will be

1 minute Plank
10 Press Ups
20 tricep dips

Take 1 multi vitamin
At least 30 secs of my daily shower at the end is ice cold

I have been meaning to take a multi vitamin for a while and do some daily body weight Training so starting small, have thrown in the cold shower for fun.

I know the more sleep the better but whilst I can’t guarantee 8hrs sleep if I ensure I’m in bed for at least 8 hrs every night I should see an improvement.

First day was today and was good, all fits in without any real extra time commitment. Will be doing for 90 days as that’s how many multivitamins are in the jar then will review, I will try and increase the exercises incrementally over that time as well as the cold showers and of courses the runs, feeling quite motivated let’s see how it goes

Have a great week everyone

Stay safe

Col

 

[jmasgat]

Will defiantly run Monday and Tuesday

I like the idea of running defiantly...I picture you head up, chest out, daring anyone to stop you.

 

[col1]

I like the idea of running defiantly...I picture you head up, chest out, daring anyone to stop you.

i will definitely run defiantly

 

[avondale]

have thrown in the cold shower for fun.

How is this in any way fun? This is like my nightmare!

 

[col1]

So a busy week but manage to accomplish quite a bit.

Running 4 x 3mile runs against a target of a minimum of 3.

My other Health/Wellness goals

Vitamins 6/7

Cold showers 4/7

Plank/Tricep dips/10 push ups 6/7

Run 4/3

8hrs in Bed 5/7

Pretty happy with the week, Had a viewing on our property which meant the day was consumed by preparation so did none of it on that 1 day.

Cold showers were a bit of a fail our shower is temperamental so when you turn it down to cold trying to regulate it back to normal is quite a pain so may drop that one for now.

Other than that has been decent week. We have grandkids a number of extra days due to a Covid outbreak at the nursing home my daughter works at, she has not had it yet but all residents now have it and she is only one of 5 staff who don’t have it so they are looking after 44 residents with just those 5.

Nothing much planned for coming week, with kids here and working Xmas eve and Xmas day 12hr shifts will be challenge just to get 3 runs in I think.

I had noticed that I ran 283 miles last year and am currently at 267, not enough days left to hit 300 but may try to get more than 283 if I can.

I did notice that whilst the mileage is similar I did 72 runs last year with 90 this year, I trained for and ran a half last year in the first half of the year then little for the remainder, this year runs are shorter but more of them.

I think for next year I would like to continue that then more regular running, as I think getting out more is good for me mentally as well as physically.

I hope everyone is doing ok and have as good and safe a holiday seasons as you can.

Stay safe

Col

 

[col1]

So a bit of a reflective post this week.... we have as of today been placed into a full lockdown the same as we endured from March to July last year. So all shops except grocery stores closed, all restaurants, bars, hairdressers etc closed. Everyone to work from home and only leave house for essentials or for excessive or as part of a childcare or support bubble. Officially for the next 6 weeks but unofficially we are likely to be in this until mid to late March if we are lucky. It is required as we have more infections and higher death toll Than at the height of the first wave. 2% of our population now have the virus.

This is depressing as in early December following a shorter lockdown cases were relatively under control and the vaccine had been approved and was on its way, fast forward 4 weeks and these new strains have obliterated all progress. So back into lockdown whilst we vaccinate and hope it works !!!!

i am a key worker so will still be required to attend my workplace but thankfully outdoor exercise is permitted and I have my elliptical as well so that is a bonus.

Running wise only did a couple of runs since I last posted as was working through the holiday season, I did however download a few books to my kindle to read recently, one was ultramarathon man which i read way back in my first running life and also a book by Nikki love who broke the women’s world record of 63 marathons in 63 days I have read both and am now reading 50/50 by Dean.

I do feel that I needed a big goal this year and had decided a few days ago following my spur of the moment half marathon in October that I would train for the marathon distance and run it independently. Only problem is there was no specific date it needed to be done by so I was likely to keep moving it and never get it done.

so having read the first 2 ultra books I decided that I would not waste the lockdown and will attempt to tick off one and a half items off my goals list, Run my age and Run an ultra (the half is-due to the ultra goal was for a belt buckle race)

So on March the 27th I will run 50km independently in my 50th year. I turn 51 April the 10 but due to work and childcare duties this is the latest date I can attempt it.

I went for a long run yesterday to see where my long runs should kick off when I put together my training plan.
Main issue I have is an ITB issue with my left knee, I have to build up gradually.

Managed 7 miles ok so that is where I will begin, 12 weeks to go.........let’s get after it

Hope everyone is doing well
Stay safe

Col

 

[avondale]

So a bit of a reflective post this week.... we have as of today been placed into a full lockdown the same as we endured from March to July last year. So all shops except grocery stores closed, all restaurants, bars, hairdressers etc closed. Everyone to work from home and only leave house for essentials or for excessive or as part of a childcare or support bubble. Officially for the next 6 weeks but unofficially we are likely to be in this until mid to late March if we are lucky. It is required as we have more infections and higher death toll Than at the height of the first wave. 2% of our population now have the virus.

This is depressing as in early December following a shorter lockdown cases were relatively under control and the vaccine had been approved and was on its way, fast forward 4 weeks and these new strains have obliterated all progress. So back into lockdown whilst we vaccinate and hope it works !!!!

i am a key worker so will still be required to attend my workplace but thankfully outdoor exercise is permitted and I have my elliptical as well so that is a bonus.

Running wise only did a couple of runs since I last posted as was working through the holiday season, I did however download a few books to my kindle to read recently, one was ultramarathon man which i read way back in my first running life and also a book by Nikki love who broke the women’s world record of 63 marathons in 63 days I have read both and am now reading 50/50 by Dean.

I do feel that I needed a big goal this year and had decided a few days ago following my spur of the moment half marathon in October that I would train for the marathon distance and run it independently. Only problem is there was no specific date it needed to be done by so I was likely to keep moving it and never get it done.

so having read the first 2 ultra books I decided that I would not waste the lockdown and will attempt to tick off one and a half items off my goals list, Run my age and Run an ultra (the half is-due to the ultra goal was for a belt buckle race)

So on March the 27th I will run 50km independently in my 50th year. I turn 51 April the 10 but due to work and childcare duties this is the latest date I can attempt it.

I went for a long run yesterday to see where my long runs should kick off when I put together my training plan.
Main issue I have is an ITB issue with my left knee, I have to build up gradually.

Managed 7 miles ok so that is where I will begin, 12 weeks to go.........let’s get after it

Hope everyone is doing well
Stay safe

Col

Good luck with the training! 12 weeks to get ready will be intense. I also have my sights set on a 50K when I'm 50, but I still have a few years to work up to it.

 

[col1]

Thanks something of a tight timescale but just felt I needed a BIG goal. I have so time goals and will be taking it easy.

 

[col1]

So a good start to training this January saw a total of 55 miles run which I am pleased with. Been building up my long runs steadily 13.1 miles last week , not ran the far for 2 years.

Have been looking at signing up for something probably a fall marathon to give me another goal to work towards been reading quite a few books on running to keep the motivation levels high

Hope all are doing well

Stay safe

Col