Support Group - 10 lbs or less

[kolohe_lady]

Yay!! I'm so glad there's some activity going on in here!

MMQ: Thanks for the encouragement! I'm pretty excited about this one, Getting to run near the beach and all. And I always like to 'cheat' by doing races at sea level. Our flight is tomorrow evening at 6, so I still have to wait ALL DAY tomorrow. But at least I don't have to go to work!

Bummer about your elliptical! My sisters brand new elliptical she got for Christmas broke last week, too. Not a great week for fitness equipment, I guess. Good luck on your half marathon training! I'm sure you'll do great.

Jodeja: I do a similar reward system like you with your stars. Mine's not as detailed, I may steal yours I just mark when I do 30+ mins of exercise, and if I get 5 days in one week, I get to buy myself a $5-$10 non-food 'prize'. New lipgloss, cute socks, songs off iTunes, etc. I should start tracking how healthy I'm eating, too.

One of my clients at work does ultra marathons. Just when I start thinking I'm kinda cool with my 1/2 marathons, he comes in and tells me he's doing a 100 miler the same weekend. Guess the 65 mile distance just wasn't challenging enough anymore. . . .

I'll have that humble pie a la mode, please

 

[ohMom]

KLady -- HAVE FUN!!! i'm a bit jealous!! HAVE FUN!!!!

MMQ -- i'm proud of you for clicking on the 'register' button! it doesn't sound odd that 1200 calories/day may not be enough for you, you don't have a tremendous amount of weight to lose and you are working out alot

janelle --i think losing 4 lbs in a month is fantastic!!


ultra marathons...i'm not even going there

it's less than 4 weeks now for my trip to LA to see the endo....i'm really trying to commit to working out 3 days a week and even that is not happening. i will get my exercise clothes on here this morning and that will be #2 for this week. sigh

 

[kolohe_lady]

Good afternoon! How is everyone today?

Got home from my California trip last night. I enjoyed my break from winter and reality for a couple days, but now it's back to the old routine. Blah.

The Surf City half was a good expirience. Not quite as I pictured it, but still fun. I was imagining running along under sunny skies, seeing the blue waves of the Pacific as we ran by. Not quite. I forgot how stubborn that marine layer is by the beach, so it was actually pretty foggy most of the time. But that kept it nice and cool, so I didn't mind. More hills than I was expecting from a course listed as flat. I started out too fast and was running out of steam about mile 9, had to walk a bit during the last couple miles. Still set a new PR, though. They had more water stops set up than I had ever seen! I think pretty much every mile to mile and a half. I forgot to pack my fuel belt so I was glad they had so many. There seemed to be more of the intense, serious runner types at this race than I've seen yet. Especially those doing the full marathon. They had a nice bag of goodies at the finish line and plenty of drinks, even a beer garden w/2 free beers for the runners. Passed up on that being the non-drinker I am. Instead I kicked off my shoes and walked down the beach to the COLD ocean. The water felt sooo good on my tired feet and legs. Sure beats ice in a bag!

I think I did pretty good on eating well this weekend. Being at Disneyland is always a challenge. Plus, this time we stayed near the beach and drove in everyday, so eating at the park was inevitable (or in Downtown Disney. BBQ shrimp & gritz at the Jazz Kitchen. YUM). My sister and bro-in-law are keeping close watch on their calories, so luckily they were looking for healthy options as well. It's so much easier when I'm not the only one snacking on fruit and nuts instead of fries and churros! Out of curiosity I weighed myself before bed last night. 8 lbs showed up this weekend that weren't there Friday morning! I was expecting 2 or 3, but 8??? Even last winter I didn't see a number this high!! I know it's normal to retain fluid after a big run, plus it's that lovely TOTM for me, so I'm hoping it's just a fluid-retention double whammy. Guess I'll find out in the next couple of days.

 

[jodeja]

Is this the California Screamin’ ride or my bathroom scale? Up and down, up and down. Then this morning it really threw me for a loop by landing squarely back at my starting weight! Ugh, I can’t believe it! I was more lax in my eating this weekend, but I didn’t go crazy, did not stuff myself at any point. I ate pizza, but didn’t eat too much. Ate some ice cream but had one serving size (you know how teeny that it). And I jogged/walked on Saturday and did a hard workout of sprint intervals on Sunday, and now I somehow regained the 4 pounds that I had been so thrilled to lose. Oh, well. Just have to keep plugging away at it. More water, more exercise, and a bit more mindful of my weekend eating (but I am still trying to maintain eating patterns that I can live with long term). Is anyone else on this crazy up and down ride?

 

[jodeja]

kolohe lady - Great job on all of your half marathons!!
How fun to get to go to Disneyland right after completing one. I would have totally had a churro though
I have a few questions for you, if you don't mind.
How many halfs have you run? How many do you do a year?
What training program do you use?

I am thinking of starting the Galloway training program. Mostly because it fits my schedule. He has you run (or rather, run/walk) 30 minutes two times during the week and then doing a longer run on the weekends. My week days are so hectic with work and commuting, that 30 minutes is about all I can do unless I have the day off work, though I can do more often than 2X during the week. I ordered the book off Amazon and glanced at the programs online, but wanted to get some feedback from someone who is about at my speed.
Kolohe Lady, I thought I remembered one of your posts said you were at about 11 min/mile – is that right? I thought I remembered that because that is about my pace too. I want a workout plan that will help me get faster as well as increase miles. I have NEVER in my life been able to run fast. I swear I have no fast-twitch muscle fibers at all. But, I would like to get my speed up so that it doesn’t take me half a day to do long runs.

 

[jodeja]

Well, I am making good on my promise to post more often!

I have a question for those of you who have run the Disneyland Half Marathon. Aside from the half marathon itself, how was the visit to Disneyland during that time?
The reason I’m asking is because I REALLY want to run this half marathon, but being from Oregon it is very expensive to go to Disneyland (airfare, hotel, park hopper passes, etc.) so of course we’d want to make it a Disney vacation as well as running the half, and it seems like not the best time to visit Disneyland. I have heard that it is very hot the first week of September and we don’t like hot. Also, I would think that Labor Day weekend would be insanely crowded.
I am thinking of just going for it anyway, probably next year, but am worried that my kiddos and I will be a bit bummed if the Disneyland experience isn’t that great since we can’t afford the airfare every year (it takes me at least a couple of years to rack up enough visa mileage points to get 50% off airline tickets!).
Also, how was the half marathon itself? I’ve read that the Disney portion is fun, but the streets of Anaheim are very very boring. For those of you who had to fly in from another state to do it, did you think it was worth it?

Thanks!

 

[kolohe_lady]

Hi Jodeja! I will try to answer some of your questions for you

The Surf City half I just ran was my 7th half marathon. I started running in 2008 and only did the Disneyland half that first year. The last couple years I've done 3 per year. This year I'll probably do more than that, since it's only February and I've already done one! Once you get to the point you can do those long runs, maintaining is a cake walk compared to training!

When I first started I used the free training program off of Runnersworld.com. It sounds basically like the Galloway one you described. It had 3 running days per week, (easy run day, speed/tempo run day, and long run day) with gradual increases in mileage. For about the last year or so I haven't followed any particular program, just kind of making up my own as I go. And most of the time sneak in an extra easy run day so I'm running 4 days a week. I am still not very fast, but improving. My first half marathon took me about 2 hours 43 mins, and this last one I did in exactly 2 h 21 mins. So now I'm closer to 10:30 mins/mile. Yay progress!! What really helped me improve was getting my Garmin http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Foreru...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1297251172&sr=1-1 It's been an awesome investment for me, like having a little running coach reminding me to keep up my pace and keeping track of my mileage.

This year will be my 4th time running the Disneyland half. It's my favorite one to run in! The parks will be crowded, but not much more so than any other weekend. Work the fast passes and you'll be fine. It is still summer-ish time, so it does get pretty warm during the day. What my fam does is stay at a hotel w/ fridge and microwave within walking distance of the parks, and go back to our room for lunch and a nap/break during the hottest and most crowded part of the day (generally about 1:30-ish to 4:30-ish). My parents started that tradition when we were small and needed naps, but it's still a good idea for grown ups to prevent grumpiness later in the evening Plus it's cheaper and easier to avoid greasy food when you don't eat at the park. The half marathon itself is very well organized. Its very popular so there are LOTS of runners. They let the serious, fast runners go first so there's not pressure on us more recreational types and we can enjoy it at our own pace. The Disney portion is right at the beginning (gotta get us through so they can open to the public) and it is a hoot. The Anaheim part isn't too bad, in my opinion. Every half mile or so Disney arranges a band or dance troupe or scouts to cheer the runners on. Non-Disney races I've done might have one or two bands if you're lucky, and for the vast majority of races you're left entirely to your own devices to keep yourself amused while you run. It is 13.1 miles, so they can hardly be expected to entertain the runners every step of the way. The last couple years we've gotten to run through Angels Stadium, right on the field around home plate, which was a lot of fun. I've heard rumors the Angels will have a home game this year so we won't be able to go in, but I'm not absolutely sure.

Long story short, I think it's worth flying in for. (This is the opinion of a single, childless person. I know kiddos add a whole different dimension.) We fly in from Utah and make a long weekend of it. Hope my answers were helpful! Let me know if you have any other questions I can help out with.

 

[MommyMcQueen]

Hi everyone!

Kolohe - Great job at Surf City! Congrats on you PR!!! Glad you had fun at DL - you're weekend trips to Disney always sound like so much fun! I SO want that Gamin Forerunner - my b-day is next month and it may be an early present for myself!!! I've been watching Amazon like a hawk since I know they've dropped it to $99 in the past - hoping they will again soon!

Jodeja - glad you found a training plan! I find it so much better to have a training plan to follow. I just started running last spring and did a couple training plans that I just got online. I didn' follow Galloway but the plans I used worked for me. I did my first half last Sept and have now registered for one in May. I love the thought of destination races but probably will never do one - too expensive to fly myself, DH and 2 kids out. A friend of mine is doing the Princess Half next week - I'm SO jealous!!!

Since my elliptical has been down I started using our bike - it isn't as bad (boring) as I thought it would be, and I've been able to get a lot of reading done! I've been biking an hour at a time and do about 14-15 miles so it is good for my legs in preparation of running again. I haven't bothered to weigh myself in the last 2 weeks, and probably won't until I start running again, but I feel like I'm at least holding steady.

We've been in a severe cold spell this last week but temps are supposed to get up to 30 this weekend - and if it does I'm planning to go out and run! Well at least walk/run and break myself back into it, since I have not run since November. Next week is supposed to be in the 30s all week and I really hope I can get out several days and start training.

So here's a question - does anyone else ever have dreams about running?? The last 3 weeks I've had several dreams about getting out and going running - I wake up and just want to go out so badly! I know I've been thinking about it a lot and reading a lot again since registering for the half in May, but I'm just suprised to be having such vivid dreams about it! Weird!

 

[kolohe_lady]

MMQ - I've had dreams about running a couple times, can't remember much about them, though. Except one the night before this last race. Had a dream I was trying to change into my running clothes in a bathroom near the starting line. I could hear the race starting, but I just kept finding stuff in my bag I absolutely needed to put on, so I couldn't leave to join in. Must have been dressing in lots of layers!

I usually weigh myself on Friday mornings, but the battery in my scale died so I'm giving myself this week off. I didn't work out much for the first half of the week and ate lots of junk food because of Valentine's day and my dad's b-day dinner last weekend. Been better the last couple of days. Next week it's back to the grind, got the Salt Lake City 1/2 coming up in April. This will be the first time I've done a race in my own town! It will be kinda weird actually going home to my own apartment to shower off afterwards.

Happy Friday everyone! Have a good weekend!

 

[kolohe_lady]

Hey look, it's me again! I have my own private thread, apparently!
Nothing major to report, just checking in.
I totally went overboard again last weekend. Too much pizza, spaghetti, and especially garlic bread. Then on Monday when I had planned to get back on track, went out to dinner with my parents, so no exercise and more junk food. Still haven't gotten a new battery for my scale, so no idea how much damage weight-wise. But my 'fat' jeans are fitting way to well for my liking right now, so kinda frustrated with myself.
I decided I needed more motivation for my weight lifting, so last weekend I had my BF measure me so we can track my progress every other week. Hoping to get smaller around the waist and bigger everywhere else.

 

[KarenAylwood]

lol kolohe_lady! Good job on measuring! I should do that.

I need to get cracking on my diet after these two races coming up. Wedding is less than 200 days away now!!

So I leave early tomorrow morning for WDW!!!! Walking the Royal 5K on Saturday morning with mom, and then running the Princess half on my own on Sunday. I'm SUPER nervous. I did as much as my training told me to (Hal Higdon) but I just feel horrible about the whole thing. I didn't run as much as he says during the week (for a myriad of reasons which included travelling for work, hurting my foot, getting a cold, etc). I did hit 10 miles though weekend before this past one. Most of my long runs (8-10 miles) have been painful

I'm hoping Mickey and his pals will help push me through to actually cross the finish line!! My goal is 2:30. Here goes nothing...

 

[steves1bear]

It's been awhile since I last posted, but I've been keeping up with most of what has been happening.

Reading about all the half marathons has really inspired me. I am now determined to run a Disney half. One question for those who have already run one, do I have to run in a race before I can run a Disney race?

Karen - good luck with the Princess this weekend!

 

[kolohe_lady]

Karen: Good luck on your race! I think you'll be fine. I've done a couple of halfs where I only got up to 8 or 10 miles before and was still able to finish ok. If you end up having to walk a bit, it's not the end of the world. Don't stress too much, and have fun!

Steves1bear: No, you don't need to have done a race before you can sign up for a Disney one. The Disneyland half was my very first. It's probably a good idea to get a couple of 5 & 10k's under your belt first, though. I wish I had!

 

[MommyMcQueen]

Karen - great job on your training and GOOD LUCK!!! You'll do great! Just have fun and don't worry about your time!

Well I had a really good week last week - was able to start running outside again! I did like 6 runs in 8 days and was feeling great....well, super sore after the first 2 so I took a day off, then ran 2 more times and by then I was over the crippling soreness! I went out last Sunday for my first longer run - 6.3 miles, and felt really good but I could tell I was getting sore/tired toward the end. I think I had like 23 miles in that week - I was so pumped! Then, the afternoon after my long run, it proceeded to snow 13 inches here and I have not been out since!!! Roads are completely ice and snow covered still and I hope I can get back out this weekend. HURRY UP SPRING!!!

So, with all that effort I was down 2 pounds last week, but with this weeks lack of exercise, I'll probably be back up again. I don't know why I'm so extreme in my exercise/diet efforts - either I'm all in and give 100%, or I'm completely out and do nothing and eat horrible. Oh well - will be watching the roads and hope this snow and ice melts so I can get back out for a run this weekend.

Take care everyone!

 

[steves1bear]

kolohe_lady - thanks for the information. I'm hoping to get a few 5 and 10Ks in before a Disney half, but there really aren't many chances where I live. There is a local group of runners who are just now getting a few races together (some official, some unofficial) so we'll see what happens.

Karen - so, how did the princess go? hope all went well and can't wait to hear about your results!

MMQ - great job on the running! 6.3 is awesome! I'll try and send some of our weather your way so the snow melts quickly and you can get back outside running!

This week was a great week for exercise. I was able to run several times, including one long run and even made it to the gym for some cross-training. Here's hoping this coming week is just as great.

Good luck to everyone this week!

 

[KarenAylwood]

OMfreakingG it was so much fun!!!!!!

I beat my goal time I was a ball of nerves leading up to it- training went bad like I had said earlier. I think I had one good 8 mile run, then did 9, 8, 10, 8 and they were all bad- I either was kind of sick, or dehydrated, or it was super windy or cold or in the dark, or whatever. Ugh. I hated training- especially this time of the year when it's cold and dark out.

The week before the race I upped my carb intake and had pasta the last few days for dinner. I drank a TON of water on Saturday. We got into Disney Friday morning and went to the expo at 11am - I bought sooo much of their merchandise, I'm in love with it all Easy to pick everything up but I heard some were waiting for 2 hours just to get bibs on Saturday!! We went to MK and had dinner at Tony's. Saturday we got up at 4:50am for the 5K. Mom did great It was her first "race" and we walked the whole time and took pics. Character lines were too long to stop. We have a cute mother daughter pic of us crossing the finish line though. Then we went to get cleaned up at the resort (mom wasn't used to the heat- she "melted" and I looked like I had just gotten ready for the race. She was so mad ).

We walked around DHS all day on Saturday. Ugh. Did a little too much walking Fri/Sat!! I was pretty nervous for Sunday. Got up around 3am and was on the bus by 3:45am. I didn't turn my garmin on until I got to my corral- 45 minutes late and a minute before the gun went off for corral A..oops! It was nice to not have to stand waiting too long! I had an awesome run- ran the whole time, didn't stop once. I even ran through the water stops. I perfected drinking without splashing all over myself by mile 5 I finished in 2:22:43. Goal was 2:30 and to not stop running. Weather was AWESOME (a lot of people complained about the heat but I thought the weather was perfect the whole time). We had to walk over a mile to the start line though- kind of annoying but I guess a good warmup.

The entertainment and volunteers were amazing. The miles flew by. I hit mile 8 and got a little upset mentally just knowing it's the longest I've gone without stopping before (on training runs I'd stop if I was doing 9-10). Once I hit mile 11 it was smooth sailing and I picked up the pace. My splits were great- I gradually ramped up my speed as the race went on.

After seeing the medal, all the merchandise I bought and hearing about the entertainment, mom wants to do the race now too! She told me I was crazy for having her do the 5K... now she wants to do a half She turned 63 two days before the race and walks on her treadmill at home about 3.5 miles per day (4.1mph pace). I told her she'll need to train by walking more but that I'm sure she could do it. I said I'd do it with her if DF wasn't too upset I was leaving him for Disney again next year (when he'll be DH!). Although I don't know how upset I'd be that I didn't run for a time... we'll see.

Sorry for the long post- I am just so super excited and happy about it all!! I'm not delusional enough not to remember how bad training was, but I'd still consider doing another half - and wouldn't think twice about doing another at Disney, especially the Princess.

 

[jodeja]

Karen ~ It was so fun reading about your experience with the Disney Princess Half!
A W E S O M E job beating your time goal

I really can not fathom getting up at 3 am though. And then running? Like, when it's still dark out? I wish there were some half marathons that started around 10ish.

Well, I only ran once last week and none so far this week But, we've had a lot going on. Had to get the brakes on the van fixed, have to get the washing machine fixed (haven't done laundry in almost 2 weeks - good thing I haven't been running/sweating!), and had to get the kittens fixed! After bringing the kittens home from being fixed, their mom didn't recognize them and was hissing at them! So, we had to keep them separated for about a week until the kittens smelled like home again. That was a bit stressful. But, they are all getting along now as if nothing happened.
Well, that is the way life goes I guess - when it rains, it pours - espcially in Oregon (actually, it's more like a constant drizzle).
Anyway, looking forward to getting back on track. I am down about 5 pounds from where I was Jan 1. But, those were 5 pounds that were above my normal weight, so they really needed to go!

It is motivating to read all of your posts!

 

[jodeja]

I'm so extreme in my exercise/diet efforts - either I'm all in and give 100%, or I'm completely out and do nothing and eat horrible.

I am so the same - all or nothing.
I am really trying to be more moderate and just make it a normal part of life to do smaller workouts more often and especially more consistently.

We can do it!

 

[MommyMcQueen]

Karen - AWESOME JOB!!! You did SO good! I"m so happy for you that you beat your goal, and it sounds like you felt great the entire race too! I'm glad it was such a great experience for you!

Jodeja - great job on the 5 pound loss! Keep it up!

Things here have been at kind of a stand-still. Weather has been too cold and snowy to go out running, I'm hoping to go out this weekend for 1 or 2 runs - I'm just getting over a stomach bug so it'll all depend on how I'm feeling in the next couple days.

Life has taken us on a path we were not completely ready for - DH has taken a new job about 2 hours away, so we'll be moving - selling our house, switching the kids school, and everything that a major move entails. We've moved several times before - but not a move like this - all were close and we did the moves ourselves. Plus at that time the kids were little and not in school or activites so they we're really affected. So it's been a lot to deal with the las couple of days (on top of having 2 puking kids, no sleep, and myself sick). DH will be living down there and me and the kids will stay with the house until the end of the school year so they can finish out the year here. I have tried to imagine how hard these next few months are going to be, and I'm sure it is going to be more difficult than I'm even picturing. My mom and sister are nearby so that will help some. But one thing I'll probably have to sacrifice right now is my running time - with DH gone I have only 1 time that I could run - a couple afternoons a week when both kids are in school (DS4 is in afternoon preschool 3x a week) so if I don't go then I won't be running. DH will be home on the weekends, and then I feel like we should be spending time together, not be gone for 2 hours on a long run. So I don't know, I'm considering selling my bib for the half in May - they allow transfers and there are a lot of people looking, so I could sell it no problem. But part of me feels like I need to run to help with stress through all of this, so maybe I just need to make it a priority and find a way to do it.

Sorry this has gotten so long and so OT - this is only day 2 of this process for us and we haven't even told most friends/family yet, I'm feeling completely overwhelmed and really at odds with leaving a house that we completely love and starting over somewhere so unknown.

 

[KarenAylwood]

Thanks guys!!! I have renewed vigor for losing weight now... umm I gained 6lbs on vacation!! YIKES! After my 8K coming up (March 19) I'm doing South Beach again. I'm doing a loose phase 2/3 right now though- avoiding all refined sugars but keeping my oatmeal with craisins in the morning and keeping portions down. I went down 3 lbs in one day though so I'm only 3lbs up from pre-race weight. I went back to the gym yesterday and only did 30 min on the elliptical and stretching. I was winded and sweaty (and thinking how did I go 2:22 without stopping??) but felt sooo much better afterwards. I'm no longer super sore. And I drank a TON of water yesterday. I think I didn't stretch and drink enough afterwards.

I've got a bridal shower on Saturday so I need to concentrate on not eating/drinking too much. I want to get back to running on Saturday too- might do a quick jog tonight on the treadmill too. After 80's in FL I'm soooo ready for spring here!!

jodega- yep, was still VERY dark out. Once we were up and at the race it was fine - we even stayed up until 10 or 11pm that night, partly because I was so happy and relieved to have don well (although I seemed like I was drunk I was so loopy from being so tired ). Mom didn't even complain much about getting up early and she can't STAND to lose sleep (esp now that she's retired and has about zero reason to not get enough sleep at night). Congrats on the 5lb loss!!

MMQ~ That sounds really intimidating. What about buying a treadmill? Or having a friend watch the kids for a few runs? I agree you definitely need some sort of exercise outlet- it does sound like it could get stressful. I guess you just need to remind yourself that it's not for an extended period of time and you'll get through it! What does DH think about you selling your bib? You could maybe get up early before he's really up and about? Or just keep it and do a run/walk for the experience of it if you think the race will be fun. If you were doing it for time only and wouldn't enjoy not meeting your goal then you could still sell it like you said. I did most of my training on a treadmill during a week and long runs on the weekends so if you could get a treadmill that would make things easier. Goodluck with it all. We're here to listen!!