Sidelined...

Yeah, so I am not too happy right now. I injured my back last night and have been in pain since. I went to the chiropractor today and he worked on my back for a bit, and did some electrical stimulation and ice, and it feels better, but I am sidelined until further notice, and I have to go back to the chiro on Thursday. While all of this has been going on, I also managed to do something to my heel/ankle, and I fear it is worse than my plantar fasciitis. Normally, I don't have any pain unless I am walking, and even then the pain eases up as the day goes on. Today, it just throbbed all day long, no matter what. NSAIDS, ice, stretching... nothing has helped. Tomorrow I go in to see the podiatrist to make sure there is nothing more serious going on there. Wish me luck!

I don't do well with not being able to run... I go a little crazy. I feel bad for my husband and son if I can't get back to it by Thursday... Unfortunately, I can't even walk right now. Bleah.

Well, I did have a bit of good news today, down another 0.2 pounds. I could be irritated, but I figure any downward trend on the scale is a good one. Plus, I was able to fit into an old pair of jeans which were too tight, only to find out now they are too loose. That is always a confidence booster!

Until the next time... hopefully I will have some good news...

Addicted to running?

I am beginning to think I might be. I had a dream last night that I was running and the weather was perfect, and the scenery was perfect, and I felt fabulous. Then I had a nightmare that I couldn't run and woke up in a cold sweat. Then I tried to get out of bed and discovered my plantar fasciitis has flared again and I could barely walk across the room. Damn plantar fasciitis.

It is so weird to think about running so much, but I do. Most of the day is spent planning my run: when to run, where to run, how far to run, how long to run, what to wear, what type of run... I could go on and on. Right now, I am just stressed because I haven't been able to really run on a regular basis. I've tried an indoor track, and I've tried the treadmill, but it just is not the same. Spring cannot come soon enough!

I've had an awesome, but busy weekend. I made two giant pans of roasted veggies yesterday that we will be able to eat all week. One pan was carrots and potatoes, the other was cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and mushrooms. (I usually mix them all together, but the hubby hates Brussels and cauliflower, and my mom is avoiding carbs, thus the two separate pans). One of the easiest and tastiest things to do with veggies is toss them with some olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic and just throw them in the oven until they are nice and caramelized. Heck, I'll even eat them cold. Also cleaned out a closet, scrubbed the kitchen and bathrooms today, so I am pretty beat!

I didn't get to the gym today (ran 1.6/biked 2 miles yesterday) because my foot is acting up again. I spent a great deal of time babying it today, so I hope it will be ready to go tomorrow, since it looks like it will be warm enough for me to get out and run! I did do 100 crunches, and 40 girly pushups tonight though. I also managed to do 5 real pushups! Not all in a row, but I did them! I think I am going to keep concentrating on the girly ones for now. I just wanted to prove that I could do it!

Until next time... happy running!!!

Cabin Fever

Honestly, one of the greatest joys of running for me is the ability to run outside. Running on a dreadmill (treadmill) or in circles on an indoor track just doesn't cut it. I need to be out in the fresh air, enjoying the scenery. I was so thankful to get out today for a 30 minute run, even if it was misting and foggy the whole time and I had to jump over the occasional snow hill and walk gingerly around some patches of ice. It's the best run I've had in a long time. I just cannot wait for Spring to get here!

Since I ran outside, I decided to skip the gym today. I didn't want to ruin my euphoria of being outdoors and enjoying the fresh air with the stale smell of sweat in the gym :)

Happy running!

Cross training

No running for me today. My knees/shins/calves have suffered greatly while trying to adapt to the indoor track, so I did 32 minutes on the recumbent bike and 35 on the elliptical. I felt pretty good too! Tomorrow it might get up into the 40's, so I am really hoping I'll be able to get a nice outdoor run in. I miss running outdoors much more than I thought I would!

I'm doing very well with my eating right now too. I have been managing to avoid my usual pitfalls and I haven't felt deprived at all. I have plenty of points left over for the day too, despite a dinner of ham and bean soup with cornbread! Now to decide what to use the points on!

Weigh Day!

And a good one at that! Down 1.6 pounds! Yay me! Now to get a tape measure so I can start tracking my inches too. I hope I can continue this trend! I need to be better about tracking my food this week too. I did well, but I always tend to underestimate what I eat and tracking helps keep me honest.

Went to the gym today and ran 1.63 miles. I'm having a lot of trouble with shin splints on the indoor track. A wise running friend of mine told me it is probably a result of the track surface and the repeated, tight turns. I biked 8.3 miles on the stationary bike afterwards to help stretch out my calves and shins, and they feel much better now. I think I will be sticking to short runs as long as I am confined to indoors. I will supplement with the bike and the elliptical in the meantime. It might warm up enough by Thursday for me to attempt an outdoor run again! (Here's hoping!)

Monday, Monday

And a dreary Monday at that. Got my gym on today, biked 9 miles in 32 minutes, not too shabby! Didn't have a lot of time at the gym today, due to work, doc appointments and life in general, so cut it a little short. Planning a long day tomorrow including a run, some bike, and core work. Also got 40 girly push-ups in, so a pretty good day.

Tomorrow is the dreaded weigh in day, but I think I will do well. I was able to fit into a pair of jeans over the weekend that I wasn't able to fit in a month ago, so I know I have at least lost some inches! Hope the scale gives me a little love tomorrow!

Weekend Sabotage and Recovery

As usual, I do great with my fitness goals until the weekend, then everything goes to pot. I had planned to take a rest day Friday (especially since it took me 2 1/2 hours to get home due to the snow), but ended up taking Saturday off too, because I just didn't feel like it. I was overwhelmed with all the errands I had to run, and I had slept in, so no workout again. Bleah.

The one thing I am happy about though is that I didn't let that attitude continue today. I got up at 7am so I could get to the gym when it opened (8am). I also figured out a way to make running in circles more tolerable. I started back on the couch to 5K program, and am working on going faster during the intervals. Having something else to focus on while running made me not think so much about being stuck inside and being stuck running in a circle. Thank goodness for that!

I've done fairly well with eating all weekend, which is a minor miracle, since I went out to eat yesterday and have not been very good about tracking my points. I have been making better choices, which makes things easier, of course. I also sent all the items (caramel and cookies) that usually sabotage me home with my brother, since I've not been good about regulating my intake.

I may have slipped a bit, but at least I caught myself and got back on the wagon right away!

Run, always run.

I woke up this morning feeling like crap. Actually, I aspired to feel like crap this morning. Ugh. Some viral thing - achy joints/muscles, headache and just fatigue. Bleah. I feel like I got hit by a truck. As I finished up work today, I started going through all the reasons why I shouldn't run. "I don't feel well", "I'm really tired", "It's just one day"... I'm sure you can see where this is going.

I had a million reasons to justify me not running today. No one would have blamed me either. However, as I sat here struggling with myself, I asked myself, "But do you want to run?" The answer? YES. My legs were itching to run, my plantar fasciitis has calmed down, minimal foot pain, no congestion, no real reason why I shouldn't run. So I went to the gym and ran. Granted it was only 1.13 miles, but it felt good. It wasn't my fastest run, but it was a good run. I finished it up with 6.25 miles on the stationary bike. Did my core work and push-ups to round out the workout.

Run, always run.

I hate being sick

It sucks, just sucks. I managed to get to the gym and do a 6.35 mile bike ride yesterday, but was too exhausted to manage any abs or pushups for the day. The good news for yesterday is that I was down 0.6 pounds, so I was pretty excited. I didn't do very good on my eating yesterday, but managed to keep it okay over all.

Today was a little better. I still feel pretty crappy, but got to the gym and did a 1.6 mile run and a 8.25 stationary bike ride. I was more mindful of what I was eating today. I must remember to track so I know what I ate, rather than just guess. I even did my ab workout and pushups today, even though it was the last thing I felt like doing. 4 sets of 20 girly push-ups in the books.

I'm finding it so much more difficult to stay motivated now that my workouts have been forced inside. I've quickly realized part of my love of running is also my love of being outside. It's going to be a long few months...

Push-up challenge

I did 3 sets of 20 girly push-ups today, did them fairly easily too. Maybe tomorrow I should go for 4 sets. We will see what tomorrow brings! Core work: 140 crunches, 50 unsupported dead bugs, and 80 oblique twists. Attempted one plank, failed miserably. Oh well, something else to work on!

Gym membership, Day 2

I hit the gym bright and early this morning, since it is a day off work for MLK day and my mom and I are planning to get pedicures and do some gambling later today. I did one mile on the indoor track (8 laps) and then had to quit since going in circles was making me crazy. Though I did have what may be one of my fastest miles ever, at just around 16 minutes or so. Then I got on the recumbent bike for a half hour. I did just over 9 miles in 30 minutes, not too bad. To finish up, I did another 16 minutes on the treadmill, with an incline. Total miles: 1.83 running, 9.09 stationary bike. Not bad for a Monday!

Back to the core

I got my core work and push-ups in today, thank goodness! I have such a hard time sticking to a fitness plan on the weekends. I wake up with the best intentions, and before I know it, the day is gone and I still haven't worked out. I really need to work on that. It doesn't help that it is winter either. I am not a fan of cold or snow. I do not like anything that requires me to be cold for any length of time. Oh well, only a few more months, right?

Sunday already?

Weekends are so hard. You start out with all this excitement about two days off from work, all these ambitions on what you are going to accomplish, and then life gets in the way. Bleah. Don't get me wrong, I still love weekends, but they are hard on my diet and fitness goals.

Made it to the fitness center this morning, though every fiber of my being wanted to sleep some more. Ran 1.13 miles on the indoor track, did about 1/2 mile on some stepper thing. It was a little crowded so I skipped doing core work there. Believe it or not, no floor space!

I had a big lunch at my in-laws, so probably just a light dinner or snack tonight. Need to get in my pushups and core work too. I will not skip again today!

Today...

No work out as of yet, but I did finally go sign up to use the gym at the community center. I'll be there bright and early in the morning tomorrow! Today, I spent about an hour outside playing with my son and hubby in the snow - lots of fun! We wore peanut out, as he has been sleeping for about 3 hours now, and I'm pretty tired too!

Core work and pushups to be done later!  Doh, didn't happen. Oh well, tomorrow's another day.

Long week.

I decided to take a rest day today. I kept my points on track for the day too. Plan for tomorrow? Sledding and snowmen with my hubby and little man! Then I'm going to go sign up at the community center so I can have somewhere to run until the snow goes away. I plan to run about 3 miles or so tomorrow, we'll see. I'll also owe at least 20 push-ups, but I just needed a day off today. I think I'm going to bed early too! Until tomorrow...

Thank You!

I need to take some time to thank people. Namely, my mom, my husband, and my son, who have been those most directly impacted by my new obsession for running. I am sure they are sick of hearing me talk about it, but they have been nothing but supportive. I was going to skip my run today because of the snow. My mom called this morning and encouraged me to head out right away and beat the snow, so I did. Thanks Mom. I was reluctant to get out there, but I am so thankful I did. Funny how moms always seem to know best.

I also need to thank all my blog followers (up to 5, so exciting!), friends (Facebook or otherwise) who must deal with my new obsession. I fill up their feeds with posts about my workouts, and they often take time to "like" my update, or post words of encouragement. The encouragement I receive from others is what keeps me going when I have a bad day, week or month. Becoming fit is hard, and sometimes frustrating work, but it is so worth it!

Additional work out today: 4 x 20 girly push-ups, 50 crunches, 20 unsupported dead bugs. 

Nimrod.

I had a fabulous run this morning, one of my best ever since I started running in September. I felt great, I was moving good, I was sure I had set a new personal record for pace on this run, so I checked my Garmin as I was winding down my run, and the darn thing wasn't on. FML. So, I finally named my Garmin. Meet Nimrod. Why Nimrod? Because Nimrod only acts up on my best runs. While there is a slight huge chance it is user error, it's also possibly due to the extremely overcast conditions with the impending snow storm. Oh well, even by estimating the time, it was still one of my best runs ever. I think I was conservative on my estimate too. 3.12 in 50 or 53-ish minutes. Not bad when just a few months ago it took me well over an hour.

Mind was willing, body not able

Today, it was beautiful, 50 degrees, in Chicago, in January, AGAIN. Tomorrow? Anywhere from a few inches to a foot of snow, depending who you listen to. Ick. I was totally psyched to run today, but my body just is not capable of running three days in a row right now. Funny how carrying an extra 150 pounds or so can make that difficult. So, I took a day off from running. My heel needed a break, and I need to be able to walk.

My plantar fasciitis seems to be easing a bit. I spent all day icing and rolling a golf or tennis ball under my foot to try to loosen everything up. I'm able to walk without much pain right now, which is fabulous. Hopefully by the time I am able to go for another run (I'm hoping for tomorrow) it will have calmed down even more.

Since I didn't run today, I made sure to get my push-ups in, 2x20 girly push-ups, and two - count 'em - TWO regular push-ups. They weren't done in succession, but they were done! Yay me! Also did my core work - 150 crunches, 60 unsupported dead bugs, 60 oblique twists, and one bridge, held for about a minute, maybe more.

Eating has been on track, hit my points right on the nose today. Even had enough points for one piece of the crack that is my gram's peanut butter fudge... Yummmm. I need to indulge every now and then to keep my sanity. (Though some may argue that is a lost cause!)

My plan for tomorrow? To run of course. I may join the park district gym as well, as the snow and ice is going to make it unsafe for me to run outside unless the sidewalks are cleared. I know lots of people who love running in the snow. I don't know how I feel about it, I just know with my back problems (spinal fusion) and arthritis, it's not a good idea for me to run when I may fall. I might not get back up!

Until tomorrow!

One real push-up!

I just started doing push-ups about a week or so ago when I joined a challenge on Daily Mile to do 20 push-ups a day. I have not done push-ups since college, so my goal was to do one real push-up by the end of the month. I'm proud to say, after just a week or so of doing girly push-ups, I managed one real push-up today! It wasn't pretty, it probably wasn't perfect form, but it was done! I think I shall amend my goal. I would like to do one set of 5 real push-ups by the end of the month. I will be increasing my sets and reps in the meantime! I'm working on increasing my reps for my core work too. A physical terrorist I used to have often told me, "ignore the core, you go no more"... so very true! I still hate core work though!

A frustrating start...

Sometimes, it's just not a good day.

I weighed in today. I followed my plan to the letter all week, got tons of exercise, and only lost 0.2 pounds. 0.2 freaking pounds. It just didn't seem fair. In the past, this would have caused me to go foraging through the refrigerator and pantry, because it just didn't seem to matter.

Today, it just made me want to go run. So I did. I went for a run. Then my old friend plantar fasciitis started acting up again. My heel hurt like hell, but I still managed to go 2.4 miles. My chiro hooked me up with stim and ice this afternoon, I've been stretching like crazy, and now the heel pain is a little more tolerable.

Despite my frustrations today, it's actually turned out to be pretty good. I felt pretty good on my run, and even surprised myself with my pace. I've also managed to stay on track with my eating, and have plenty of points left to have a nice dinner. Some days are not as good as others, I just have to learn to celebrate the little things. You know what? I am damn proud of losing those 0.2 pounds. I'm proud of not self destructing today. It's just a freaking number, and it all adds up in the long run. The important thing is that I got up and made healthy choices today, and continued running towards the "fit" me.

Today's workout

Ran a 5K this afternoon after I got home from work. It was a fabulous, fabulous run for me! One of those runs where you feel like you could just keep going and are sad that you have to stop. Unfortunately, darkness comes very early this time of year, so I had to quit once I hit 5K.

Push-ups: 2x20 girly push-ups. Hope to be able to do a regular push-up (even if only one) by the end of the month.

Core work: 120 crunches, 60 unsupported dead bugs on each leg (total 120), 60 oblique twists, 40 squirms and one bridge.

Plan for tomorrow: to run, of course! Will see how far my legs want to go tomorrow. Supposed to be another 50 degree day in Chicago, in January. Craziness!

Run-Jenn-Run

I have been toying with the idea of creating a blog for some time now. My main reason is to keep myself honest and accountable in my quest for weight loss, improving my fitness and general health, and just living a better life. I've always been the "fat" girl - from the time I was a little kid, and I am tired of being the "fat" girl. I now aim to be the "fit" girl.

In September of 2011, I got this crazy idea that I wanted to start running. I had heard great things about the couch to 5K program, and I thought to myself, "Hey, running is cheap and easy, all you need are your feet and some shoes." Okay, turns out I was wrong about both of those things. Running is not cheap, and it is not easy, but I love it. I attempted a 5K in October (which resulted in a bad ankle sprain and a DNF), completed the couch to 5K program in November of 2011 (after a break due to my ankle injury) and am still running.

I've lost about 20 pounds so far, and am using Weight Watchers to help me with my eating and nutrition. I probably would have lost more weight by now had I watched my food intake (the bad thing about running is you quickly learn you can eat a lot and not see the scale climb up!), but I am focusing on now. I made it through the holidays without gaining a pound, so I am counting that as a win!

Anyway, feel free to follow me on my journey to being the "fit"girl. I need all the encouragement I can get! If you see me running around the neighborhood, feel free to shout out, Run, Jenn, Run! Better yet, come out and join me!