Cyclebar

I used to be really into cycling classes in the late 90's.  My Gold's Gym built a new room with bikes and loud music and crazy instructors.  It was a nice break from all my step classes. (HA, step classes!) I stopped cycling completely when I was pregnant with my first child, and that was the end of that.  Over the years I've taken a spin class here and there at different gyms, but they were usually pretty boring and the seats were not comfortable at all.

Fast forward to 2017 and here comes Cyclebar.  They just built one in the Lake Norman area near me, and for their Grand Opening, the first 2 weeks all the classes were free.  A friend convinced me to go to a class with her.  Since it was free and all, why not?  I signed up online and registered for the class.  I got to pick which bike I wanted to ride.  I chose the back row so no one would notice if I stopped pedaling mid class.  Once I arrived at the Cyclebar, everyone was more than helpful.  They give you cycle shoes that clip in to the pedals on the bike.  You also can pick up a cool water bottle, chilled or room temp water, and bananas.  They provide free lockers to stow your shoes, keys, phone, and all your stuff.  Once inside the cycle room, there is a clean towel for you on your bike (you'll need it).  There were a few people that came around to help you adjust the bike to the right height, and they also helped with the clip in pedals.

the studio

Once the class starts, you can adjust the tension on your bike to go easier or harder.  The instructor offers a guide to where you should be, but you can always do what's better for you.  The music is great in these classes.  They try to match the beat of the music to the pace that you should be peddling.  There's also a part where you pick up either a 4 pound or 6 pound bar (or both) and do some basic arm work.  I found this part to be kinda silly / easy, but it was a nice break for my legs.  A big screen display occasionally shows all the participants names and where you rank in the class compared to everyone else.  My goal was to not be last.  My friend Susie's goal was to be first.  She does triathlons and came in with her own biking shoes. Both Susie and I met our goals :)

After the longest 50 minutes of your life, the class is over.  At the end of class they email you your stats on how you did and how many calories you burned.   

Me, Susie, and Diahann after our 1st class

Overall, I would say that I liked it.  I wouldn't want to do it more than once a week, though.  It's a super hard leg workout.  I also noticed that there were people of all shapes and sizes in the classes.  I guess since you can make it harder or easier maybe people are more likely to try it.  If there's one near you, check it out and let me know what you think.

Finding my Why

At Weight Watchers a lot of the talk in the meeting room this year has been about Finding Your Why. In other words, figure out the reason why you want to lose weight.  The first time I heard this, I thought it was completely stupid.  My why? I'm fat, that's my why.  I even mentioned this to my WW leader, Lori.  She said to reach deeper.I didn't get it.  Some members say that their why is their kids or their grandkids.  Some say it's their health, or to get off medications for high blood pressure or whatever.

None of those reasons are it for me.  I have literally been trying to lose weight my entire life.  I can remember being 8 years old and not being allowed to have the snacks my friends and sister were having.  I went to my first weight loss center at 10 years old, and did Nutri System around age 12.  I went to a Weight Watchers camp for 5 weeks when I was 15.  I did Weight Watchers in college, after college,  and after having each of my 3 kids.

Although I grew up generally active with swim team, softball, track, and other sports here and there, my activity slowed down as I got older.  By the time I had my 3rd child at age 36, I was getting no exercise at all.  I decided to change that, and now at age 48, I have run 2 half marathons, completed 2 triathlons, too many 5k's to count, and I work out almost every day.  In all these years, I have never reached my goal weight.  I've gotten within 10 pounds a few times.  I'm about 20 pounds away from goal right now.

So what's my why?  I'd say I've given up on being "thin".  I would rather be strong.  I can do exercises in the gym now that I couldn't even attempt a few years ago.  I like that I can jump rope without stopping, or do burpees, or hold a plank for 2 minutes, or run 3 miles.  I think that's enough why for me right now.  What's your why?

Coming back after an injury

About a month ago, I was hanging out at a friend's house.  Our kids were playing Just Dance on the Wii, and I decided to play along.  I slipped in the kitchen, and landed on the inside of my knee.  And just like that, I couldn't walk without limping for about 2 weeks.  I did the ice, elevation, rest, Advil thing.  Also got a knee brace, but found that didn't seem to help much.  I've been using a heating pad on my knee at night, and that helps a little bit.  Dr. Google and I have been trying to diagnose.

So for the past month, I haven't worked out AT ALL.  No running, no 9Round Kickboxing, not even much walking.  Needless to say my weight loss has slowed to just maintaining my weight. I'm back at Weight Watchers and tracking my food, so that has been helpful.  What I've found out in this past month is that I really do like working out.  Did I actually just type that? Sometimes exercise becomes a drag.  I don't want to do it, or it's too hard, or I don't like the type of exercise that I'm doing.  By taking this unexpected break, and letting my body heal, I think it's given me a new motivation to restart.

This morning I went back to 9Round and worked out with Quinton (the owner).  I told him about my knee, and let me modify the exercises as needed.  One of the rounds was jump rope.  When I first started working out there, I couldn't jump rope at all.  I had to use a jump rope cut in half with tennis balls attached to the ends, and just jump and twirl the balls in a circle.  Today I jumped rope like Rocky.  Not for the entire 3 minutes, but a good 30-40 jumps in a row before messing up.  Progress.

As I sit here with an ice pack on my knee, I wonder when I'll be able to run again.  One day at a time, I guess.  I hope that my time off is over.  It's easy to just stop, sit on the couch, and eat chips.  But I really do feel better when I am able to exercise and eat better.

Day 9 / RIP Magic Bullet

My Magic Bullet is officially dead.  The plastic part that turns the blade has shaved off to the point that it no longer turns anything.  I know these things are crap, but it's so convenient and easy to make my smoothies in them.  So I ordered a Nutri Bullet off of Amazon. If you have a different brand that you love, please leave a comment and let me know.  I'm sure this new one won't last long either.

Instead of the Magic Bullet, I've been using my old blender bottle shaker cup.  It has a wire ball wisk type thing in it that helps mix the powder.  It works pretty well for just mixing stuff.   For breakfast I just made a chocolate protein and fiber shake in this and ate some berries.  Lunch was Ezekiel break with cashew butter and fruit.  And dinner was a chocolate protein and fiber shake on the way to the swim meet.  I'll have to do better with vegetables tomorrow.

I volunteered at the swim meet from 5:30-9:30.  I watched kids and adults scarf down ice cream, pizza, candy, and fried chicken sandwiches. I kept asking the kids if I could hold their ice cream for them.  These kids around here are too smart and no one fell for my tricks. When I got home I was hungry, so I ate some almonds.  I checked my fitbit, and had only walked 5400 steps.  I guess my duties as a timer at the swim meet didn't allow for many steps.  However I sure was exhausted.  I don't think I sat down at all during those 4 hours.  My socks were completely soaked through from getting splashed so much.  Good times.  But I do like seeing kids swim, so it was ok.  And our team won the meet ! :)

Ramblin Rose #2

On June 6, 2016, I completed my 2nd triathlon.  It was a Ramblin Rose Series in South Charlotte. You can read about all the Ramblin Rose races here.  It was a bit shorter than my last one, with a 200 meter swim, 8 mile bike, and 2 mile run.  I decided to do it really at the last minute, since I had to go out and buy a bike.  My sister had loaned me her bike last year, but when my race was over she wanted it back.  I didn't really understand at the time what a nice bike it was.  I now realize that it was a several thousand dollar bike.  I plunked down $500 at Dick's for my new road bike.  No small sum by any means, but I'm really not happy with this bike.  It's just not as smooth and fast as my sister's bike.  It's like I learned to ride on a Ferrari, and now I drive a Honda.  The Honda's fine, don't get me wrong, but it's no Ferrari.

The race started with the swim, which is my strength.  I swam at the end of the fastest swimmers, ranking myself a level 9 swimmer, with 10 being the highest.  That was a good spot for me.  I didn't have to pass anyone, and no one passed me.  I was done in 6:26.  Next was the bike.  The course was 2 loops, which I didn't like.  I don't like to pass the same stuff twice.  I just couldn't get up the hills fast enough.  I felt like the chain kept catching when I would shift gears and I was afraid I would completely wipe out. We also went down some pretty busy roads, and the car drivers were not the friendliest.   The 8 miles on the bike took me 38:36.   When I was finally done with that, I had to convince my legs to run 2 miles.  That's my hardest transition.  My legs were like lead.  I popped a few energy chews and grabbed my bottle of water.  I just had to walk for the first few minutes.  I basically ran / walked the 2 miles, which was fine.  I passed plenty of people younger than me.  They write your age on the back of your leg for just this purpose, I think.  I finished the 2 miles in 22:31.  My overall time was 1:12.22.  I was 20th out of 49 in my age group. And overall 162 out of 307.  I wasn't last :) and I finished, which is always my goal.

I'll probably do another triathlon in Huntersville, NC in September.  I really need to figure out what I'm going to do with this bike.  I'll take it in to Dick's and have them look at it for starters.

Want to join me in September?  Sign up! Here's the link: http://ramblinroseevents.com/charlotte-tour-home/charlotte-race-info/ I've inspired at least one friend to start training for the September race.  If you know how to swim, and you have a bike, you can do it.

End of week 1 results / day 8

At the end of the first 7 days, I am down 4 pounds.  My stomach definitely feels flatter and less bloated, which is good.  I was super tired this week, though.  I did 9Round 3 days, and walked 2 days, which is actually less exercise than what I usually do.  I will try to ramp that up this week, although I'm not sure when.  The girls have camps, swim team, and babysitting this week.  We are going camping on Friday, so that will make things challenging for me as far as eating goes.  But hey, that's life, right?

We stopped in Gaffney, SC on the way home yesterday and got some peaches.  I peeled 2 and put them in a vanilla shake this morning.  So good!  It's so much easier to eat better in the summer with all of the fresh fruits and vegetables around.

I was playing around with my Fitbit app, and I started plugging in my daily food intake.  I was surprised to see that it recognized the Arbonne products.  I plugged in a few days worth of food, and figured out I'm eating around 1400 calories, when I don't eat out.  I don't want to go below 1200, and I don't want to eat more than 1500.  I found this online calculator  here, if you want to figure out how many calories you should be eating,  I've been on a 500 calorie a day diet, it wasn't fun and I couldn't maintain it more than a few weeks.  I really hate tracking foods and counting calories, but it is the best way to lose weight, I think.

Day 7

Woke up thirsty today.  Not a good sign.  I drank some of the detox tea last night before bed.  I feel like that just pulls water out of my body.  Yesterday after dinner we joined some friends at the neighborhood pool.  Instead of drinking a beer or two I drank La Croix and actually got in the pool and splashed around with my kids.

Blueberry shake for breakfast.  For lunch, went to Greenville, SC to see my Dad for Father's Day.  I ate an "Iron Man Omelette".  It had egg whites, spinach, mushrooms, and grilled chicken, with gluten free toast and unsweetened iced tea.  I thought it was pretty good.  Managed to get through the afternoon with no snacks, but also with very little activity, as we were in car for 3+ total hours today. We went out to dinner at Kung Fu Noodle, which is owned by our friend Tommy.  I had a soup dumpling, 2 bites of a pork bun, and a California roll.  Oh and 2 glasses of wine :(   After dinner my husband and the kids got ice cream.  I didn't get any.  I may have had one bite.  I do love ice cream.

When we got home I drank 32oz of water, my detox tea, and that was it.  The day was not a total bust, but I could've done better.

Days 5 and 6

Well at least I made it to day 5 without going off the program.  The girls wanted to go out to dinner and we had promised them we would to reward them for their good grades.

So it went something like this:
Breakfast - the chocolate protein shake
9 Round Workout - didn't eat anything after
Lunch - Salad with tuna, vegetables, and a dressing I made out of mustard and EVOO.  Also had 1 piece Ezekiel bread with cashew butter.
Dinner - The Melting Pot.
Needless to say, I didn't do very well.  Yes I ate some bread and cheese.  Had the salad dressing on the side with no croutons (winning.  ha ha).  Cooked my shrimp, chicken and steak in broth.  Yes I ate some (ok most) of the chocolate.  And I had wine.   Yes I overdid it.  Yes I completely blew it.

I came home and tried to drink about 30 oz of water.  I could just feel the salt still on my tongue from the chocolate.  Needless to say I didn't feel very good when I woke up this morning.

My husband's cooking

This morning (day 6) I got up and made my shake with vanilla protein powder, almond milk, almond butter, fiber powder, strawberries, raspberries, and ice.  This one was pretty good.  I am still leaving the greens out though.  I went for a 2 mile walk around the neighborhood.  I really didn't feel like running, so I didn't.  Then for lunch I had another shake.  Same thing, only with the chocolate protein powder.  I was hungry around 4 and had a handful of almonds.

For dinner my husband is grilling a whole chicken, corn on the cob, and grilled carrots.  Might add a salad too.  I generally avoid corn, but I do like fresh summer corn every once in awhile.  The biggest thing today is that I feel really TIRED.  I did just also drink an energy fizz stick.  I probably need to drink even more water.

Day 4

It's the morning of day 4.  Last night I had a chocolate smoothie for dinner on the way to the swim meet.  It was so HOT outside and we were right in the sun.  I kept drinking water but I felt like that I was sweating it all out.  My friend Elaine, who is doing a similar program with Isagenix, was sitting next to me.  At one point I noticed she was drinking a Gatorade.  I looked at her and said, "That kind has sugar!"  (We are pretty good friends so I felt that I could say this to her :) She said that she was feeling shakey and weak and needed something.  So that was good that she listened to her body.  I got home from the swim meet and felt hungry, so I ate some almonds, drank more water, took a shower and went to bed.

This morning I made a shake with the vanilla protein powder:
2 scoops vanilla protein powder
1 scoop fiber powder
1/4c blueberries
1T almond butter
a few coconut flakes
3 ice cubes
Pulse in Magic Bullet until smooth

I left out any veggies today.  I think it's the fiber powder making it taste gritty.  This shake was pretty good, but I still like the chocolate one better.  I'll load up on veggies at lunch.

Although I got up and put on my workout clothes, I have yet to actually workout.  It might not be happening today.

Day 3

This is my 3rd day out of 30 on my 30 days to healthy living.  The first thing that I've learned is that kale tastes like toothpaste grit with put in a smoothie.  Yuck.  That was yesterday's smoothie. Today I made my breakfast smoothie with 2 scoops chocolate protein powder, 1 scoop fiber powder, 8oz unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 3 fresh strawberries, 1 spoonful of cashew butter, and some spinach.  I didn't really taste the spinach in this one, and it tasted pretty good.

I worked out at 9Round with trainer Quinton, who is the owner. He's a former pro football player, and he's really awesome as a trainer.  His workouts are really hard, and today's was a killer.  I was dripping sweat and dying when it was over.  I went home and drank 30 oz of water and a handful of almonds.

Lunch was a salad with spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and a slice of avocado.  I made some dressing out of mustard, olive oil, garlic, and apple cider vinegar.  I also had a slice of Ezekiel toast (wheat / gluten free) with some cashew butter.

It's 4:15p and I'm hungry.  We have a swim meet tonight, so I'll drink a shake about 5p and call it dinner.   I'm wondering if I'm eating enough. I kinda don't think so.  I may need to add a snack later.

30 Days to Healthy Living

So if you know me at all, you know that I sell Rodan + Fields.  If you're curious, you can check that out here.  I decided that if I want my friends to support my business, then I should, in turn, support theirs.  I have LuLaRoe tops, Shakelee Vitamins, and recently I attended a friend's Arbonne party.  Arbonne is an all natural line of makeup, skincare, and nutrition products.  I had heard about their skincare, since they are a competitor for Rodan + Fields, but this was the first time that I had heard about their nutrition.  You can check out the Arbonne website here.

I sampled their protein powder and drinks, and decided to sign up for a 30 Days to Healthy Living system.  I quit Weight Watchers a few months ago.  After 2 years on WW I just wasn't doing it, and I felt like I was wasting my money.  I never had lost the weight I gained over the holidays (um, hello, it's JUNE), and I felt like I needed something different to get me motivated again. On this plan you eliminate gluten, corn, soy, sugar, artificial sweeteners, alcohol (gasp), and most processed foods.

I got the box last week and checked it all out.  You drink 1-2 protein shakes per day, along with a healthy meal or two.  There's a tea and some fizzy drinks to hold you in between meals.  Yesterday was day 1.  I did my regular 9Round workout and followed the program.  Today I walked 3 miles, and had an extra (approved) shake after my walk.  There is a Facebook page that coaches me along the way each day, which I like.  Although today's post was talking about limiting exercise.  The point being if you eat too few calories, your body goes into starvation mode and holds on to fat.  While I'm not going to limit exercise, I will be careful to eat enough calories.

Let me know if you've ever done this program, and what your results were.  My goal is weight loss (duh).  20 pounds would be great, but seems ambitious.  Gotta go, it's time to drink my detox tea.

Girls on the Run

I recently signed up to be a Girls on the Run Coach at my daughters' elementary school.  Neither of my daughters were interested in running, and they already had other activities that met during the Girls on the Run meetings.  But I wanted to help girls with running, and maybe get an extra workout or two in for myself.

I originally thought Girls on the Run was just about running, like a track team.  I ran track in middle school and some in high school.  I wasn't the fastest, but I could run the 440 (once around the track) and 880 (twice around) okay.  I hated the mile, that was way too far for me back then.  At my training class for Girls on the Run I found out that in addition to running,  there are also lessons the girls learn about empowering themselves and others.  The lessons generally encourage the girls to be their best self, and to be good people.

This past week it was my turn to teach the lesson.  It was about negative self talk, and how to change it. Part of the activity involved the girls writing their negative self talk sentences on stickers that we stuck onto a balloon.  At the end of our run, we all helped to pop the balloon and throw it in the trash.  This hopefully got rid of our negative self talk.  I looked at what these girls had written before we popped it.  Keep in mind these are 3rd - 5th graders.  There were several, "I'm fat," and several "I hate my hair."  None of these girls are fat!  And why on earth would an 8 year old hate her hair?  What the heck is happening to our girls? What kind of messages are we sending them?

I realized that I engage in negative self talk on an almost daily basis. I've told myself I'm fat a million times.  I've struggled with my weight all of my life.  Isn't this the real reason why I signed up for Girls on the Run?  How was I supposed to tell these girls to accept themselves, when I can't do that for myself?  I told the girls at the end of our session that if there was something they didn't like about themselves, they had the power to change it.  But they also needed to find something they liked about themselves, too, and that could be their focus instead of the negatives.  Easier for me to say that to the girls, than to actually do it myself.  I guess it's a work in progress, no matter what the age.

Overnight Oatmeal

I get into a rut when it comes to breakfasts.  When I find something that I like, and that is good for me, I tend to eat it several times in a row.  While this is not always the best thing for weight loss, I find it comforting to know exactly what I'm eating and how many Weight Watchers Smart Points it contains.  I also find that if I start the day off with a good breakfast, I am less likely to blow it later on snacks.  I also like convenience.  Mornings are a hectic time for everyone.  Between work and school and just trying to wake up, I don't want to have to think about making a good choice.  I like to have something ready for those days when I just need to grab something quickly.  I have also discovered that I really like chewing.  So shakes really don't do it for me as a meal. I would rather chew my calories than drink them.

This is where I have come to love overnight oatmeal.  I use mason jars, but you can use a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

Chocolate overnight oats with bananas

Skinny Overnight Oats in a Jar
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 1 • Serving Size: 1 jar •   Smart Points: 5

The basic Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup quick oats (I like Quaker oats in the big round can)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or skim, soy)
• 1 T Plain Fat Free Greek Yogurt (buy the big tub)
• 1 packet Truvia or whatever sweetener you like
• dash of vanilla

From here, I add in different things:

         Cinnamon and pecans or

         Unsweetened Cocoa powder or

         PB2 peanut butter powder or

         berries or

         bananas

Directions:

Place all the ingredient in a jar, stir, cover and refrigerate overnight. Enjoy the next day!  Can eat cold or hot.

I make several of these on Sundays and line them up in the fridge.  My husband calls the chocolate oats "poop in a jar".  It's so good that I don't care :)

Threw it all away

I went back to Weight Watchers this past Friday.  I decided to just take the hit and see how much weight I gained in my 2 month absence from WW.  It was bad.  Up 11 pounds. I need to learn the new WW 2016 program, along with Oprah. And then follow it, of course. I love Oprah.

One of the tips that Weight Watchers gives you when you start their program is to go through your pantry, fridge, and freezer, and throw out or give away all of the foods that are in in calories / points and are not good for your / your weight loss.

I have been on Weight Watchers on and off this time for over a year and I have never done this.  My excuses were that I had to pack something for the kids' lunches, they needed snacks, I needed snacks, we needed to keep that Halloween candy in the back of the pantry (for emergencies, of course).

On Saturday I was getting frustrated with my 9 year old daughter, because she was fighting me on going to swim team practice.  She's a good swimmer, but she's chunky (like me) and thus slower than her friends.  I was planning to run on the treadmill at the gym while she swam.  So if I couldn't convince / make her go, I was going to miss my window of opportunity to work out.  So now I'm yelling, she's yelling, my husband is yelling and general chaos ensued.

My husband (and I) decided to purge all of the junk food in our kitchen.  We threw out Nutri grain bars, peanut butter crackers, Special K bars, Capt'n Crunch cereal (bought on sale in a moment of weakness), Chef Boyardee, my Luna bars (no!!!), frozen chicken nuggets, toaster strudel, frozen waffles, and a bunch of other crap.  By themselves, most of these things aren't terrible, but they're not whole foods, either.

We all went to the grocery store and bought lots of fruit, vegetables, eggs,  whole wheat bread, Greek yogurt, low fat cheeses, plain Cheerios, chicken, some other healthy (I hope) stuff.

My daughter has a friend her age, that is tiny and stick thin.  At her house their pantry is full of candy, chips, and cookies.  "It's not fair that they can have all of that stuff and they're still skinny!" Sarah said.  She's right  It's totally not fair.  We are definitely not a family who can keep all of that stuff around.  Heck, we can't even keep any junk food around.  Sigh.

I'm hungry, what's for lunch?

Time to get serious. I mean it this time.

I hope that y'all had a great Christmas vacation!  Boy I sure did!  Pies, cookies, wine, dinners out, homemade dinners, parties, family, more wine, ha ha.  I totally relaxed my own "food rules" and ate whatever I wanted.  Since I hurt my hip flexor a few weeks ago, I didn't exercise hardly AT ALL.  I barely even wore my Fitbit.  I hadn't been to Weight Watchers since before Thanksgiving.  Did I really just run a half marathon less than a month ago? I had even quit weighing myself everyday, which I know I'm not supposed to do anyway.  I had gone off the rails, off the wagon, off the deep end.  

I decided that today was the day that I would step on the scale.  My scale is in a small room in my bathroom that has a toilet.  I actually have 2 scales in there.  I bought the second one last year because there was an app that hooked to my iPhone and it measured your water content in your body. Except I weighed about 1 pound more on that scale than my old scale.  So now it just sits and collects dust. Yes, I realize that I am crazy.  Also in my small potty room I have a chart that I made on the wall with numbers ranging from 180 pounds to 155 pounds (my goal weight according to Weight Watchers).  Every time a hit a lower number, I "X" it off on the chart.  Motivating, right?  I also have a list of rewards posted for when I hit certain goal weights.  This chart has been posted in my bathroom for almost a year.  I have crossed off 8 pounds.  I have also bought myself some of the rewards before getting to the weight I specified.  

Today when I stepped on the scale, I realized that I would need a new chart, because I had gained those 8 pounds back in about 4 weeks.  Dang it. I did have a really fun holiday.  So back to 9Round I went today.  My arm strength is gone.  Apparently running is not good for your arms.  But my cardio capacity is much better from running all fall.  At one point during our workout today, my friend Diahann looked over at me and said, "I hate 9Round."  I don't think she was kidding. She's been working out there for over 2 years.  It's a great workout.  Much better than running outside today in the 25 degrees weather.  

Goodbye delicious Christmas food.  Goodbye (for now) Chardonnay. Hello meal prep, trying new recipes, and my Weight Watcher meetings.  It's a journey.  Last year my goal was to run a triathlon.  I did that, plus ran a 10K and a half marathon.  This year my goal is to get to my Weight Watchers goal weight of 155.  Should be easy in comparison, right? It's not. I definitely cannot outrun my fork! Game on! 

Ouch

This morning I decided that today was the day.  I hadn't run in two weeks since my half marathon, and it was now or never.  Believe me, I thought a lot about the never.  But I had worked so hard to be able to run the half marathon, and I didn't want all of those workouts to go to waste.  Besides, I hadn't gotten back on the scale and honestly I was afraid to.  With all of the holiday parties and food, I had stopped keeping track of what I was eating.  I hadn't weighed myself in those past two weeks and I was sure I had gained some weight. Exactly how much I was afraid to find out.  

So today was the day.  Ate my good breakfast of Kashi cereal, raspberries and unsweetened almond milk.  Fished my running shoes out of the closet.  Decided I would try for about 3 miles on my usual route around the neighborhood.  I started my playlist from my half marathon.  The first song is Ariana Grande's Focus.  It made me remember how I felt that day 2 weeks ago when I started out on the half marathon.  It felt good that I was able to attempt running 13.1 miles.  Next song on my playlist is Pharrell's Happy.  It  gets me up that first big hill in my neighborhood.  I was breathing hard, but I didn't stop.  Yay me.  Next half mile is flat / slight down hill.  I got to only .75 miles in and OUCH.  My hip flexor said STOP.  Noooo!  I hadn't even run 1 mile yet!  What was happening?

This was the same pain that had hit me in mile 10 a few weeks ago.  I walked for a bit, and tried to run again.  No go.  

So instead of running I walked back home.  It was a total of 2 miles for today.  Looks like I won't be running much for awhile.  I Googled my pain and found this picture.  That's exactly it.   Hip flexor strains can be caused by a variety of things (such as increased mileage, new running drills, or trauma).

A hip flexor strain can be felt in the front area where your thigh meets your hip. Depending on how bad the strain is, you may notice: Mild pain and pulling in the front of the hip; Cramping and sharp pain. It may be hard to walk without limping. 

Cause of action: Rest (from activities that cause you pain), ice, dynamic stretches (once initial strain improves). 

So I'm sitting here with ice on it.  Dang it. Anyone want to do a swimming workout tomorrow? 

The Huntersville Half Marathon - I did it!

On Saturday 12/12/15, I completed the Huntersville Half Marathon in 2 hours, 33 minutes, and 48 seconds.  In my age group I was 57th out of 72 finishers, and overall I was 833rd out of 989 runners.  I wasn't last!  I was happy with my time, but I felt like I could've done better.  I started too far back in the pack of 989 runners.  I was with the 2:30 pace people, but I should have started with the 2:00 pace people.  At mile 2 people were stopping to walk, and I was just getting started.  I actually passed quite a few people in the first 3 miles or so and was keeping up a 10 minute per mile pace, which is just about as fast as I could go.  The course was very hilly, which I had anticipated.  However I have never ran so many hills in one running session before.

At mile 7 I started up Winfield Creek Parkway.  It's about a mile long, all uphill. I popped some energy chews and tried to get motivated.   I started pooping out and slowing down, when a guy came up behind me and said, "Use that booty and get up this hill!" I laughed, only because I have no booty :) but I kept going up the hill.

There was a separate competition within the half marathon for "heartbreak hill" on Hugh Torrence Parkway. They timed us running down the hill and then back up the hill.  It's super steep and I was planning on walking it.  But then I saw my friend Lauren, who teaches at Burn Bootcamp.  She wasn't running; she was just there to cheer people up that mean old hill.  She saw me and came and ran with me and cheered me on.  It was super nice of her and I really appreciated it. I wonder how many times she ran up and down that hill that day.  Needless to say, I did not have the fastest time for heartbreak hill.

Right before mile 9 I passed my house.  My two girls were outside with signs saying "Go Mom" and cheering me on. It was of course very encouraging. I had to keep running while they could see me.   I rounded the corner and started up the hill on Harvington Drive.  I run this hill every time that I go for a run.  Some friends of ours live on that street, and one had jokingly said that he was going to throw rocks at me as I passed. I couldn't let him see me walking so I kept running.  He wasn't even outside!  Later he told me that he had to go to McDonald's and get breakfast. Nice.  He's not a runner.

Next I passed my friend Elaine, who took this picture of me at mile 9.  It was about 60 degrees and cloudy.  It was much warmer than everyone thought it would be for the middle of December.  I decided to wear my "Shut up and Run" tank since it was so warm.  I love this tank because it makes me feel like I have to keep running, not walking.  But the problem became that I was sweating so much that my arms chaffed.  Runner problems. Also right here I passed Jeff and Andrea's house.  They had a table set up with water for the runners.  I grabbed a bottle of water which was literally the best thing ever.  I had decided not to run with my water belt, and was regretting that decision.

At mile 10, I felt a pinch in my left side IT band, near my hip. It hurt to run.  I started walking.  After a minute or so I tried to run and it just hurt too much.  My 10 minute per mile pace turned into almost 13 minutes per mile.  I ate some more of my energy gummies.  I figured that I needed all of the help that I could get at this point.  I didn't want to stop and give up.  Besides, I had to get back to my car somehow.  I started running again. Those hills!  I was hurting.  The last mile was uphill as well.  I hate races that end uphill.  It's just mean. Finally I could see the finish line!  

Me and Frank

I think that I got to the finish by sheer force of will.  My friend Elaine was there at the finish with her 2 kids.  They ran with me the last 100 yards or so.  Her husband Frank finished about 30 minutes before me.  He's fast.  My friend Diahann was there with her 2 kids as well.  I was kinda in a daze at the finish and found some water and bananas.  I felt a little better.  I watched them give out the awards to the top finishers.  Jimmy Johnson the race car driver won his age group, but didn't stick around to get his award.  One of my friends from my UpGrade Lifestyle cycling group won her age group.  Her age group was 60-65 and she finished in 2:01, over 30 minutes ahead of me.  She's awesome.

I limped back to my car and got home.  My daughter fixed me a protein shake, then I took a shower, took some Advil, and took a 2 hour nap.  Later that day I went out to dinner with my daughter and then went to a Holiday party at a friend's house.  I might do another half marathon in the spring. We'll see how long it takes for me to stop limping.  I DID IT!!!! :)

Healthy

Everyone wants to be healthy.  We want our kids to be healthy.  We want our diets to be healthy.  But what is healthy, really?  Is it how we look?  Is it how we feel?  Is it things we can't see like heart rates and blood levels?

I have been working for what it seems like my whole life on getting healthy.  I want to lose 20 more pounds, and then I think I will finally be healthy.  I workout, try to eat right, and get 8 hours of sleep most of the time.  But is that enough?  As I meet people through Rodan + Fields and talk to them about the health of their skin and their skin concerns, I learn something new everyday.  Lots of people are covering up their skin problems with makeup.  These problems come from allergies, lack of sleep, sun damage, redness and even chemotherapy.  I had one friend tell me that her doctors don't know what's causing her abdominal pain, even after extensive testing at several different hospitals.  She's lost about 40 pounds and is now as skinny as her teenage daughters, but only because she hurts when she eats.  She's trying hard to get healthy everyday.

I have struggled for years to get to a healthy (healthier?) weight.  I mean, the name of this blog is Laraine Gets Fit, ya know?  I have also struggled for what seems like years with redness in my skin, which might be rosacea.  I've never been to a dermatologist about it.  But I have spent time and money trying every solution under the sun from Clinique to Aveeno.  Nothing worked for me until I tried Rodan + Fields Soothe regimen.  Washing my face and putting on the Soothe treatment, which takes less than 5 minutes, twice a day, cleared up my redness in about 6 weeks.  And I mean, its GONE.  I wish weight loss was this easy!  Now I use much less makeup.  Sometimes I don't wear any makeup at all.  If you would have told me that a year ago, I would've said no way.  I used to wear makeup everywhere, even to the grocery store.

Please bring me your skin concerns and let me help you.  You don't have to suffer and pile on the makeup.  Let me help you reveal your healthy skin that may be hiding.  Give it 60 days, minimum.  I can share with you ingredient lists if you have allergies.  I can help you find the right solution for your skin type.  Start here :Laraine's Solution Tool and answer the questions.  Let me get you started towards the healthiest skin of your life.

https://laraine.myrandf.com/

The Taper

I'm less than a week away from running the Huntersville Half Marathon!  This morning my husband asked me if I was ready for the race.  I automatically answered no.  One minute I think I'm ready, and the next I'm kinda freaking out. I ran my last long run of 12 miles the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  From there until race day on 12/12/15, I'm in the phase of training known as the "taper".

What is a taper?  According to Runner's World, tapering means reducing the volume of your weekly training mileage during the final two to four weeks leading up to the race.  Tapering allows muscle glycogen stores to return to peak levels. Metabolic enzymes, antioxidants, and various hormones, depleted during training, return to their optimal ranges. Muscle and connective tissues repair and strengthen. And, the body’s immune system improves dramatically too. In short, tapering allows your body to prepare for peak performance. One study concluded, “The primary aim of the taper should be to minimize accumulated fatigue, rather than to attain additional physiological adaptations or fitness gains." Makes sense when you read it, but I keep thinking that I should run more! Train harder! I've been training for 12 weeks now, so I think that I can do it, but it's just overwhelming to think about it.

Last week I only ran one day, for 4.26 miles.  I did 2 days of 9Round Kickboxing and then felt incredibly sore in my hamstrings for 3 days.  No more 9Round until after the race.  Need to save those legs.  Today I ran 6 miles.  It felt pretty good, but not my best run ever.  I was only planning to do 5, so I didn't take any water with me.  That was a bad decision; I really could have used a drink by mile 4.  I passed my friend Angela a few times on my route today, or rather, she passed me while we were running uphill!  She's running the half marathon too.  She's much faster than me, and in much better shape.  I really appreciate all the tips she has given me on speed work and running those darn hills!  Maybe someday I will be fast enough to run with her.

5 days to go until race day!  There's no turning back now!

Back for another 9 Rounds

If you know me or have been following this blog, then you know that at one point I was working out at a place called 9round 4-5 times a week.  9Round is a 30 minute circuit that incorporates boxing moves with cardio and body weight exercises. Here's a great video about 9round here  Back in June when my membership ran out, I decided not to renew.  I just needed something different and I was burnt out  after over 18 months of 9Round.  So over the summer I trained for and completed my first triathlon. I focused on swimming and riding a bike.   I did a couple of 5k races, one of which I placed 3rd in my age group.  And yes there were more than 3 people in my age group :)

This fall, I have been focusing on running, with a goal race of the Huntersville Half Marathon on 12/12/15. I had noticed that all my work on toning my arms had gone out the window.  My legs were getting smaller, but my arms had turned back to Jello.  I tried some other weightlifting classes at another gym, but I just couldn't get into it.  They almost seemed too easy.  There were no burpees, squats, or mountain climbers.  So when 9 Round sent me a Black Friday offer, I thought about it.  I also got about 4 more emails from them over the weekend.  By Cyber Monday I decided to go back and try them out again.

This morning I dug out my pink boxing gloves and headed back over.  I went right back to pushups, wall squats, and roundhouse kicks.  It's good to know that some things can stay the same.  It didn't kill me, but I was dripping sweat. It was a great 30 minute workout.  Back to running tomorrow, if it stops raining, that is.

In reading over this, it occurs to me that if you had told me 5 years ago that I would be doing half marathons, triathlons, and kickboxing, I would have told you that you were crazy. I am not a fitness fanatic by any means.  I started with only walking 15 minutes on the treadmill.  Actually I started with just parking farther away in the parking lot at work.  Baby steps add up.  You just have to start.