This week's plans

I have to get back in the habit of setting up my week on Sundays, both in my head and my house. It helps so much to check the calendar, plan a few meals and snacks, and get things ready.

I'm also in between training plans...not races, though. I have a half marathon training plan that was much too lofty post-surgery and with foot issues and a catch-up plan that I'm actually ahead of. It would help immensely, if I'd write out my plan, a combo of the two I currently have. Maybe I'll get that done today, if all else goes well.

And I know that planning my meals and snacks really does help me stay on track. We're at the last weigh-in of the Lose a (Half) Marathon contest with Run with Jess...and I didn't come near my goal. I lost 4 pounds total, fluctuating back and forth with a couple of pounds constantly. I know I have to add something to my exercise routine in order to make any progress. It's finding the time that is the problem.

So, here's this week in a nutshell:
Monday--run 2.5 miles
     snack: oops...forgot to pack one...maybe a protein bar?
     after school: gymnastics/Body Combat (here's to hoping my son will actually go to childcare)
     dinner: baked potatoes with chili
Tuesday--picture day at school
     snack: PB2 and an apple
     after school: Choice Tour at school
     dinner: crockpot southwest chicken and dumplings
Wednesday--run 3 miles
     snack: grapes and almonds
     after school: faculty meeting/cross country practice
     dinner: eat at church before Hang Time
Thursday--run 2 miles
     snack: ham rollups
     after school: cross country practice
     dinner: Date Night!
Friday--
     snack: trail mix
     after school: fun time with the kids :)
     dinner: bbq hotdogs
Saturday--Shortgrass Scamper Quarter Marathon! and small group
Sunday--church...and my brother will be home from Kenya!

Ok, so you really didn't need all that, but I sure did :)

Five Faves

Today's Fitness Cheerleader blog post challenge is "What are your five favorite veggies?"

To be honest, until I started trying to lose weight 3 years ago, most of my veggies were rather boring and mostly canned...green beans, corn, carrots, peas. That was about it, with an occasional salad.

Now, here are my five faves:
1. Spinach, raw only. I add it to sandwiches, eggs, wraps, smoothies, etc. Love it.
2. Broccoli, steamed with a little salt.
3. Zucchinni, grilled, roasted or sauteed.
4. Carrots, raw. Now a total standby for snacking and lunches.
5. Tomatoes.

Weekly Weigh-Ins

I have always done weekly weigh-ins, which has worked well for Run With Jess's Lose a (Half) Marathon challenge. However, here lately, I've been weighing in more than that, mainly because I've been making a lot of bad food choices and my runs have been sporadic, at best.

I haven't decided if that is good or bad for me. Once a week is plenty, but seeing the day-to-day fluctuations reminds me that one bad weigh-in doesn't mean my weight loss goals are ruined. I think too often can be a problem, though, because our weight does roller coaster up and down so much. It's easy to get frustrated with that.

I think it all depends on your mindset. If you can handle the up and down, then whenever is fine. But if you're like me, once a week is more than enough.

10 Things

Inspired by today's post on Another Mother Runner, here's my ten things:

1. Best run ever: It's a toss-up between three races, my second 10k, my first half, and my last 5k. Or maybe when I ran a sub-60 10k right at the end of the year to reach my goal.

The second 10k I ran was awesome in that it was pouring rain, I had an incredible support crew of my husband, kids and parents there, and I knew I was going to beat my previous time.

The first half was awesome because it felt good...the entire time! I didn't hurt or tire out and enjoyed the whole run.

The last 5k I ran was awesome because I ran it with my Daddy in Kansas City and beat my time goal of a sub-30 5k. Plus my husband, mom and kids were waiting at the finish line. And it was a kicka*( course of hills.

And that sub-60 10k was just perfect. I did it on my own right before the year ended. It proved to me that I could do it...that I could run faster. It was a much needed boost after a somewhat miserable RnR Vegas Half just a few weeks before that.



2. Three words that describe my running: Early. Struggle. Sanity.


3. My go-to running outfit is: black shorts (like tights, but shorts...do these have a name?), tank, and usually a BondiBand. That makes it sound so simple, but when I "gear up" to run outside, there's also a Garmin, pepper spray, a Road ID, a water bottle and a visor involved.


4. Quirky habit while running: Does putting on my left shoe and sock first every time count?


5. Morning, midday, evening: Morning. Very early morning. Maybe 4 am is really night. It's the only way to fit it in, and I like starting my day with a run.


6. I won’t run outside when it’s: dark. I'm a chicken. When I first started running, I did run in the dark and got freaked out by one guy in a trench coat. That did it for me. I've tried it since, and I can't handle hearing noises and not being able to see where...did I mention I'm pretty much nightblind?


7. Worst injury—and how I got over it: Before last month, I would have said IT band issues which plagued me after my first couple of 5ks. However, I'm now battling the dreaded PF. It's a constant effort.


8. I felt most like a badass mother runner when: I ran four miles less than a month after surgery this summer.

9. Next race is: Archer City's Shortgrass Scamper in my hometown. It's a local race my mom is in charge of. This year, there's a new distance...the quarter marathon. I'm guaranteed a PR, right? It's about a month before my half, so I'm doing that distance for sure...even if I have to crawl to the finish. I'm doing it as part of Team World Vision and don't want to give up on it.


10. Potential running goal for 2013: I would have said marathon not too long ago, but this PF is causing me to rethink a lot of things. I love to run and want to be able to run as long as I can. I'm not sure a marathon would be a good idea right now. So, my potential goal for 2013 is 1000 miles. I did 800 last year, won't come close to it this year, so I have some miles to make up.

On My Own

Today's blog post challenge from Fitness Cheerleader asks, "Do you work out with others or by yourself?"

Because of when I run, I tend to run alone. During the school year, I run before school two or three times a week on the treadmill in the garage. That's totally me. I try to get in one long run on the weekend. For the longest time, I did those alone. But somewhere along the way, I started running with my sister for the long runs. I totally enjoy those runs!

But I don't mind the solitude of running alone. It gives me time to think or to zone out, depending on the day. It also pushes me mentally...there are no distractions, no conversation, and nothing to push me farther. I need that sometimes.

Keeping track

I didn't start off keeping track of my runs. I probably should have. It's great to be able to look back and see how far you've come.

When I first started trying to lose weight, I used a service from my health insurance to log food/exercise. I earned points and an awesome gift card during that first push for weight loss. I've used that site off and and on since then, earning more rewards.

I started using DailyMile last year to keep track of my mileage. I reached over 800 miles last year, surpassing my goal of 1100k in 2011. I don't think I'm going to reach that this year, but I still log my miles on DailyMile.

A friend convinced me to start using MyFitnessPal. I love the convenience of the app on my phone and iPad, as well as the website. I also love being able to scan a barcode. For now, I'm sticking with it, although I may double log to earn more points. Can't pass up free stuff, can I?

Training Plans

I'm normally a runner who sticks to her plan and always has to have one. However, with this foot issue, I've had to put the plans on the backburners and do what I can when I can. Lately, that hasn't been much.

However, I'm so thankful that Team World Vision sent out a "catch-up" plan this week. I needed that. It gives me hope that maybe I can finish the half marathon after all. That's my goal...run, walk, crawl, finish!

Don't forget I'm still taking donations for Team World Vision. Just $50 provides one person in Africa with clean drinking water for their entire lifetime! We probably spend that much each year on bottled water...and we don't drink bottled water regularly. I know our filter on our fridge costs about that much each year. Won't you help me provide someone with that precious necessity?