Oh, hello!

I did not mean to take a week away from my little corner of the internet. This week was a little light on the working out which always makes me feel blah.

But... foot update! I walked my regular 1.5 mile route on Saturday and today and felt no pain!!

Of course, my initial instinct was to do ALL THE THINGS! But even the thought of an injury was pretty scary and I think I'm going to take a little more time off from running. I guess the way I look at it is as much as I love running, I'd rather give that up a little bit longer than lose running, walking, AND hiking.

I'm hoping that taking weight off my joints through lower impact workouts will make it safer (and easier) for me to achieve my running goals. Even 10 or 15 lbs would make a huge difference when running! God help us if it takes me too long to get there...

While running and I are on a break

Even though my last run was a week ago, today was the first day that I finally acknowledged that I am taking an extended break from running.

Honestly, I still take Rachel's side in this argument

I made an effort to be active but it definitely didn't have the awesome sweat factor of running. I went for a 30 minute (give or take, forgot to track) bike ride, and did this workout (which was admittedly pretty tough). My Bodymedia Fit Link doesn't pick up HIIT workouts or cycling very well, so not sure what my calorie burn was, but I got almost an hour of activity in. I'm feeling very apathetic to all this stupid non-running exercise crap, however.

unimpressed giraffe is unimpressed with today's workout

In an effort to keep up my motivation, I've admitted to myself that I'm going to need to join the gym (something I've managed to avoid for 2 years) so that I can find fun ways to work out that don't involved my still overweight body pounding the pavement. I can use the elliptical, and I love Zumba, so I have a few low-impact options. Having several machines and class options at my disposal will hopefully help keep boredom at bay.

What are your favorite ways to exercise?

NOOOOO!!!!!

Last Tuesday's run went great... Wednesday was a rest day, and I noticed a twinge in my left foot (not the side with the ankle issues, that feels great). Thinking I'd pulled something, I wasn't too worried.
Thursday I noticed that I couldn't walk long distances without that twinge turning into full-blown pain. I decided to take another rest day. But I was FREAKING OUT. Dr. Google had me convinced I was dealing with a stress fracture.
It was still bothering me on Friday (after walking around the store for a while), so I took the entire weekend off of any activity. Which is torture for me, by the way.

Today it was feeling much better so I went for a walk. About a half mile in, the pain set in and I hauled ass to urgent care to get it looked at. They did x-rays (although I've heard stress fractures are difficult to detect on x-ray) and said everything looks fine, but that I need to take some time off of high-impact exercise, like running, hiking, even walking for a while.

Basically all the activities I enjoy doing.

 

So, stress fracture or not, looks like I'm taking time off from running... AGAIN. 

I've been telling myself that unlike the shit storm that was my ankle fracture/surgery/healing, this is not a life-stopping, cast-wearing injury. I can keep going with my weight loss efforts, I just need to find other forms of exercise to keep up my weight loss. Unfortunately, I'll probably have to work out twice as long to get anywhere close to the calorie burn running gets me.

Some fun digital valentines

Somehow I've amassed a small collection of random digital valentines, and I usually text them to my husband around this time of year. Thought I'd share some of them with you guys! (Note: I wish I could link to the original artists for all of these, but they are files I've had saved on my computer for a long time and I'm not sure where they all came from!)

 Happy Valentine's Day!

Thoughts While Running Outside

In my last post I mentioned that I've been using the treadmill as a sort of security blanket. Because of that pesky ADHD, sometimes I think too much.

So, in the spirit of keeping it real, here are thoughts that go through my head when I'm running in public:

Oh my god, is that my breathing?

Shit, this is hard.

Ooh a lizard/cat/cool bug!!! I must stop and look/pet/chase after it.

Oh my god, there was big rock right there. What if I'd tripped on it and hurt my ankle? 

(Imagine and re-imagine said scenario for at least a quarter of a mile)

Seriously, I sound like a wildebeest.

Faster. I need to go faster.

 OMG I'm awesome.

Okay too fast.

That person is going to think I need medical attention thanks

 to my abnormally loud breathing. 

I better say hello as loudly as I can so they know I'm okay.

 

Why am I veering to the right? (Imagine I'm a car with alignment problems. 

Figure out what kind of car I would be.)

I hope I don't stumble off this 2 inch curb and hurt my ankle. 

(Dwell on new scenario for another quarter mile.)

DONE!

I am a total badass.

It doesn't take an expert to figure out that I'm self-conscious of my breathing and terrified of hurting my ankle again. We all have our issues...the important part is that I get out there, get my miles in, and feel super awesome afterwards.

My new training partner!

Look what I got!

Finally bit the bullet and got a Garmin Forerunner 220. I think it's going to prove to be a good investment with my running goals and training plans. I debated for a very long time between the Forerunner 15 and Forerunner 220, but, ultimately the 220 won out thanks to Bluetooth and the vibration alerts.

One of the reasons I wanted a running watch is because I've been using the treadmill as a security blanket (more to come on that in a future post about what goes through my head when I run outside).

I noticed that being able to control my running environment was a detriment in a few different ways:

- pushing my pace was harder because I had to overcome what *I* think is a fast number on the treadmill (ie. "I can't go that fast!")

- no variation in the terrain, wind, etc., will do absolutely nothing to prepare me for future races.

I dare you to watch the whole video and not laugh

Not to mention:

- I was getting really freaking bored looking at my empty walls- music or no, I was really needing a change in scenery to motivate me.

- When I did run outside, I was doubting the accuracy of the running app on my phone and pulling my phone out of my sports bra to check my pace was really irritating (and occasionally embarrassing).

Today was a rest day but I really wanted to take her out for a run, so I ran a little more than a mile. I loved it! Really looking forward to using this on my longer runs and being able to enjoy the gorgeous weather (until the scorching heat forces me back on the treadmill).

Workout log for this week

 It's that time of the week!

Monday- 30 minutes walking
Tuesday- Ran 2 miles, 30 minutes walking
Wednesday- Ran 1 mile, 40 minutes walking
Thursday- rest
Friday- Ran 2.5 miles, 30 minutes walking*
Saturday- rest
Sunday- 3 miles

My first week with just a basic mileage goal and no specific plan...went pretty well! I'm proud that I added walking back in. I was a little short of my 10 mile weekly goal because I had dental work done on Thursday morning and was a total baby all day (I was so traumatized from my root canal 2 years ago that I've been putting off the crown this whole time).

I am taking this time to build my base, but also work on my speed. On Friday's 2.5 mile run, I told myself I really wanted to finish it in 30 minutes. I knew that would mean I'd have to run a 12 minute pace the entire time which seemed, while not impossible, at least a little difficult. I started at a 13 mile pace, but quickly ramped it up to 12:00. With my goal in mind, I added some faster intervals in throughout the run and finished in 30:09.

Friday was an insanely active day. I wore my Bodymedia Fit Link armband (which they don't make anymore, since they were acquired by Jawbone) the whole day, because I was curious to see how much I would burn doing my workouts plus grocery shopping and cleaning. My activity by the end of the day was insane:

I'd love to see every day be so active! I have such a love/hate relationship with my armband. I love that it measures calories burned and activity level any time it detects an increase in activity- which is why it counts cleaning and shopping. And it's supposed to be extremely accurate. I hate how bulky it is and definitely don't like wearing it with short sleeves or anything with tighter sleeves.

Today was my long run. I did 3 miles, in beautiful (but warm) 80 degree weather. I ran my favorite neighborhood path which goes past the citrus grove we go to for our delicious oranges.

the citrus grove is on the right

thanks for the allergies asshole

Also, my early bird experiment is a definite success. I am getting hooked on being up earlier- the days are longer and I can accomplish a lot more.

Definitely going to keep going and hopefully it will become a habit!
 
Are you an early bird or night owl?
Did you have a great week of workouts?

Excuses, Excuses

I think I've declared this to be a weight loss blog. That is my hope for it, at least. I may have lost 80 lbs, but I'm still technically obese, and have at least 50 more to go. My total weight loss since June has been... 0.0 lbs.

That's right, folks. I've been in a plateau for over 6 months.

I do realize that not being able to properly exercise for around 4 months didn't help. I am not one of those who can lose weight without working out. I have read countless times that weight loss is 80% diet, 20% exercise.

Seriously, try telling my body that. I eat far, far healthier than I did 2 years ago. And I'm a much, much more active person than I was back in early 2013.

But lately I've decided that it's time to get real.

When I was routinely losing weight last year, I was walking at least a half hour every morning and/or afternoon, and doing 30 minutes of more intense cardio- running, or videos (usually T-25 or Jillian Michaels), and hiking most weekends. Now I sometimes walk when I can fit it in (the last month or 2 it's been around once or twice a week), run, and hike most weekends. It's time to add the extra walk back in there on top of my runs, and round out my running rest days with either an extra walk, video, or a bike ride.

I can guarantee you I don't look this adorable on a bike

As far as eating goes, while a vegan diet naturally lends itself to be healthier for the most part, it doesn't make the weight magically fly off.

But we've found ourselves eating out more than usual. When we eat at home, we've been doing a lot of quick meals that aren't as nutritious. I still eat more fruits and vegetables than the average person, but I know there's a ton of improvement to be had.

This week I said enough with these excuses, ramped up my activity level, and ate cleaner. Also, and this may sound counter-intuitive, I've decided to take a break from the scale. It affects how I feel way too much. I know I'm working really hard, and my body will catch up eventually.

To help myself in getting these changes to stick, I'm going to make weekly goals and check in with you guys either throughout the week or at the end of the week.

My goals this week are:

- continue going to bed early/getting up early
- do at least one HIIT workout
- keep taking my extra walk at least 4 of the 5 weekdays
- eat (nutritious) meals at home at least 5 of the 7 dinners

 

 Share your goals for the week, health or otherwise!

Arizona Love

I fell in love with Arizona the first time I visited in 2008. The sunshine, blue skies, the mountains, the scenery... it was all so different from everything I'd ever known growing up in the midwest. We ended up going back to visit 3 months later, then a year after that, and finally in 2012. In early 2013 we decided we were tired of constantly vacationing here (and the post-vacation sadness was getting more and more pronounced) and decided to make the jump! We finally arrived Memorial Day weekend 2013 after 3 days in a minivan with a hyperactive 8 year old, 2 dogs, a bird, and a lot of stuff.

This past week Arizona got a lot of press as we hosted the Super Bowl- the first Super Bowl in a long time to have ticket prices actually go up as the game neared! I also played tourist a little since my aunt was in town visiting.

We went to Sedona

 

Orange picking at the ranch/citrus orchard down the street

 

 Walked around Old Town Scottsdale

 Visited Lake Pleasant (on a uncharacteristically cloudy day)

Drove around by the stadium to see the Super Bowl setup

Do you love where you live? If not, where would you move if you had the opportunity?