Glad to hear the running is going so great!

I hope your counting/measuring hiatus goes well -- I encourage you to guard against portion creep and snack creep. My running/biking/swimming does NOT offset what happens when I become less vigilant with food, even though I work out at quite a high intensity.

That doesn't mean it can't work for YOU, I just want you to be a little on your guard because you want to able to capitalize weight-wise on all your hard exercise. You've been on a real roll, you want to keep up your forward momentum!

That's the power of daily weighing. If my weight goes up more than 2-3 pounds I will get back on the wagon. It did creep back down a little today and I haven't counted in a few days.

Not sure if I will be running today or not. DH is talking about taking the kids to go see Up. It's a 140 mile round trip so we will be out most of the day. So I'll have to make smart choices if we go out to eat. Wonder if I should sneak some plainish popcorn into the theater? I might try.

Morning girls :)

It is so boring without plurk here at work. I miss you all. :(

Weight loss is going eh. I haven't lost anything and it is very discouraging. Partly, of course, it's my fault for not working out for an entire month :frypan: and partly, I don't know what the heck is going on with me. Maybe, I'm just tired with it all. My need for instant gratification is going to kill me some day. I know WL is a slow process and I need to learn to take one day at a time but sometimes things just get to you. I've been at it since last year April. You'd think I would have lost most of it by now yet I've been chugging along and not in hyper mode. Anywho, I have to remember to give my body enough time (yet again) to adjust to working out. Stupid body!

I'll be running/jogging on the track again tonight. I know it is monotonous and all but my knee and ankle are thanking me for not running on the road or sidewalk. Plus, I can sing 'spin me right round' while I run on the track :lol: . From now on, I'm going to alternate between track and treadmill. I'm so thankful that the high school is within walking distance.

Tonight is tennis :cry:. I'm going to stay off tennis for this season. I don't want to risk another injury and next time I might not be lucky. My wrist is almost better. In fact, weird as it may sound my tendinitis feels better after the tennis wrist injury :?: . On a good note, they credited me for the tennis class and I have 1 year to use up the credit. Hopefully, I'll be able to play next year.

Oh, I have a 5K coming up this Sunday. My time's going to suck on this one but eh I just want to finish the race. I know eventually time will get better once I build up my endurance.

Billie, taking a hiatus is a good idea sometimes. I totally understand. I've done it too for few days at a time. But I also agree with Jo, so easy for portion creep. Just be careful and good luck :) . Did you run yesterday?

Jo, your classes should be almost over (I think). Are you looking forward to the next semester? :)

Blah - I'm in a pissy mood. I'm hoping TOM starts soon so it goes away.

The plan for today is a 5 mile run. I'm hoping to run the first 2-2.5 miles nonstop. I will be eating vegan today. I've started letting to much crap slide by and that has to stop. I'm in the middle of reading The Food Revolution. I think I like it a bit better than The China Study.

B - kiwi, oatmeal with strawberries, almonds, flax, agave
L - sketti squash with salsa
S - popcorn if needed

ETA - I think I'm gonna skip straight to snack and then bed. I also didn't make it quite as far nonstop as I would have liked. I did take 2 mins off my 5 mile time though so I am pleased enough for now.

Anjuli -- It sucks you have to miss out on tennis but good for you sticking with your running. Enjoy the 5k -- it isn't about the time, it's about the experience, having FUN, doing something healthy! The clock isn't of ANY importance!

My summer semester classes end on August 1 so I am in the home stretch. Can't wait to be finished. Then I have 2 weeks off and start a whole new semester on Aug 17.

Billie -- hope your mood has rebounded today, your runs have been totally kicking BUTT! Keep it up!

Today I have my annual gyn appointment, I'm always so traumatized by going to doctors for any reason, so I can't wait to get it over with. Plus, I know I'll need to get a blood draw while I'm there and I have major needle phobia. Baaaaaaaah, not looking forward to this.

Yo snarks, just saying hola.

Hi Heather. :wave:

Jo - Glad that is done and over with until next year.

Me - food all vegan yesterday. :) So far so good for today. I've been reading The Food Revolution and I am trying hard. The only problem I have with the running is the rocks. What I wouldn't give for a nicely paved trail at my house right now. Nearest one is about 15 miles and I'm to cheap to drive that far just to run.

Morning :D

It's been an interesting week workout wise. I think I've pushed my body to run so much in 1 week that it finally gave in. More than a month long hiatus from exercise was not a good idea and I believe it affected my performance at the 5K yesterday. I was a tad disappointed that I was having a hard time running despite having done better before. I also, was not expecting an uphill course...that just about made it worse. Oh well, live and learn. Unlike last time, I am not going to stop working out after my 5k. I do plan to focus on exercising regularly. And, please, feel free to kick my butt if I don't workout :kickbutt:. As for eating well and OP, that goes without saying.

I might do a September 5k. I'm not sure yet. I'll see how I feel by end of August and decide after that. I'm getting addicted here.

Jo, I completely agree with you. It was so much fun watching all these people run yesterday...800+ :o. And, there were random people on the sidewalk cheering us. One elderly couple was there and the guy was high fiving us when we passed him. It was very encouraging. I do believe time will come eventually once I build endurance. And, endurance has been my focus all along (except when I see people finish a 5k in 15 mins then I feel I'm running at a snail's speed :lol:). I remember, when I first started running I could barely run 1 mile without stopping several times now I can do 3.25 mi without stopping. Granted, I am very slow, but hey I am running. What I'm thinking of doing is at the end of each week or two add one more lap to my track run. Slowly, build up to 4 mi. Eventually, I would like to run 4 to 5 miles without feeling I am dying :D. For now, I run at a constant pace but I would like to incorporate HIIT in there as well. But, I feel, if I do it now I'll be tired sooner than later. What are your thoughts?

Billie, sorry about the gravel getting in your shoes. I honestly, have no clue how to avoid it besides finding a different place to run. Have you tried calf length socks? Also, I mentioned in the exercise thread (don't know if you saw it or not), a runner's loop for laces. The place I bought my shoes from did it for me. I still get little stones and stuff in my shoes despite how tight my laces are.

The rocks are getting between my skin and the socks. They are getting between the sock and the shoe along the side of my foot. I came up with a weird idea last night to try cutting the end off a sock and pulling it on like normal but then pulling it down over top the outside of my shoe. Kinda hard to explain but we'll see if it works tonight.

I also need to work on endurance. My longest nonstop run is about 1.5 miles on a good day. I would love to get that up to 6k before my race day on August 8th. I don't think it is practical to expect that much gain though in 26 days but I'm going to try. I just need to keep focusing on the mental blocks.

Hi Snarkies. I've not been in here in a while. I've loved reading your posts and catching up.

I got on the scales yesterday. Not pretty. I've gained quite a bit and my fat percentage has gone up. Yesterday, I picked up The Beck Solution. I'm hoping to learn how to change my thinking. In the meantime, I need a sugar purge.

Anjuli - sorry to hear about your elbow.
Billie - great job on the running.

BTW - I love makeup! I'm such a girl. My one advice, don't try to match your clothing to your makeup. Just find what enhances your features and run with it. Also, play up one feature and go neutral on everything else. Have fun. Experiment.

Rhonda, glad to see you here. :hug: Sorry to hear about the gain. Remember you are in control. The longer you stall the harder it gets. Don't wait for tomorrow but start now. It's the only way. Cuz, from experience, I know every time I put something to "tomorrow" that tomorrow never comes. I'm reading the Beck Solution book too right now. I'm just at the beginning. Let me know what you think?

Getting it through my thick skull that I can run. I don't need to stop running. My lungs will not explode.

Rhonda - Glad to see you back.

I had a run planned for tonight but got caught up in a phone call until it was nearly dark. I'll just go a little longer tomorrow to make up for it.

Welcome back, Rhonda!

Anj -- I wouldn't worry about HIIT/Speed Intervals or any kind of speed work right now if your real goal is to build the endurance to run 5 or 6 miles. Most running experts (that I've read) tell people running in their first year not to do speed work. You need to build up a solid "Base" in terms of endurance, mileage, and physical ability.

I can look back at my running log and see 17/18 minute miles (and I was THRILLED to run them, as I should have been, I'd never run that fast before!). You will get faster as you continue to train even without doing speed work. Once you have a reallysolid base, that's when you should work speed.

Even with my walk intervals I'm currently averaging just under 15 min miles. My fastest running portion every has been 10:58. I think my running portions are between 12-13. I would be happy to just be running a solid 5k with no more walking than a few minutes for a warm up

I learned one thing last night.

I ran the other direction down the highway for my 4 miler last night. There were a couple of spots where the pavement is actually level so I was running down the white line instead of in the gravel. It was a pleasure to not be picking up pebbles. I probably only ran a mile or so on the pavement but I learned I need to start sneaking more of it in whenever possible. My body aches from the jarring. I know it will get better if I keep it up and slowly increase. Both of my races are paved paths/roads and I think I would die if I had to do that much pavement right now. So now every run I will try to get some pavement under my feet. It certainly makes me appreciate how soft the gravel is. ;)

I'm back to counting my calories as of yesterday. I don't remember if I mentioned that or not. I had a week long break and it was nice to not track anything other than my exercise. My weight didn't really do anything major that I can't attribute to TOM so I am pleased overall.

I'd hug you right back! You will improve by leaps and bounds your first year of running -- so enjoy it. As I mentioned I went from 18 minute miles (and barely making it through that mile) at the beginning to running 9:30s over a 13 mile distance. I will *never* again experience those kinds of massive gains in speed and endurance, these kinds of improvements are unique to beginners, so *ENJOY* this time and don't feel rushed to reach arbitrary goals. When you are a beginner in a sport, there is a good chance that every time you go out the door to engage in your chosen activity you will have a breakthrough in some aspect of it -- like hitting a new distance, running for longer a longer interval than every before, running slightly faster than you ever have before, feeling better than ever in previous run, etc. It really is an amazing time. Just look at Billie's running plurks and the amazing spurts of progress, it is SO cool! :carrot:

The fact that you are shorter will not be a disadvantage to you in the long run. Lots of different factors affect speed (stride length, stride rate, flexibility, natural cornering ability [on a track], efficiency, personal bio-mechanics, V02 max, blah blah blah etc.). The bottom line is that there are advantages and disadvantages to being both tall OR short when it comes to running. So it is nothing to worry about, really.

Good job on your four miler! Yeah, running on pavement is definitely different. It is good to mix it up.

I'm glad your break from counting worked out well and was mentally relaxing!

Jo, thank you SO much for all this information and guidance :hug:. I appreciate it very, very much. And, here's something that will make you laugh and make me look like an idiot. My polar has V02 feature & it just showed a number....weeelll, I thought it was just volume :o. I just read it online to see what it meant. So, thank you again for expanding my knowledge :)

Billie, my first 5k was on the sidewalk and the second, was on the road. Totally, different experience. I'm glad you found some paved area to run on. :woohoo: for back to counting and no harm done from taking a break.

Ugh! Another week, another day. TOM's almost out the door. I'm trying to hang in there. Lately, I'm just so angry or pissed all the time. While I know it's not Voldemort trying to get in my head I also don't know what is causing this particular emotion. I'm usually a laid back kinda gal and don't let too many things ruffle my feathers. Mostly, the only thing that does make me combustible is drivers! Other than that, I am known to let things slide ;). It could be my job, which I hate by the way or the fact that I have to share my freakin' cube. God! I can't stand my cubie sometimes :mad:. He just makes me sick and go eww! a lot of times. Anywho, I'm trying to come up with other reasons and can't think of many at the moment :?:.

/rant over

I did approx 3 miles on the paved bike path yesterday. Then I came home and rode for 45 minutes (7.5 miles). The only thing that hurts is my butt. ;)

I feel your pain Anj. I had quite the temper tantrum yesterday morning. Followed by about an hour of crying. I think mine was a buildup of crap from DH's dad dying and dealing with all the resultant paperwork. Please, please make sure you have your affairs in order for the loved ones you leave behind. And if at all possible talk to your parents to make sure their stuff is in order. I just got off the phone with my mom to make sure hers has been taken care of.

Hi chicks! just popping in to say heeeellloo :)

Hi Kitty!

Billie -- I'm sorry about how difficult it is to deal with your FIL's death, that is awful. You are kicking butt with the sports, great job!

Anj -- How's your mood, improved? You're allowed to get cranky, particularly with that cubie you suffer with. He sounds like such an idiot, somebody like him can just get under your skin and drive you mad.

I'm prepping for finals next week, can't wait to be done. Then I get 2 weeks off before school starts again. Have have 2 traditional (non-online) course for Fall semester, I'm looking forward to them for some change!

First, Jo, absolutely love the new avatar. Good Luck on your exams. We know you'll ace them! I'm thinking of going back to school too part time. I'm not sure if I want to just take few classes for skill development or go for my masters. Decisions!! I cannot make up my mind. Work will only pay if classes are computer related and they have to be credit courses. Not to mention they'll pay after I get my grades.

Lucy, hello :hug:

Billie, hang in there. Totally understand getting all the financial affairs taken care of. My FIL was not the best either when it came to stuff like that and it was a mess when he passed too. My dad is pretty good with stuff or at least he led me to believe. I'll be seeing them later this year so I'll double check.

Mood is still weird :?:. I feel that I'm still PMSing for some reason. Hubby, of course, is wondering what the heck is wrong with me? I can't give him a definite answer as I don't have one myself. I stew on things for a while and then I know it will be gone, poof! Cubie, is just pathetic. Once I go on about him I can't stop. I feel bad that I ignore him cuz I feel I'm being rude as I am not a rude person but I just cannot go on and on pretending I am interested in listening to what he has to talk about (which is pretty much that he reads a piece of news and then goes on telling me how for eg, these credit card companies blah blah). I don't pretend well.

My butt, hamstrings and quads are killing me. I'm walking and feeling like an unfit old lady :lol:. I upped my level for Jillian's workout and boy, am I in pain. Serves me right for dilly dallying for so long about exercise. Yesterday, it was break for me and while it was SO easy to take that break I decided to do 30 mins of walking on tready at 8% elevation. Jillian normally gives me 2 days of break. I didn't do her workout on monday so I figured that was break enough. But starting next week will be proper days of break.

Here's what I have today:

I don't do the cardio part of the circuits anymore but just hop on the treadmill afterwards for 30 mins run.

*I'm doing alternate workouts for these cuz of my wrists. Injuries suck!

Warm Up/Prep: 5 mins

Strength - 3 sets/15 reps for each.
Cardio - 3 sets of 1 min

Circuit 1:
- Dumbbell Chest Press
- King Squat
- Jumping Jacks

Circuit 2:
- *Plyo Push-Up
- Jumping Squat

Circuit 3:
- Bench Dip
- Step Plyos

Circuit 4:
- Reverse-Grip Shoulder Press
- Weighted Crunch
- Jumping Jacks

Circuit 5:
- Triceps Kickbacks
- Double Crunch
- Jumping Rope

Cool Down: 5 mins

Sounds like a cool routine. What is a King Squat?

Step 1:
Place a bench about 2 feet behind you. Bring your right leg up be­hind you and bend at the knee. Then place your right foot top down so it rests on the bench, with the edge of the bench hitting you just at the ankle. Your left leg should be planted out a little ways in front of you with toes pointing to the front. Now, bend your left leg until your left thigh is parallel with the floor. Your right knee should drop down and back toward the bench, but should never touch the ground. Keep your front left knee from going over the toe and keep your shoulders aligned over your hips.

Step 2:
Hold for a beat and exhale, pressing back up to the starting position. Complete a full set with your left foot forward, then switch legs and repeat.

Attachment 32854

Attachment 32855

You can definitely feel the burn. I love squats. I know I am weird :D . Lunges too actually, I prefer static lunges more than forward or backward though.

Ah ok, I know these as "Bulgarian Split Squats". Funny how everything has multiple names!

Happy Monday :D

How is everyone doing?

Most people know it is common courtesy not to bring fish and such to work. I hope you've pointed that out to him. And if he must, he should eat in a break room, not your shared cube. You should insist.

I wish I could. We don't have any seating area in the break room which is across from our cube...so not much help :(.
But, I did exact my revenge of the salad on him :devil:. I had a fairly medium size crunchy salad and I made sure I was crunching slowly and loudly for good 10-15 mins. I know he probably was nodding off so I bet he wasn't too happy :lol:

Then I'd tell him if he is going to be rude enough to bring in seafood he should go eat in the car. Seriously.

I vote for just puke in it and get it over with. ;)

:lol: yeah, puking would be so much easy. He doesn't bring it often for which I am thankful. I will say something next time he brings it. I think I missed the opportunity this time. Nothing bothers me as much as seafood smell for some reason.

I just came back from my walk. I've been trying to walk at work (which I used to do and stopped doing it) every day for at least 1/2 hour or so. I think it is about 2 miles/10 laps around the building. I need to use my pedometer to determine that for sure.

Hmm well I'm one that falls into the yeah it sucks but sorry category (sorry Anj!). To some people my thai dish or garlicky dish or something else might be really gross smelling. I'm personally grossed the frick out by any flesh these days but that's not going to stop most from bringing it, heating it and making me smell it. The whole "you can't make everyone happy" thing I suppose.

I'm about as bloated as a hot air balloon right now. Too much drinking, salty foods, etc this weekend. Not counting calories today as I'm still so off from the weekend and I had lunch out with clients. I do think I'll do a bike ride tonight and then back to your regularly scheduled eating right and extra exercising tomorrow.

Oh I know and I totally understand that :D. I was just being whiny about my cubie. Everything about him makes me mad. Hope you are feeling less bloaty today.:hug: It's the suck!

Oh I did 45 mins of run on my tready yesterday. It felt so much better for some reason. Either my buffy episode was really capturing my attention :lol: or the fact that I reduced the speed and made sure I was in my target HR for fat burn/endurance range (60%-80%). I still go a tad over my target HR but I don't want to run any slower as then I'll be forcing myself to run on that level. The real challenge would be when I go run on the track. I think it is easier to control how fast or slow you run on a treadmill vs. outside.

Here's the site I checked (someone posted it on 3FC in another thread) - Heart Rate Training Zones

Where is everyone hiding?

I'm here...not hiding. :D