Week 3, Day 3 - Rant against Popeye's and pre-mature Memory loss

Let's just jump into it, shall we?

Running:
Today I was not a rock star or a champion....Before I even left the house, I knew it was going to be a tough day for me.  I drank too much coffee, hadn't eaten a good breakfast (just the scraps of Ari's breakfast), and was just feeling a little sluggish.   Lilah on the other hand was a rock star AND a champion in the stroller today.  She had a little fuss in the beginning, but then sat back to enjoy the rest of the ride.  She was all tucked in with blankets, had some yummy juice and a snack thing filled with Pirate's Booty which seemed to keep her occupied.  The genius of these snack cup things is that it's actually HARD to actually get the snack out...I mean it's seriously hard for me, let alone a toddler!  In fact, it requires such a fete of dexterity, the kids can only really take out one piece food at a time, so it really keeps them occupied for a nice long while :)

SO, back to the run....Right out of the gates I had a little bit of knee pain and it kind of freaked me out.  Maybe it was b/c I already felt sluggy, but I got nervous my slight knee pain would instantly turn into patellofemoral pain syndrome (runner's knee) and I would maimed for life.  I was mad at myself for getting last year's $100 shoes on sale for $60 instead of splurging for the Portland Running Company recommended $135 shoes and now I was developing a major knee injury which was eventually going to require surgery, not to mention I was obviously going to have to drop out of the damned Marathon training only 3 weeks in!! ARGHHH!!!!!!  Luckily, it resolved itself in less than a block....so, crisis averted this time :)

SO, back to the run....Once my knee felt better, I suddenly had to pee.  To stop or not to stop?... that was the question!  The Quick Stop? Biscuits? Fred Meyer's? McDonald's? Squat behind a bush?   I really didn't want to stop because it would basically ruin the sanctity of the 3 mile run.  In the end, I figured it would be easier to suck it up (or 'hold it in'?) than try to negotiate a public restroom with Lilah in the stroller and not buy something.

SO... back to the run...There I was trotting down the road feelin' sluggy and holding in pee, when I approached the Popeye's...  I hate the flippin Popeye's.  Somehow when I'm planning my route, I always seem to forget about it and then..... I.... SMELL....IT.... and part of me wants to wretch.  I have no idea what kind of oil they use at Popeye's but I swear you can smell it from 1/2 mile away and it smells putrid!  The unmistakable wafting scent of Popeye's conjures images of trying to eat some delicious chicken only to have the taste of never-changed-deep-fryer-oil in my mouth and oily disgustingness dripping down my chin.  Not that I was ever a huge Popeye's fan (I'm more of a KFC girl), but now I'm convinced Popeye's is a serious afront to chicken lovers everywhere.  I seriously have been unable to eat Popeye's since the first time I ran past it a long, long time ago.  Maybe it has something to do with running in the fresh air one second and being olfactorily assaulted by the smell of deep fry out of nowhere a moment later???  Maybe today it was so much worse because it was actually sunny and there was no rain to drown out the smell??  I don't know... but I also pass a Subway, IHOP and McDonald's, and none of them have the horrible oil/fry smell of Popeye's.  Ickers...

SO, back to the run.... I managed to finally get away from the Popeye's stench and was about half way through my 3 miles when I realized I might have forgotten to turn off the stove!!  I like to eat a hard boiled egg when I get home from my runs, so I put the egg on the stove, bring it to a boil, then turn the burner off to let the egg cook while I'm gone.  Today, I remembered the pot boiling, but I couldn't remember turning the burner off..... CRAP.  So I took off like a speeding bullet down the road as fast as I could, only to burn myself out within 1/4 mile.  I spent the whole last 1/2 of my run alternating between sprinting and power-walking.  I'm glad I didn't give Lilah whiplash.  On the bright side, I technically ran/walked more than 3 miles because I was so fearful over the stupid eggs that I didn't actually 'cool down'... oh... and I had turned the eggs off afterall. 

SO, there's my detailed report on my whopping 3 miles of running today.

In other news, I realized I accidentally skipped a week on the calendar when I was creating my training schedule!  DOUBLE CRAP!  Really I should have started my training on 11/21 rather than 11/14 and I should only be in Week 2 right now.  Sigh.... So I guess I'll just do this week of training again next week and I'll be training for 31 weeks.  Are you convinced I'm losing my mind yet?

and lastly:
Food:
I kept up my food journal until around 2pm when it all fell apart.  I'm embarrased to even tell how many cookies I ate today :(  They're just SOOOO good!  Lucky for me, tomorrow is another day :)

Week 3, Day 2

Had another rough night due to Lilah being up crying ALL night.  We think her new medication is hurting her tummy, so after 4 whole days we'll be discontinuing the new stuff until we see her Neurologist next week. 

Running: 
After being up all night followed by the continuing Lilah still being really fussy all morning, I was understandably hesitant about taking her out for a run.  However, once she woke up from her afternoon nap she was in a much better mood and I decided to chance it and put her in the stroller.  I figured it would only be a 1.5 mile loop around my neighborhood and I would have no fewer than 5 oportunities to cut it short if necessary.  Luckily, Lilah did great again :)  I'm really hoping she's getting used to the jogging stroller and I'll really be able to take her on my longer runs!!

Also, since I was so nervous about Lilah, I decided to run as fast as I could!  I know it may not be overly impressive, but I was really proud of myself for running in just under 15 minutes :) I think running a steady 6 mph while pushing 24 lbs of Lilah plus 25 lbs of stroller is pretty darn tootin good!

Food:
I was pleasantly suprised with the scale this morning and only gained 0.6 lbs through the whole Thanksgiving weekend :)  I was cetainly better with my eating today (despite the cookies!), but haven't written anything down in a few days.  I'll start again tomorrow and hopefully start seeing the scale sneaking downwards again.

Week 2, Day 4 - Week 3, Day 1: It's been one hell of a week

I know I haven't posted in 5 whole days, but as you may have guessed from the title, it's been one hell of a week.  Last Thursday, after we cleaned up from Thanksgiving dinner (right as I finished my first/last beer and was about to start blogging) we heard a little cry from Lilah and when we went up to check on her she was in the midst of a nasty seizure.  It was a terribly scary experience which resulted in a full night stay at the hospital, followed by several days of recover for all of us.  So, unfortunately, my blogging fell by the waist side for a few days.... however, luckily my training didn't:

Running -
Week 2, Day 4: Despite it being Thanksgiving Day with us hosting I still managed to get out for my run :)  After an evening and morning of non-stop cooking, I decided to take a breather and go for a leisurely 1.5 mile run in the early afternoon. It was a nice little calm before the storm, but upon approaching my house, I realized 5 of our 8 guests had arrived while I was gone!!!  OOPS!  They were all super cool and actually congratulated me on making time for running which made me feel really great and even more committed :)

Week 2, Day 5: A rest day - THANK THE LORD ABOVE!!!! Due to Lilah's seizure, we ended up being admitted to the hospital in order to stay overnight for observation.  Lawrence went home around midnight to look after Ari and I stayed with Lilah (Much thanks to Kelly and Lenin for leaving their own Thanksgiving dinner early so both Lawrence and I could go to the hospital).  The chair/bed contraption in Lilah's hospital room was not only broken and terribly uncomfortable and I was only able to get about 2 1/2 hours of sleep.  So, I was very thankful for an emotional and physical rest day. 

Week 2, Day 6:  I was still pretty tired and shaken from the events of the previous days, but nonetheless decided to keep with my training schedule and get out for a 3.5 miler.  I promised myself not to overdo it and to stop if needed, but ultimately I felt pretty good throughout the run and managed to do the entire length without pausing.  It felt really wonderful to get out of the house, away from the pressures and anxieties, and just watch my feet fly across the pavement. It really helped clear my head and recharge my batteries. 

Week 2, Day 7: Once again, I skipped my "35 minute walk."  I can't help it... I feel like walking is kind of superfluous.  I barely sit for most of my days, and I really don't see how forcing the kids into the stroller for a 35 minute 'walking adventure' is going to make a dent in my marathon pipe dream.  Next week I'll make more concerted effort .... really...

Week 3, Day 1: Today was another rest day, but once again, I hardly did any real resting.  Lilah is still a little out of sorts and up at 5am, Lawrence was sick and spent most of the day working from the bed, and I was running (figuratively) like crazy all day getting the kids up, Ari fed & to school, cleaning all the bathrooms, fixing up the house from a crazy long weekend, hanging up our new "video baby monitor," taking Lilah to the Ophthalmologist, cooking dinner, and now finally sitting down to write the blog... I'm tired! I'm still a little nervous about tomorrow's run with Lilah, but I'm hoping she'll just be a trooper and enjoy it.... we'll see.....

Food:
Between Thanksgiving food goodness and being an emotional eater, I know I've done some serious damage and haven't even looked at the scale in days.  I guess tomorrow I'll bite the bullet and jump on the scale.  Hopefully, it won't be too disappointing.

And now a quick shot from our T-day.  At one point we realized all the Dads were holding their beautiful little girls and it was adorable, so we managed to get an actual picture of it for posterity (not to mention an Ari running in the background trying to steal a lollipop out of grandma's purse!)

Week 2, Day 3 - We like all KINDS of music

Holy Mama, what a day. I've been running(figuratively) since the second I woke up this morning and I'm exhausted. Family visits, schlepping cross town, picking up stuff from friends, visiting with out of town guests, and 2 pumpkin pies, 3 challahs and the stuffing.   I'm going to attempt to make this short and sweet... we'll see how that goes.

Running:
I didn't get a chance to run until after 4pm this afternoon and worried about how I would feel so late in an already hectic day.  Since Lawrence was home this afternoon, I had the good fortune of being able to run all 3 miles alone in the rain and it felt grrrrreat.  Because I was alone, I was able to bring my MP3 player along for the run for the first time in a long time.... man I LOVE running to music!! Also, I didn't really time myself, but I think it only took me about 30-ish minutes which I'm proud of.  I felt like I ran really strong and hard with the pavement flying under my feet.   I think the music helped me along... here's my playlist (minus a few skips):
1) Nina Simone - Funkier than a mosquito's tweeter (5:19)
2) Moxy Fruvous - Spiderman (2:37)
3) Cake - I will survive  (5:19) - Twice :)
4) White stripes - Black Math (3:04)
5) Dire Straits - Sulton of Swing (4:24)

Food:
The scale was down another 0.6 lbs this morning which made me really happy, but after checking the scale, I barely had a moment to breathe!  I was so busy today, it felt like I aredly ate and when I did I didn't make the best choices.  My healthy choices were a hard boiled egg, tomato soup, a bowl of salsa, 2 apples and a banana, but I my unhealthy choices included 2 mini muffins, tomato soup (I had 4 bowls and made it with 2% milk!), the tostitos which went with the salsa, AAAND a Carl's Jr. Single Steakhouse burger (hold the cheese please!). Not to mention the non-boxed glass of wine sitting next to me while I type.... oh well. 

I'm going to

Week 2, Day 2 - Yesterday Take 2

Running:
Today was AWESOME!!   For years, people have been telling me that one day I'll start to enjoy running, but I always thought they were complete lunatics. But lo & behold, I do believe I've finally started to love running :) I re-ran my 1.5 miles from yesterday and had a really great time doing it.  The rain was pounding all night long and all I could think about was how miserable Lilah would be in the stroller in the pouring rain. So as soon as we were all officially awake, I threw on my running gear and ran out the door (thereby leaving the kids at home with Husband).  It was practically a monsoon outside and it was raining so hard and my shoes were soaked before I even finished with my warm-up.  Lucky for me I like running in the cold rain :)  I think it speaks to the kid inside me who still loves jumping in puddles, not to mention it made be feel so bonifide to be out running in that kind of weather. 
Since I didn't have to run with Lilah, I really felt like I could ramp up the speed. Every time I started slowing down, I said to myself, "KNOCK IT OFF! I have no kids with me and therefore no excuse to run slowly, so STOP messing around and RUN FASTER!" At one point I saw another runner along the way and I was like, "YEAH!! WE'RE SO AWESOME FOR BEING OUT HERE IN THE RAIN!!" but, she just nodded and looked at me like I was a crazy person.  
It also helped me to run during rush hour b/c my route is on a pretty high traffic area and I always feel like such a loser if some one sees me walking.  I have been guilty on several runs of only actually running when a car was near, then stopping to walk as soon as they passed me :(  Today there wasn't a single break in the onslaught of cars and therefore not even an opportunity to stop.  Sometimes, I thought I could just hear all the people in their cars looking at me and thinking, "Wow.... look at that totally committed runner who is running so fast in this monsoon like downpour!  She must be a really bonifide running person... YOU GO GIRL!" 

Food:
As expected, my weight was down another pound today putting me back to pre-weekend weight.....stupid salt. Grrrrr. I started the day pretty well with eating, but I seem to have this mid-afternoon need to eat.  I keep reading all these studies which say people report losing more weight when they eat a small meal every three hours.  I've had success doing this in the past, but then I always seem to fall right back into the pattern of grazing all afternoon until I finally binge on something fattening b/c I had never actually satiated my hunger. Tomorrow I'll attempt to combat my afternoon snacking with a yogurt or maybe some Tostitos and salsa. So there!

Tomorrow I'll hopefully get to do my 3 miler alone!  Husband will be coming home around noonish to watch the kiddos so I can start cooking for T-day.... but there ain't nothing wrong with throwing a 3 mile run in there :)  I think I'll also spend part of tomorrow working on my Thanksgiving diet game plan.  There will be lots and lots of yummy food and I don't want to deprive myself, but I also don't want to gorge myself. 

Week 2, Day 1 - Getting Ahead of Myself for a Change

Running:
I woke up this morning in a grouchy mood.  I don't know why exactly..... I didn't feel rested from my night's sleep, I knew the scale would be up from last week, Husband had an early meeting so I'd be on my own to get the kids up & Ari to school.  So when it came time to go running, I just plain didn't feel like it - especially in the cold cold rain.  However, I made a commitment to do this running thing and I just couldn't bail on the first day of the second week - especially on a measly 1.5 miler.  So, I dressed Lilah really warm, threw her in the stroller and went anyway.  Then, about 1/2 way through my run, I realized that today is Monday and therefore a rest day?!?!?  GWWWARR....WTF - I think I'm definitely losing my mind....you know, as opposed to normal when I simply can't remember anything...
At first I was annoyed at myself for making such a dumb mistake and figured I should just stop where I was and walk home the quick way.  Part of me was a little worried about running more than what was on my training schedule and accidently injuring myself.  But, then logic kicked in and I realized running an extra 1.5 measly miles literally won't hurt me.  I also realized how Lilah was sitting so happily in the stroller AND I was feeling really strong and powerful on my run - it would be silly to stop!!!   In the end, I'm really glad I finished my measly 1.5 miles because it really turned my whole day around. After all, "Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands."  RIIGHT?!?!?? (Don't worry husband, I have no plans to shoot you!) So, I'm looking forward to picking up again tomorrow and getting right back on schedule.

Food:
As expected, I was up .6 pounds from last week :(  But I really do think it was all the salt.  I did pretty well today with the food.  I almost blew it by eating an entire bag of popcorn this afternoon, but at least it was the Weight Watchers popcorn so there wasn't too much damage. Of my 32 allotted points for the day, I've used approximately 31.5 :)  Hopefully tomorrow's scale will be nicer to me.

Finally, I want to give a shout out to my niece Miranda who completed the Brooklyn Marathon yesterday in an amazing 4:07!  I'm SOOOOOO proud of you!  Got any tips for your dear old Auntie?

Week 1, Day 6 - Can I get a Mulligan?

Today was a null day.... no running and barely dieting. 

Running: Not a running day, but it wasn't supposed to be a rest day either.  I was supposed to "walk" for 30 minutes...... Does walking around Costco for about 30 minutes count?.... I'm not so sure.  Alas, one of the reasons I've elected to do the 30 week training program is because I'm a busy lady with two little kids and if I miss a 30 minute walk here and there, I don't believe it will be the end of the world. Tomorrow is another 1.5 miler with Miss Lilah and I'm hoping it goes well.  I realized the loop I had been running was actually a little short of 1.5, which was dissapointing :(  So, tomorrow will be the real deal. 

Food:
If you can believe it, I was 2.5 pounds UP this morning!?!?!?!?!??! How does one gain 2.5 pounds overnight you may ask?  Well, I have no F-ing idea. I'm hoping that due to the very salty steak on Friday and the Corned Beef yesterday, it's simply an issue of retaining water from too much salt and all the water will leave my body very soon.  I know tomorrow's scale will probably go up from last week which really dissapoints me.  So, instead of jumping back on the horse immediately, I'm having a glass of 'non-boxed-&-not-so-terrible' wine :)  Don't worry... I'm not throwing in the towel, I'm just taking a day.  Next week will be better - right?