Running with my girls

My girls have just started back running and with me being further along in my training plan, I knew that I wouldn't get to run with them too much!  We all decided that we wanted to train for a 10k in the Spring.  So we signed up for the Super Hero 10k April 16, 2016!  My whole plan for this years running is to just have fun.  Yes, I want to run strong and hopefully get a little faster so I decided that I would only sign up for 5k's and 10k's!  Not having any real long training runs on my plate already feels wonderful!  

So, one of the things that I have been doing on my long runs is going by HR.  Theres been a few runs where it has spiked up higher than is should so when that happens I just walk until I get my HR back to where it should be.  Even if I have to run a 13min mile pace then thats what I do.  Man! My runs have been so much better and I already can tell a difference.  My training plan is simple and goes kind of like this:

Monday-  Weight lifting(legs lower body) w/some boxing

Tuesday-  Run in my neighborhood (lots of hills)

Wednesday-  90min of all upper body weight lifting

Thursday- Treadmill sprints 

Friday-  Rest

Saturday-  long slow run

Sunday-  Short slow run

This plan is simple but has had me looking forward to my workouts! So, for now I'm gonna keep this and see how I do and mainly just have fun with it!

So, back to my girls!  Both of my girls are getting back at it so what I have done is run my recovery run on Sundays which is their slow long run.  I have wanted to really help my oldest get over the hump of stoping and walking quiet a bit.  Even if she was to run 1 mile she would mentally feel like she had to stop after only running a quarter of a mile.  So I talked to her about running super slow, so slow she could carry on a full conversation.  Her first long run was 2.25 miles and I kept us at a very slow pace and I talked the WHOLE time.  I wanted her to see what I was meaning.  When we were done with the run she was absolutely amazed that she didn't stop. Not one time!  I was so proud of her!  Her pace was 14:36 and perfect!  What she had done in the past was felt like she needed to out fast, but then she would walk the run fast again and she would be so out of breath that at the end of her run she was still running 14:something min miles but had walked quiet a bit and she felt discouraged and she hated it.  But helping her to slow down has made her feel better and her confidence has been boosted!  Her second slow long run was for 2.75 miles and again, I ran with her and my other daughter to pace them and make that my slow recovery run.  When we were running again they never stopped and when we got to the 2.75 she wanted to just make it to 3!  So thats what we did!  The pace for that run was 13:56!  I was so proud of her!  They both have been great about getting their week day runs in too!  

This was taken right after our run! 

Strong Legs and my run!

This morning I wanted to get outside and get my run in.  I wasn't sure how far I wanted to go so I played that part by ear.  I decided I was going to wear my hr monitor and go off of how I feel since running in my neighborhood has lots of different inclines throughout.  But, I also still wanted to know how my pace was and decided I would wear my garmin too.  Except, I couldn't find it and after looking allover the house for it I discovered that I left it in the car from Sunday mornings run.  So, I guess I will have to go out and go with what felt good.  

From the moment that my feet hit the pavement I felt good.  This rarely happens.  Usually about there quarters into my run I'm ready to die.  I'm not sure why that is but I do.  I don't though of course but I do take a walk break here and there.  But this morning with everything just feeling good I knew I wanted to go longer that three miles.  I ended up getting in 4.6miles and all was good.  

Tomorrow is a new day

Well we finally got our winter here in Ohio!  Still pretty light compared to other places but we will end up with about six inches of snow.  I love the snow and I love just how beautiful it makes everything.  From sitting atop all the trees, rooftops, to the bushes its beauty is just breathtaking.

Today was a rest day.  I hadn't really planned it but I was feeling a little sore and just have been feeling thick or swollen like.  I had worked out five days in a row with no rest, so I decided maybe my body was trying to tell me something.  So, with no school for the girls and a rest day for me, well, it's been pretty wonderful.  Here is a pic from my Saturday workout!  This was a pic of before because after my workout of elliptical intervals along with chest and abs, I assure you my ponytail didn't look like this afterwards.

 So, as I had posted in an earlier post about how I was doing the Advocare 24 Day challenge with my daughter and daughter-in-law, I was doing this since some extra holiday weight gain had happened.  I was doing my workouts but I really was just eating whatever and whenever I felt like.  At the end of this challenge I had lost 6.5lbs.  Not bad I guess and felt good that it was a start.  So even after the challenge I was still doing my workouts and logging my food on MyFitnessPal.  Most days have been great to others being not so great.  But here lately I have just been stressing over what I should and shouldn't be eating.  So much so that I give in and eat whatever and then feel so guilty about it!  I don't feel like its a ton of one thing but just a lot of different things.  Sometimes when I do I will then do a second workout to burn off some of the calorie damage.  

So starting from this point I've just got to let it go and just work on balance.  I have been reading a lot about this lately and how that seems to be the key.  I love reading lots of information and learning different things from nutrition to workouts.  But, I love reading about real people and their struggles and triumphs.  I have learned quiet a bit about how to have balance and how it works.  Katie has lost over 125lbs and has had many triumphs and setbacks.  She is a real person, wife, mom, blogger, and runner.  Her blog isn't just about all the triumphs.  She's about balance and you can read more about her here.  

Tomorrow is always a new beginning and another chance to get it right.  So, I'm not going to waste my time on feeling bad for eating something that I think is bad and then therefore I am bad.  I'm just gonna try my best each day to keep my workouts strong and keep my nutrition balanced and real.

Sunny but cold run!

Friday morning was so bright and beautiful here!  I decided to sleep in a little and then got up and drank my coffee.  I'm not sure if it was the sunshine or what but I wanted to get out and get my run done.  I looked at the temp to see how cold it was and it was only 23 degrees.  Whatttttt??? But, I just layered up and went out and it actually wasn't too bad!  

Three miles done!  Wasn't my fastest by no means but still done!  Was kind of lonely not having my sister here to run with.  She actually went back home on Wednesday.

This morning I decided to take it to the gym and pound it out on the elliptical.  I decided I was going to do intervals for 30mins.  Was a pure sweat session.  Afterwards I did a great chest workout, biceps, triceps, and abs.

Tomorrow its suppose to be a high of 52 degrees so my plan is to get out there and do a nice slow three miles or maybe even three and a half.  We shall see.

My Sister and weights

Having my sister here for two weeks has been so nice!! We have relaxed, we have worked out and we have just had fun being with each other.

My sister has had her ups and downs with her weight (as has myself) but for the most part has been great with all her workouts and having a healthy lifestyle.   Her go to workouts are running, elliptical, or P90X type dvds.  All those workouts are great but I told her she needed to add weight lifting to her routine and explained some of the benefits to lifting.  

This week she got to do a lot of my weightlifting workouts with me and I am hoping that she sees and feels just how great these workouts are too.  Don't get me wrong I also do cardio but not to the extent of leaving out my weightlifting routines.  

On Wednesday we did chest, shoulders and biceps with Scott my trainer.  The next day she was so sore but a good sore she said.  

On Thursday we did a 2.26 mile run and finished it up with a super hard leg day!  It was one of those leg workouts that you felt very shaky afterwards! 

Here I am doing squats with a 45lb weight and my sister doing dead lifts.

We are both cheesing afterwards though!

And then we found a little time to head out Friday evening with some friends and family. 

I'm not sure what I am going to do when she leaves Wednesday.  I have really enjoyed every minute with her.  I guess I will have to plan a trip soon out her way.

On Saturday morning we did another run outside and then finished it up with four rounds of Tabata!  I was completely exhausted after our workout but it felt wonderful too!  

This week I plan on getting my runs in and getting this girl back on her plane home.  Tomorrow will be weigh in day and my thoughts on counting calories and how that is working.

Run and Wine

My baby sister has been in from Nevada and will be here until next week.  I love the time we have together especially when we get the chance to workout together.  

This morning we did coffee an chit chatted then got dressed and headed out for a short run.  

It was so cold and windy but the run itself was nice with a nice slow pace and a total of 2.26miles.

Last night after dinner we went to the mall to just get out of the house and we did a little bit of shopping, grabbed a diet drink and sat in the massage chairs and just chit chatted for a bit.  Just how we roll.

This afternoon we did a massage and lunch and then tonight we are going to do a wine night with a few of my friends.  I'm truly going to hate when she has to leave.

Monday and goals

Man I thought I would never be happy to see Monday get here!! Have you ever had one of those weekends?  Really seen it going a lot different then it did.  Oh well, such is life I guess!

So today I did a heavy leg workout!! Supersets with leg extensions just to put the icing on the cake...or well you know what I mean!! Today is really going to be crazy and I had planned on running afterwards but the time wasn't there.  So, will definitely get my run in tomorrow.

This Advocare 24 day challenge has been exactly what I needed to jump start my holiday weight loss!  So far I have lost 6 pounds and I feel super great!  Not as sluggish and my jeans are fitting so much better!  Today is my last day but I'm super encouraged to keep going and get to my goal of 145!  

So this weeks goals is to get my workouts in with taking Sunday as a rest day and to keep focused on my goal weight. 

A family that works out together stays together!

Yesterday was so cold here in Ohio!  I could not believe how cold until I seen the weather on my phone and it said 5 degrees feeling like -8! What??  Well, it was a good day to stay in and get some things done here in the house!  Once I took all my Christmas stuff down I wanted to change out a few things instead of putting back the same old same old.

Here on the our island I decided to take down my big three cyclone center piece and just add this.  A cutting board with a little plant, apples, and napkins.  Useful but pretty!  And we can see each other!

In our family room we decided to get rid of our HUGE sectional and open our family room up more by getting a normal size couch, recliner, and a double seated chair (not shown) with matching ottoman.  Our family room is enormous but taking out the sectional really made it that much bigger and I love it!

Okay, so onto a little bit of family fitness!  John and the girls went out to the movies and I decided that I would work on my cpr/aed stuff and workout later in the evening.  

We decided that we would do 4 rounds of Tabata!  I love this because you work up a sweat and can burn a ton of calories!  We had ten different stations and each station was 30sec with a 15sec break to get to your next station!  I wanted to do lots of cardio with a little upper body and abs! 

This is what we did:

Mt. Climbers

Shoulder Press

Burpees

Pushups

Russian twist with med ball

Walk outs/in with a jump

bicep curls

Jump squats

chair dips

jumping jacks

We did a total of four complete rounds and I truly thought I wanted to get sick!  I didn't of course but still ;)  I loved this especially because there was five of us.  Me, my son-in-law, and three of my daughters!  Was a great way to end the day and it too 44min and we burnt over 400 calories!! Here is a pic of us all after we were done.

Today will be a rest day since I have our granddaughters for the day.  Wednesday will look like cardio in the morning with weight lifting in the evening.

Getting back at it

So for whatever reason I have let almost a year slip by and have only posted maybe two times!  What??  Well, I'm gonna try to be better at this blogging thing because I love reading old posts and the things that I had accomplished.  

So, where to begin?  Lets start with going back to mid Summer when I was training for my half marathon.  It was a really hot and humid rainy Summer and it just made it hard for me to run.  I did stick to my plan most of the time but was just hard.  One day it has to get better right?

My compression socks I wore on my long runs and made it a lot better for me.

All in all, training again even when I swore I wasn't going to do another half marathon, it really was nice training with my Aunt Shawnda and then having my daughter Emily run it with us to 5 miles then she did the rest on her own as we pulled ahead of her.  So proud of her because she really didn't train for this half marathon.  I asked her what she thought and she said she was proud she did it but would definetley train better next time!

This was us right before the race!

And a few before, during and after!  I loved it of course but swore that I would not train for another half marathon in 2016!  I mean it too!

Here are a few pictures during my runs in December!  Never thought I would be able to run outside in the middle of December!  These pics were taken on December 17th and it was about 40 degrees when I ran that day!  

Still took a lot of my workouts inside at Love Your Body Personal Training!  This pic was after a hard HIIT workout!  I felt completely worn out too!! 

Just a pic to show that I do wear and love normal clothes!  I think I was heading out to have lunch with my daughter!

This was the Great Pumpkin Run 5k at the end of October.  It was SO cold that day too but so much fun!  Lots of hills and we had to do lots of walking which was okay because I was nursing a torn glute! 

Then right around the peak of the holidays I stepped on the scale and this is what it said =(  To be honest, I truly was not being good with my diet at all!  I was getting my workouts in but I was eating pretty much just whatever I wanted and whenever I wanted.  I'm not sure how or why I let myself get so comfortable with doing this.   

So, once the holidays were over and 2016 came in, I wanted to make some changes.  My daughter Ashley had asked me right before Christmas if I wanted to do the Advocare 24 day challenge with  her.  I knew I had to do something but told her I would think about it.  I'm not a big follower of Advocare or Shakeology type diets.  But, I thought I needed to do something for sure though, so I decided yes we would do it together and that I would go all in.  So I ordered our Advocare and we started January 2.  

I also wanted to start logging my food again so I could actually see what I was putting into my mouth.  I try to keep my calories between 1300 and 1600 a day and for the most part it has been all good calories.  My problem was the sweets.  I have a strong sweet tooth and at first I thought it would be very difficult for me to cut that out, but it really hasn't.  Yes, I do have my moments where I have caved and had a bite here or there but that right there is the difference itself.  I kept it at a bite or two not the whole thing.  And this has only happened a couple times.  

We are on day 17 and so far I have lost a solid 6 pounds!  I also just feel so much better too!!  Definitely keeping count of my calories and putting them into myfitnesspal has been a great tool just to see what I am actually putting in my mouth.  

It also helps when I wake up and plan my day already having my meals and snacks planned out!  

I'm hoping at least by the end of the challenge that I have lost at least another 2 pounds making it a total of 8 pounds lost on the challenge.  But of course I won't stop there because I want to meet my goal of 145.  So we shall see.  So just so I can put it out there I started at 167.2 and as of now I am at 161.6!  

For my running goals for 2016 I have decided to keep it to 5ks and 10ks.  I just want to have fun with the runs and build on my runs.  So we will see!  Right now I am not on a running  plan I'm just running what I feel like for that day.  I have thrown in a few tempo runs of about 2-3 miles but I'm okay with that right now due to taking it easy on this glute!  

My plan for the blog is to use this as my record keeping for my weight loss and running goals!  Of course, there will be other things to document with family and outings and happenings.