Time Change

It's interesting to see the changes in outside light during my morning workouts at the gym. It's nice to see more pretty morning light while I'm at the gym. :) Of course, I miss the light as I'm leaving work, and I find I'm ready for bed earlier. I'll adjust soon.

I received my first Carolina Godiva Track Club newsletter, was interesting to read through it. Learned about some area road races I didn't know about before.

I'm down a little over 41 lbs since starting the Rice Diet. I'm excited about my progress!

Happy Halloween!

A new 5K possibility

I've just found a 5K on December 16 that might be a good possibility, the Reindeer Romp 5K in Cary, NC, not far away from Durham. Perhaps this will give me a litle kick in the tail to keep training, including speed and resistance.

More exercise

This morning I did 65 minutes on the elliptical. Nothing new, really, except that the gym seemed a little more humid this morning. Wonder what was up with that.

Spoke with the doctor at the Rice House this morning, and he was encouraging, told me to keep doing what I'm doing. My blood sugar numbers continue to look good for the most part. The pre-breakfast numbers are the highest, in the 1-teens. The other numbers are in the 80-99 range. The Metformin (oral medication for diabetes) is working well.

Same song, different verse.....

This morning, I spent another hour on the elliptical. I'm trying to work a little more on speed. The "steps per minute" display helps me keep track, as I try to stay above a certain level. I've also upped the resistance a little bit.

At the Rice House, I had blood drawn for labwork this morning. Looking forward to seeing the results tomorrow.

Back on track

This weekend I had shorter workouts, partly due to time and weariness. I knew I'd get back on track today, so I didn't get stressed about it, and got some much needed rest. This morning I was back to my full hour workout. Yay! I still need to work on getting to bed earlier, would like to be in bed around 10:00. It's hard to do, but I can tell my body needs the rest.

I've earned 10,331 points toward the President's Challenge bronze medal, 51% of the way there! I've been working on this since October 3.

Another morning at the gym

It was another hour on the elliptical this morning. I took it a litte easy this morning, as I was feeling tired. I haven't been getting to sleep early enough this week, around 11:00 every night. I can't keep doing that! Sleep is pretty key.

I did "meet" someone at the gym this morning. I actually see her there often, one of the numerous skinny, really, really fit people in there nearly every morning! This morning, as she was getting on the elliptical next to me, she said, "You're doing really well in here with that! You're up to, what, 45 minutes?" I really appreciated her encouragement, and we had a nice little chat about the different machines and stuff. You never know where encouragement will come from. It reminded me to be encouraging too.

Another workout down

I spent another hour on the elliptical this morning. I'm feeling stronger during my workouts, even on the intervals program, which increases the resistance as it changes the focus of various leg muscle groups.

Last evening, I treated myself to a manicure AND a pedicure, in celebration of getting off the insulin. It felt great!

Keep on keepin' on

I'm still getting up in the AM to exercise for an hour. It's almost second nature now. When I'm on the elliptical (which is almost always), it helps me to set little mini-goals with the various numbers on the dashboard. Sometimes I set a mini-goal for time, other times number of strides, miles, or calories. Every little bit helps, especially with an hour of exercise.

I keep thinking I need to get on the treadmill, but a little voice inside me says to stay with the elliptical (for now) since it's fun for me and less jolting to the joints, especially while I still have a lot of weight to lose.

With this morning's workout added in, I'm 42% of the way to the President's Challenge Bronze Medal. Bit by bit!

Updated 5K Results

The Autism Ribbon Run results were posted sometime today. Interesting, they give a chip time, which must be when my shoe (where the timing chip is attached) crosses the start line and later crosses the finish line, and also a gun time. My chip time is 50:09, but my gun time is 50:42 (race starting time to finish line crossing). I'd positioned myself near the back of the starting pack, since I knew I'd be getting to a relatively slow start. The results tell me I had a 16 minute/19 second pace per mile overall. This is something I can work on!

I finished 346th out of 355 people. The winning time was 14 minutes, 48 seconds. The fastest female in my age group finished in 22 minutes, 50 seconds.

Another 5K Completed!

I "ran" in the Autism Ribbon Run in Raleigh on Saturday, and am psyched that I shaved 6 munutes off my time!! My unofficial time was 50:45. They provided timing chips for official timing, but the results haven't been posted on the website yet.

Today, after talking to the doctor at the Rice House, I'm trying oral medications rather than insulin! I'm hopeful that the metformin will be effective, but there's always a chance I'll have to go back on the insulin. Crossing my fingers! This is a pretty big day for me, and I feel a little like I'm on vacation, getting a break from taking the insulin injections.

What's My Pace?

I just discovered a training calculator on the Runner's World Magazine website that will do various calculations based on data you put into the blanks. It's just what I was looking for! I was able to plug in my last 5K race time and it calculated that I averaged 18 minutes and 15 seconds per mile in the Cary Road Race. For where I was in April, fitness-wise, that's good! This will help me with training, especially when I get on the treadmill (which has been hardly ever, but I need to use the treadmill to my advantage!). This may even be motivation to get on the treadmill and work on a faster pace. The elliptical doesn't let me know what my pace per mile is.

In Less Than 24 Hours!

My next 5K is in less than 24 hours! Yippee! Bless his heart, George is going to pre-register me this afternoon when he gets off work. We both have a meeting this evening at ERUUF which prevents me from getting over to Raleigh and back in time for the meeting. I could register before the race in the morning, but being registered ahead of time will help me feel less stressed.

I did another 65 minutes on the elliptical this morning, but went a little more slowly, taking it easy before tomorrow's race.

Countdown

Just 2 more days until my next 5K (the Autism Ribbon Run in Raleigh)! Wow! Part of me can't wait for the finish line, to see how I do compared to last April's Cary Road Race. Part of me is looking forward to the road race experience again, to being in better shape for this one. This will be my first time to use a timing chip.

This morning I did 60 minutes on the elliptical.

Another morning workout

This morning I spent another 65 minutes on the elliptical machine. There are some "new" people getting on the ellipticals in my normal spot, so I've had to relocate to another area of the gym. Today I worked out next to a lady, very fit and skinny, who's in the gym nearly every day that I am. She surprised me today by asking me about my new shoes, if I liked them, and where I bought them. I gave an honest, but good report. I also told her about my falling arches, and the orthotics I'm trying out. She asked if I'd seen a podiatrist, and I told her the doctor had suggested I'd try out the over-the-counter orthotics first, but that he'd refer me to a podiatrist if needed. It was a fun little conversation to have with her, and a welcome distraction from the exercise.

Back on Track

This morning's exercise session went well, back to 65 minutes on the elliptical. Between 20 and 30 minutes down I had to do a little mental coaxing to push through the wall, but my body didn't complain much, and I felt great after I finished.

At the Rice House, I had blood drawn for labwork this morning. I got good news at check-in: the doctor left a message for me in the computer to stop taking my blood pressure medicine, as well as my bedtime insulin dose! Woohoo!

I've decided to do the Autism Ribbon Run 5K on Saturday morning in Raleigh, as George and I are meeting friends at the NC State Fair on Sunday afternoon.

Progress

As I've mentioned in an earlier post, I'm working toward the bronze medal of the President's Challenge. As of this morning, I'm 18% there, with 3719 points. I need 20,000 points in all.

I did two cardio workouts (totalling 1 hour and 45 minutes) on Saturday, and I must admit I'm paying for it a little. Yesterday's workout was only 40 minutes and this morning's workout was 30 minutes. I'm sure I'll get back up to hour-long workouts soon, but feel the need to listen to my body. When I do two workouts in the future, I'll be more careful.

One of the websites I enjoy, Hungry Girl, mentioned an a potentially helpful website in their email blast this morning. The website is Healthy Dining Finder. I did a search for restaurants on their list within 20 miles of my zip code. The only one that came up was Arby's! I wouldn't really consider Arby's to be a healthy restaurant. Sure, some choices will be better than others there, but still, probably not a place I'll "spend" my calories for now. The site is still in its trial version, so I'll check back later.

Another 5K Race

There's another 5K road race I'm thinking about, this one in Durham. It's the Duke DPT (Doctor of PhysicalTherapy) 5K, run around the Duke campus on Sunday afternoon, Octover 15. I'd thought about doing one next Saturday morning, the 14th, in Raleigh. However, I have football tickets to the Duke-Florida State game for Saturday afternoon, and my ERUUF Covenant Group is planning to serve at the soup kitchen for dinner that evening. I'm thinking I might like to spread my weekend activities out a little bit!

Extra workout

Last night I did an extra workout at the Fitness Center, 15 minutes of cardio, then 20 minutes of strength training. It felt good to have the variety. I was back in the gym this morning for another hour of cardio.

It appears that I have falling arches, according to the New Balance shoe salesman, and the Rice Diet doctor tends to agree. The doctor suggests over-the-counter arch supports for now, to see if they work. I had this same problem in college, when I ran a lot.

Even with the extra workout last night, my weight was the same this morning. Three days in a row, it's been the same! I asked the doctor about it, and he said not to fret about it. My blood sugars are looking good, and the doctor even suggested taking my bedtime dose down to 4 units, as well as all three pre-meal doses. (My morning dose had been 5 units for a while, with 4 units before the other meals.) I'll have more bloodwork done next week to see how my A1c and lipids are doing.

New running shoes

Well, I had a good appointment with the dietician yesterday. We talked a lot about reading food labels, and the importance of my needing good tools when I finish going to the Rice House: food scales, measuring cups and spoons, things like that.

Last evening I went to the New Balance store and got a new pair of New Balance running shoes. Of course, they felt great this morning at the gym! I did another 65 minutes on the elliptical this morning. Talking with one of my new gym acquaintances really helped a lot at the end. Unfortunately, the scales didn't reward my efforts this morning, as I weighed the same as yesterday.

After buying the shoes last evening, I was tempted to cheat at a Mexican restaurant called Moe's, next door to the shoe place. I stood firm, though, and went to a nail salon across the parking lot instead. I have pretty, polished fingernails today. :-)

I got an email today from my Junior League committee chair, and our first committee meeting will be next week at a local restaurant called Nana's, which I hear is very good. I don't know that it's very Rice Diet-friendly. :-( I've got the number, and plan to call and inquire about the menu ahead of time, so I don't have to come across as making a fuss in front of the group.

Stretch

This morning, I stretched a little and stayed on the elliptical for 65 minutes. I had a nice loss at weigh-in at the Rice House this morning, so it was nice to get the positive reinforcement. ;-)

Today I have an appointment with a registered dietician. The appointment was made before I started the Rice Diet. I was going to cancel, but decided it could be helpful to go ahead and plug in with a dietician, and have someone to return to later for nutritional advice. I won't be eating at the Rice House for the rest of my life, and I'll need sound advice!

President's Council on Physical Fitness

Okay, I've decided to try something a little "hokey" to help me stay motivated! Remember the President's Council on Physical Fitness? I never participated in that as a kid, though at some point I remember hearing about it. Well, now they have "programs" for adults. I've decided to work on the middle-of-the-road program, Presidential Champions. I'll keep an activity log online, based on my exercise, and earn points along the way. (Of course, it depends on people being honest with their activity log.) The bronze award takes 20,000 points. I just logged this morning's 60 minute workout and earned my first 522 points. We'll see how it goes!

Another reason to keep on keepin' on

Last week, I read an article on the internet about new guideline for exercise and reducing risks of cancer. The lastest research says we shoud do "dedicated" exercise (not just the usual day-to-day activity) for at least 30 minutes, at least 5 days a week. 45-60 minutes is even better, the article says. It also mentions diet and weight. I'm certainly eating the right foods these days, but still have a long way to go with the weight. Here's the article URL.

Today starts my 3rd month on the Rice Diet. Wow. It's amazing how much better I feel!

More weekend exercise

I continue to get up every morning to exercise for an hour. Even with hard workouts, I feel like I get on with my job and other responsibilities okay. It's a great feeling to have that accomplishment under my belt every morning.

Yesterday after supper, I walked on the Duke cross country trail for 3o minutes. It's in Duke Forest, and part of it goes along the Duke golf course. It's quite beautiful, lots of trees and woodland sounds. There were a number of athletes out, mostly runners and bikers whizzing by. I felt a little too bashful to try jogging among the fit company around me, but in time, I will. There are some good hills on this trail, so it's a nice workout. The whole thing is 5K, which is a distance I'm trying to improve on. I would LOVE to be able to jog the whole thing some day. I WILL run the whole thing one day.