80-Day Challenge!

I just decided to start an 80-Day Challenge! Why 80 days? Because I leave for the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim in 81 days. I've updated my weight loss trackers (I have several going, since I like how the data shows up on different sites, though FitDay remains my most consistent one), bought some more vegetables, and have pulled out a couple of cookbooks to get started with.

I do have a weight loss goal in mind, but am keeping the final end-of-challenge number to myself for now. You can track my progress in the widget on the right, though. :-) Other goals? More water, more exercise without getting injured, finishing the C25K program, completing another 5K. Rewards? Some new clothes and shoes for the conference, for sure. I need to build in some along-the-way goals soon!

C25K Week 4 Complete!

I completed the C25K W4D3 workout on the treadmill yesterday, and had my best pace and longest distance yet, 1.76 mi. in 32:05 minutes. So I stayed on at the gym and did some dumbbells and weight machines. I've been pretty tired today, which I guess is recovery from yesterday. I'd hoped to do a light workout today, but decided to skip it.

Week 5 of this C25K program looks to be pretty challenging! Look out!

Couch to 5K W4D2 Finished

What a difference a couple of days make! Today's C25K run/walk was much easier than Tuesday's. Go figure. It was still challenging enough, as I picked up the pace a little, and logged my best average of this C25K (18:18 min/mile). I changed the "trainer's voice" on my C25K app, and I wonder if that helped! This voice is more no-nonsense, get-'er-done about the run/walk commands.

Glad to have it on the books, and glad I'm feeling better.

Couch to 5K Week 4, Day 1 Complete

I finished C25K Week 4/Day1 this morning before work, and it wasn't as bad as I thought, but it was still pretty challenging! The run intervals were longer than the walk intervals (minus warm up and cool down), which was work for me. I'm still a little tired from it, but okay to get through the workday. Of course I have class tonight! I think I'll be sleeping well again.

I've been using a different app from the initial one. This one was created by Active.com, the creator of the "original" C25K program, so it goes for the whole 9 weeks. The other app I tried was an 8-week program. Check out more information on Active.com's app here.

C25K Week 3 Done!

Fitness Connection-North Hills

I'm happy to report that C25K Week 3 is done! I felt pretty strong today, but kept the pace low-key, still. I had a professional foot/reflexology massage last night, and that made a huge difference, I think!! I'm glad that Relax Foot Spa is near my home, as I'm sure I'll go back!

I returned to Fitness Connection at North Hills in Raleigh this morning, so that I could soak in the salt water hot tub after my run. I decided to do some upper body strength training after the run, so my arms enjoyed the hot tub soak as much as my legs!

Wheatgrass Juice with Cranberry Chaser

After my workout and soak, I decided to stop by Keva Juice, a smoothie bar next to the gym. I read about wheatgrass juice recently in the book You Are What You Eat, and I decided to try it out today. I ordered two ounces with a cranberry chaser, not knowing what to expect. When I got the plate on the left, I wondered how I was supposed to drink this stuff out of two plastic pill cups with a straight face without laughing! I took this picture first, then chugged the wheatgrass juice, followed by the cranberry. The wheatgrass juice tasted very "grassy," so it was nice to break up the aftertaste with the cranberry juice.

Afterward, George and I joined some other Raleigh Galloway runners who had run outside (in the rain!) this morning for lunch at Panera. It was great catching up with everyone!

Week 4 of the Couch to 5K program looks a little more serious, with more running. Look forward to seeing how I do!

W3D2 in the Books

I did my Couch to 5K run done late last night! I didn't get to the gym until about 9:00 last night! Ugh! So the run/walk was pretty tough, and my left foot started hurting me some. I'm suspecting plantar fasciitis again, though I can hardly tell why! I'm going pretty slowly, and only exercising 3 days per week, which is driving me a little nuts but I've been working hard not to overdo it!

I was late for my run because I didn't get up in time yesterday morning, and after work I attended a Happy Hour Mixer put on by the North Carolina Library Association. I'm so glad I went, because I met several nice people and got to see this cute Irish pub I've been wanting to go to. Late runs stink, though!

C25K Week 3 Day 1 Completed

I started Week 3 of the Couch to 5K Program this morning, and I'm feeling it a bit this afternoon. I'm a little tired, and my legs are a little creaky (especially feet and ankles). I think I'll take an Epsom salt bath tonight after class!

Meanwhile, I'm back to packing my lunch for work, except that one of my colleagues is leaving for Salem, Oregon, so I'm part of a couple of send-off lunch groups this week. Still, trying to eat better again!

Un-Race Report: 2012 Tobacco Road Marathon and Half Marathon

Ivy, George, Esther, & Teri

George and I went to Cary this afternoon to see one of our friends from the Raleigh Galloway Training Program finish his 100th marathon! It was great to witness this accomplishment, and we saw many other friends there, runners and volunteers alike. I'd signed up for the Tobacco Road Half Marathon, but two weeks into the Couch to 5K program, I definitely wasn't ready to tackle this. Still, it was fun to be there--and very inspirational, of course! I hope I can take part in this race in 2013!

Here are the rest of my photos from the finish line and post-race celebration.

C25K Week #2 Complete!

I finished Week #2 of the Couch-to-5K program at the gym yesterday! I decided to go to the Fitness Connection at North Hills in Raleigh, since they have a salt water hot tub (nice incentive to finish!). I used a different C25K app yesterday, this one from Active.com. Not sure which I like better; time will tell.

After the run, I felt like I had more in me, but last night I was feeling the run just a little. This morning, the day after, I'm feeling a little tired still. It's a good tired, though. My legs feel a little heavy, but not enough to keep me home. I keep debating about whether or not I should crosstrain on non-running days. I want to continue and increase the calorie burn, but I also want to get back into running races without coming in last place. To do that, I need to stay off the injured list, which means I need to give my body time to recover! I haven't had any trouble with my feet over the past two weeks: no toe pain, no heel spur pain. There's a lot to be said for that!!

C25K Week 3 has more running, of course. Can't wait to see how that goes! Wish me luck!

C25K W2D2 Finished

I did C25K W2D2 this morning, after a false start back on W1D1! Without my reading glasses on, I missed that the app had reset itself back to the beginning at first! So, I got a little extra walking on, no harm done. :-) I went a little faster today, and it felt pretty good. I'm a little more tired now, the good kind of tired that comes after a decent workout. It feels like I pushed myself just enough. I can make it through the workday just fine, but I already know I'll sleep well tonight! :-)

C25K W2D1 Complete

I finished W2D1 today with a new-to-me C25K app by Zen Labs. Enjoyed the app, which gave me voice commands to run 90 seconds and walk 120 seconds, and played my own music in between commands. I went a little slower than normal (ha!) today, since the running intervals were longer, plus I didn't sleep well last night. I have some extra energy left in me now, so I probably could've gone a little faster. :-)

Ran/walked 1.60 miles in 31:07 min.

Race Report: 2012 Run for the Oaks

Lesley, Nancy, and Karen (part of the corporate team competition)

I completed C25K W1D3 with a 5K! I did the Run for the Oaks 5K in Raleigh, NC, and also competed in the corporate team challenge with a couple of Duke employees. I'd paid for the 5K a while back, but hadn't gotten motivated back then, so I decided to participate for the team (minimum of three) but walk most of this race to prevent injury.

Early on in the race, a policeman pulled up me and gave me course directions, urging me to the sidewalk. Thank goodness the print was big enough for me to see without my reading glasses, which I don't run with. For a chunk of the race, I was able to see the people in front of me, but at one point in the race, there were a number of neighborhood street turns. I missed one turn and overshot by a block. Another walker slightly behind me and I asked a man walking his dog, and got back on track. *sigh*

A little more than halfway through, I decided to start run/walk intervals of 30/120 seconds. There were times when I ran a little more. This wasn't my normal 60/90 run/walk for the C25K, but  the distance was longer than I'm accustomed to lately, so I took it easy with the intervals until the last push when the finish line was in sight.

When I got near the finish line, I couldn't see the clock, but I kept running anyway and finished. When they announced the corporate team standings, our team wasn't called, as I expected us to be, so I went back to the finish area, and found Jim, the man who owns the timing company that did the race. I asked about my time, and learned that the official timing had indeed stopped before I finished (a first for me!). He asked if I had a watch time; thank goodness I had my Garmin Forerunner on! It had recorded almost 3.3 miles (thanks to getting lost earlier in the raced), but I didn't mind at that point, as long as our team got credit! I showed Jim my Garmin time (which he wrote on his hand!). A few minutes later, he motioned Karen and me (Nancy had already left) to follow him, and he gave us the 2nd place team plaque! Yay! Okay, there were only two teams entered in the open women's division, but it's still fun getting the bling!

So, I finished 3.23 miles in 1:04:20 yesterday, last by a long shot. Having to find my own way on the course was a little stressful, but I had a lot of fun otherwise. I'm happy to have a beginning time in an official 5K race, as I begin running again. It's great motivation, really. I'm already looking at 5Ks down the road.

I took my new iPhone 4S with me, and loaded some new songs beforehand to help me through this race and training in the months ahead. I took some photos with the phone before and after the race, and they turned out pretty well! One thing I like about taking photos with the iPhone is the ease of adding them to Facebook and Flickr!

After the race, I decided to stop at Big Ed's for brunch, where I had a veggie omelet with grits. Yum!

To see all four of my photos from the 2012 Run for the Oaks, click here.

W1D2 Complete

I completed Week 1 Day 2 of the Coach to 5K Program yesterday, and it wiped me out! I figured out why W1D1 was so easy for me, too. I did 30 sec/90 sec run/walk intervals instead of 60/90 on Day 1! So yesterday I did the assigned 60/90 run/walk intervals for the W1D2 workout. I finished the run/walk okay, but felt pretty tired afterward. The tiredness spread throughout the day, and I crashed and burned last night. I'm still a little tired this morning. I can tell that my fitness level needs big time work, and taking off the pounds will help a lot too.

Started Couch to 5K Program Today!

I completed Week 1, Day 1 of the Couch to 5K program this afternoon, and I'm feeling pretty good! It wasn't too hard, especially considering it's the longest I've spent on the treadmill in a while. The time went by pretty quickly, actually. One thing that helped was that I wore a new pair of running shoes today, birthday present shoes from my sister. I'd been waiting for some good reason, like more commitment to running, to pull them out. Ahhh, nothing like new running shoes! :-)

Anyway, I'm already looking forward to W1D2, which will be in another 2-3 days. My third run/walk of the week will be the Run for the Oaks 5K on Saturday. I'll do my assigned run/walk for the C25K program, then probably walk the rest of the way. It's all good! I'll have to pick another 5K in May to see my improvement! :-)

Running...Just a Little

For the second week in a row, I've added a little bit of running to my walking workout on the treadmill. Nothing long or fast, but just a nudge. No foot issues or other injuries to report so far, so I plan to keep at it, and see if I can build back up. Hoping to shake out the cobwebs in the weeks ahead!

Long Elliptical Workout

I hit the gym this morning, and ended up doing 60 minutes on the elliptical machine, for 4.54 miles. I hadn't planned on staying on it for that long, but I got into the zone, I guess. I needed an endurance workout like that, so I'm glad I stuck it out. I can feel it tonight, though, as I'm more tired than usual. (It's also been a busy week, though.)

I've been working on making better food choices, dumping meat and dairy best I can. I think I need to work on portion control now, as my weight has plateaued. Meanwhile, I've been giving a lot of thought to the differences between vegan and paleo diets, and how each camp has such strong supporters and advocates. Can they both be right?

5K Registration and Progress

This morning I registered from my first 5K of 2012! I'll be run/walking the Run for the Oaks in Raleigh, NC. I'm excited about having this accomplishable goal. Although I've registered for a couple of spring half marathons, they seem a little out of reach right now. But a 5K?! Ahhhhh! I'm smiling as I type! I've run this race before, and it's a good one. The weather's usually pretty good, and it's a well-run race. A couple of years ago, I organized a team from work for the corporate team competition that coincides with this race, and we came in 3rd place in the open women's division! That was pretty darn neat! We got a plaque at the post-race awards ceremony, even! (Okay, so there were only three women's teams entered, but it was still fun!) It gets better. There's a series of spring and summer races with this corporate team event, and we ended up taking 3rd place for the whole series, along with another plaque AND a $35 check to split between us! All this happened because we showed up and had fun. So yep, we're working on doing this again!
In other news, the Get Moving Challenge at work is going well, best I can tell. Several of us have started taking walk breaks together at work, and that's been fun! My plantar fasciitis is acting up now, though, so I need to be more consistent about treating it at home.

I'm still on the Engine 2 28-Day Challenge, and have gone 2.5 days without cheese! Wow! I've lost 2.6 pounds since Monday, so that should tell me something.

A New Week

I'm turning over a new leaf today! I'm starting on a new "way of eating" today, and I've already been to the gym this morning. Okay, I might be feeling a little smug!

There are a couple of things at work here. The Whole Foods Market near work has started an Engine 2 23-Day Challenge, which starts today. Also, the 10-week "Get Moving Challenge" starts at work TODAY, and I'm the team captain of the Bookworms again!

So, last night I shopped at two different grocery stores, trying to find all the ingredients for a couple of vegan recipes. (The "Engine 2 Diet" is a "plant-strong" diet.) I still didn't find everything, so I'm going to have to hit Whole Foods after work. I bet they have everything on my initial list, but I was hoping to go a little more cheaply. Grocery shopping is one of my least favorite things to do, so I'm hoping it gets easier with practice to buy healthier foods. Convenience has gotten the best of me, and I need to reverse the effects, despite being busy with work and graduate school!!

Stay tuned!

Engine 2 Diet: Who's Tried It?

It's that time of year again. Duke's employee wellness program is promoting another "Get Moving Challenge," starting on January 23. Employees across campus can sign up and join teams, tracking weight loss, exercise minutes, and/or walking steps for 10 weeks, ending April 1. Once we start recording in those three categories, we can see how we fare against other teams, so there's a bit of the competition element going on, too. Our team is called the Bookworms, because we work for the campus library system. :-)

Meanwhile, our local Whole Foods Market is starting a Engine 2 Twenty-Eight-Day Challenge, and it happens to start-guess when-on January 23! You have to register by January 15, and I'm thinking about it. It's a vegan diet, which can be a challenge, but I've done it before, so I'm pretty intrigued by the thought of trying it again. 28 days. Hmmm. Apparently this 28-day challenge is something promoted on the Engine 2 Diet website, and they've (smartly) teamed up with Whole Foods.

So, I've bought the Engine 2 Diet book by Rip Esselstyn, and it's the first Kindle version of a book that I've purchased, which adds to the fun. (I received an iPad 2 for Christmas from my awesome sister, Lisa, and the Kindle app on the iPad makes me feel like I'm reading on a Kindle!) I've also been exploring the website, as well as YouTube, which has a number of videos about the Engine 2 Diet. In fact, I watched one this evening, done by the author of the book, where he discusses "Prep Week." Much of Prep Week involves cleaning out the pantry and refrigerator of bad foods. He also suggests, in the video, a kitchen gadget he calls the Microplaner, which is actually a Microplane zester/grater. I looked it up on Amazon, and was about to order one, when I decided to check our kitchen drawers. Lo and behold, I found one! It's in great shape, too. :-) While I was going through the drawers, I decided to go ahead and toss some stuff and get them more organized. It's a start.

Here's the "Prep Week" video (click on the blue hyperlink to view), which has motivated me to start organizing the kitchen. (Hey, that's worth it, right?!) Meanwhile, I'm hoping the contest at work, and maybe this Engine 2 Challenge, will help with the winter-time (cold+dark early) motivation to eat right and exercise through the weeks ahead. My plans to run or walk the Tobacco Road Half Marathon are in jeopardy. Here's to a jumpstart!

Third Workout in a Row

It's back to work for me tomorrow, so I hit the gym again today, my third workout in a row. To be honest, I wasn't really into it today. I stuck it out for 25 minutes on the recumbent bike, coaxing myself through 5-minute segments. Then I did some hammer curls, bicep curls, and shoulder presses with 5-lb dumbbells. Still bleh. Now that I'm home, I'm glad I did it. But I'm not used to three days of exercise in a row, and I felt it in the workout. Maybe I just need to shake things up a little bit. And maybe I need some rest.