December Weight Loss Progress

I decided to make a point of weighing in and recording the number every day in December, with the intention of losing weight instead of gaining weight over the holidays. Well, this month also included final exams in  grad school early in December, a new twist. I succeeded in this goal, recording my weight every day in December for a "whopping" loss of 0.2 lbs! I'm disappointed that it's not a bigger number, but I'm happy I didn't have a net gain for the month. My weight did fluctuate a bit across the weeks, but I've been at a plateau for the past three days.

I had a good workout at the gym this morning, a good way to start the weekend!

Dis-ney-land

The past week's workouts went pretty well, with more time on the elliptical and less time on the recumbent bike. Elliptical workouts are a bit harder for me, but closer to the run/walk efforts I plan to do in the spring.

I've had mantras at times over the past few years, words or sayings to help me get through workouts or races. Well, I just found out last week that I'm going to a conference in Anaheim next June. While I'm there, I hope to get over to Disneyland. Now I want to be in the best shape I can be for walking around and riding rides at Disney (in case I get to go!). It should be good for motivation over the next six months, I figure! :-) 

Saturday Gym Workout

I had a well-rounded workout at the gym yesterday, which included some time on the stationary bike, the elliptical, some upper body strength training with dumbbells, and a little bit of core work. I don't feel as sore this morning as I expected to. Either I've gotten stronger or I need to push myself a little bit harder. Maybe a bit of both.

I tried a new elliptical machine there at the gym, one with a TV screen, but the mileage was quite off from another elliptical machine I normally use there. After 7 minutes, it said I'd only gone 2/10 of a mile! I'm slow, but usually go more than twice that speed on the elliptical. I got off that one (the TV screen turned out to be a nuisance anyway!),  went to do something else, and hopped on my normal brand of elliptical machine (sans TV), and had a good workout there.

I still have my eye on the half marathons in March and April (and hopefully May), but am enjoying my time in the gym for now, especially during this cold weekend here in central North Carolina.

Fun on the Elliptical Machine

I went to the gym last night instead of yesterday morning, thinking I'd do a short 10-min. workout on the elliptical, but I ended up staying on for 45 minutes. The music on my iTouch really helped! I'm encouraged by this endurance workout during the week, and I plan to continue. This is my favorite gym machine, because it gives me a great workout without bothering the plantar fasciitis in my left foot. It's also great for the calorie burn! :-)

I'm Gonna be a Flying Pirate!

I've signed up for another half marathon, the Flying Pirate next April 22, on the North Carolina coast! That's two half marathons (Tobacco Road and Flying Pirate) in two months (March and April). I may have bitten off more than I can chew, but I want to shoot for it! Truth be known, I WANT to sign up for a third half marathon in the North Carolina mountains scheduled for May, but I can't bring myself to fork over the money just yet!

More truth be known, this coming "spring semester" is the perfect time for me to shoot for membership in the Half Fanatics. I'm not in the best shape or weight for trying this at the moment, but thank goodness I don't have to do a half marathon right now, today. (Whew!) But since I'm only taking one grad school course next semester (and it's not a Saturday class), I'll have more time to train, so I NEED to make the time to train!

I've hit the gym more frequently in the past week, and am working on building endurance and burning calories without putting too much impact on my feet yet. (Earlier this year, the podiatrist told me that longer-than-normal metatarsal bones are causing my toe pain after 3-4 miles, and custom orthotics have been little help. Earlier this fall, I had plantar fasciitis.) One thing I've learned this past training week is that the elliptical machine gives me a great workout! I can tell because I'm kinda tired the rest of the day after a morning elliptical workout, and often the day after as well. This tells me I need to keep working on my cardio and endurance, but that, at least for now, I need to honor the Rest Day.

Good Gym Workout

I had another solid gym workout before work this morning, between the stationary bike and the elliptical machine. I love early morning workouts, since there's such a feeling of accomplishment at getting a workout done first thing. I tell ya, though, I'm tired! I can tell I need to work on my endurance. For that, I'm thankful for a gym with plenty of cardio equipment. Since I've had such an issue with my feet the past few years, I'm glad to be able to give them a break early in this half marathon training cycle.

Training for the 2012 Tobacco Road Half Marathon



Toni and Lesley during the 2011 Tobacco Road Half Marathon

Okay, I did it. I've signed up for the 2012 Tobacco Road Half Marathon! I did this half marathon last year, and it was my worst half marathon time ever. I finished it, and was happy about the finish, but there's a lot to work on, obviously! I missed the City of Oaks Half Marathon earlier this month due to plantar fasciitis and a busy fall semester with grad school going on (including a Saturday class!). I've signed up for spring semester, and am only taking one class (on a weekday night), and my foot is feeling much better, so I'm going for it!

I decided to buy a parking pass for the 2012 race as well. Last year, there was a big snafu with the busing people from the remote parking area. George and I got there very early, so we didn't have a problem with being at the race on time, but it was a hassle having to catch the bus back to our car. (Other runners were late to the race because of the buses running late.) I decided to park "on-site" this time. The parking pass was only $5, and since I signed up on "Black Friday," I got $10 off registration anyway.

So, I had a really good workout at the gym yesterday, and it felt great! I didn't walk or run, but worked on crosstraining for conditioning purposes. I'm going to work on conditioning for another week or two, and see how things go from there. I've also started working on my diet (again).

Meanwhile, I'm thinking about going for Half Fanatics membership this spring (starting with Tobacco Road). Here's hoping I can stay healthy! :-)

First Lake Lynn Walk

Lake Lynn

I got a late start to my workout  yesterday, but I still wanted to be a little adventurous, so I decided to start my workout at Lake Lynn, a lake in north Raleigh. I was glad I went, because it's very pretty, and turned out to be a very nice change of scenery! Since the community center there was closed, and I needed to use the facilities somewhere, I didn't stay as long as I wanted on the Lake Lynn trails, but I would love to go back!

Here are my pictures from the 1.26 mile walk around part of Lake Lynn. I hope to return to make it all the way around the lake sometime!

A New Use for Duct Tape

A New Use for Duct Tape, a photo by Lesley Looper on Flickr.

I took this picture before the 2011 City of Oaks Marathon earlier this month. George commented on this barefoot runner standing near us, and he showed us the bottom of his feet. I got permission to take a photo of the bottom of one of his feet.

Water Aerobics

I returned to water aerobics class at the gym on Monday night, and I'm still feeling the effects! In fact, my left hamstrings are a new soreness this morning! I won't go back to water arobics class this evening because my first final exam is looming on Saturday, but I hope to return soon. Good workout!


Clipart from Clipartheaven.com

My First Marathon Support Gig

George and Me Before the 2011 City of Oaks

While I've volunteered at a marathon before, yesterday was my first experience of supporting a runner during a marathon. George was shooting to complete his first marathon, the City of Oaks Marathon in Raleigh, NC. To help me help him, he developed maps with mile markers and ETAs, and packed a bag of possible supplies for me to have at each stop. It was fun to see him at each stop, though I discovered how tiring it can be! My advice: people doing support need to get rest before the race too! I stopped in at the Cafe Carolina at Cameron Village in between support points, and I actually fell asleep in the restaurant! (Glad I woke up in time to get to the next location!)

I'm sad (for George) to say that he didn't quite make it to the end. He suffered calf cramps for about 10 miles (Holy Cow! TEN?!) before finally deciding to call it quits after 21 miles. He's bummed, of course, but otherwise doing okay. He plans to get lots of R&R today.

I continue to be very proud of George and his running, and hope he recovers quickly. He does plan to try another marathon sometime in the future.

Thanks to Ashby for taking the picture above of George and me before the race started!

Picking Up Swag for a Race I'm Not Running

I visited the City of Oaks Marathon and Half Marathon Expo today to pick up my number, shirt, and other stuff for tomorrow's half, only I'm not running! :-/ As I've mentioned earlier, plantar fasciitis and grad school have gotten in the way in recent months, so it's the right decision, for sure. Still, it ended up feeling a little odd walking out with this stuff I'm not going to use tomorrow. I went with George, who's running his first marathon tomorrow, though, and it was nice to be there with him! I also saw several runners I know, so it was fun to be able to wish them luck in person, rather than on Facebook only!

Walking with Some Pain

I haven't been to the gym this week, as I've been busy with school (class and looming deadlines), but I have been taking some walk breaks at work. The weather's been great for it, and getting some fresh air during the workday is always nice.

The catch? I'm feeling the plantar fasciitis in my left foot, even though I haven't been doing that much exercise, AND in my RIGHT foot, I'm thinking it's a heel spur. *sigh* I'm already wearing good running shoes (even to work lately--lucky!), and have custom orthotics in them. Guess I need to work on icing and such when I can remember to do it.

Meanwhile, I'm going to look into some classes at the gym once this week's school deadlines are over. Maybe water aerobics? Spinning/cycling? Any other suggestions? I love being out in the fresh air for exercise, but I don't own a bike (and don't have a place to store it if I did).

Ahhh, Massage!

I had a professional massage a little while ago, my first one in several months! It feels like I have a new upper back! Holy cow!

Meanwhile, I've gotten a little more exercise this past week, and that feels good too. Here's hoping there will be more of that soon. Grad school continues to eat up a lot of free time, but that's definitely a priority right now.

Meanwhile, George is gearing up for his first marathon a week from today! Yippee! I won't be running the accompanying half marathon that I paid for, but it is what it is. I stopped running because of plantar fasciitis in my left foot, but classes and studying have quickly filled the void I've felt in the past when I stopped running to heal. So, I'm really looking forward to supporting George during next Sunday's marathon. I'm sure he'll do great!

Finally Back to the Gym!

I'm on staycation this week, so I finally made it back to the gym this morning, and it felt wonderful! My exercise regimen has fallen by the wayside, between work+school and an upset stomach, diagnosed as gastritis) this past week. I'm finally feeling better, with a new medication and a change in diet, so I'm on the mend and had the time this morning for a long workout! I ended up staying on the stationary bike the whole time, so not the most intense workout ever, but I stayed on for 65 minutes and completed 11.51 miles. Yay!

Late Workout

I had a productive afternoon of studying, but missed my morning workout. I decided to go tonight, even though it was about 9:15 PM when I got out the door! Had a great workout on the bike and the elliptical, and even tried a new machine, the Precor AMT (Adaptive Motion Trainer), for like two minutes. I'll have to practice on that machine, but other than that, a great workout to end the weekend!

New Shoes Ordered

I finally ordered some new running shoes. I've been needing some new ones, but have been putting off buying them, between giving the foot some rest and the hectic pace of grad school. I read a blog post this morning that reminded of the importance of making time for exercise, though, and it inspired me to make worn out running shoes an excuse of the past!

Stay tuned!

More Crosstraining

I'm still taking a break from running as the plantar fasciitis in my left foot heals. Meanwhile, I've been to the gym two days in a row now to crosstrain on the gym equipment, and it's been a surprisingly refreshing break from running. I think part of it is that I've been able to concentrate a little more on grad school, now that I've let go of my running training plan for a bit.

In some ways, I feel like I've traded in my identity as a runner for a new identity as a part-time grad student. I'm definitely enjoying grad school, though it's a lot of work and has wiped out much of my free time. I'm not ready to totally ditch running, but it could be that I need to adjust my goals for the next few years and concentrate on different ones. For instance, in my quest to run more half marathons, I have missed running the 5K races that I ran when I first started running again. One of the bright sides of training for shorter distances is that I'd run less chance of having the recurring pain in my right toes at distances of 3-4 miles (due to extra long metatarsals, not interested in bone-shortening surgery, thank you very much).

So, we'll see! Meanwhile, I'm back on the elliptical and the stationary bike, plus some weight lifting and other things. Maybe I'll plug into a fitness class or two for the social thing that I'm missing with the running group.

Plantar Fasciitis Strikes Again

I've been in denial, but now I've got to admit that plantar fasciitis is back in my left foot! I've been feeling the twinges for a while, but I wasn't able to finish my run last Thursday because of the pain. I ran for 20 minutes this morning, and while not as bad, I decided to stop running and hop on the bike before it got worse. *sigh*

I'm not sure what this will mean for my half marathon training, but meanwhile, grad school has me busy and distracted a bit from running. Maybe this is a good time to let my foot heal up a bit. I'll work on keeping up my crosstraining in the mean time.

On a side note, George and I went to Savannah for the weekend and had a really nice time! Check out my pictures here.

Weekend Update

Well, this weekend's run was delayed because of my first Saturday class for grad school. It meets every other Saturday from 9-3, and I was pretty pooped by the time I got out of class yesterday afternoon. It was also a busy weekend in general, as I had a birthday dinner to go to on Friday night, and a birthday party to attend last night. So, I delayed my weekend run to this (Sunday) morning! Since we were out late last night, I was slow getting to the track, and it had warmed up outside!!
I had 6x800 on my training schedule for this weekend. Since I was pretty tired this morning from the busy weekend, I thought about reducing the number of 800s, but I decided to get through them, no matter what (barring injury), for the mental training.

This morning's 800/Yasso/half mile splits:

1) 9:47
2) 9:48
3) 9:45
4) 9:41
5) 9:39
6) 10:17

As you can see, I tanked on the last one, but got it done. I'm now halfway through my training plan! Next weekend calls for 11 miles.