I can honestly say that the theme for my life for the past 5 months has been "stress". I know, I know, it is really unhealthy to be stressed all the time and not allow downtime for yourself and relaxation....but, I haven't had the time to figure out how to add those two into my life. Though our wedding is still 158 days away, we are definitely in the thick of it all right now. Lately, I have been trying to figure out the music situation for the ceremony. Let's just say that professional musicians (especially the ones that you are friends with) have a really hard time with follow through and leave it at that. Also, we are trying to get things organized to figure out the events on the day of the wedding so that we can make a timeline and devise a plan to the professionals that we have to hire. As much as I love that email exists, it certainly makes planning more challenging because there is an insane amount of waiting that goes with it.
Amidst the planning for the wedding, I've been trying to build up my voice studio as well. I have found that I could fit just a few more students into my schedule and still be able to do the other things that I like to do, so I'm trying to get the word out there a little more through advertising online and with flyer's. Also, the spring is the 'other' busy season for singing aside from Christmas, so I've had a few extra commitments there to deal with.
The difficult part of maintaining a life as a professional musician, besides making enough money, is trying to find time to spend with the people that you love and attend the parties/events that they are having. It always seems like they collide with each other. One case in my current situation is that one of my best friends from childhood is getting married in May. I am a bridesmaid in her wedding and have been working on my part with that title. I am so regretful that, instead of attending her bachelorette party, I have to sing somewhere.
Just reading this, I fully admit to myself that I am insane to have taken on marathon training and fundraising during this time. I think I have finally reached the point in my life where I can officially say, "I am not lazy". A trait that was assigned to me while younger, and perhaps one of the reasons that I fight so hard to be constantly busy and perfect, is now irrelevant to my personality. Other things that I was called as a young child that are no longer relevant in my life are: messy, quiet, abrupt, and awkward. While there may be times that those things creep back into my consciousness, I have worked very hard and managed to let go of them.
Anyway, I think the combination of the workout schedule/fundraising $2,000 with emails, facebook, letters and fundraisers/planning a recital/singing gigs/maintaining a private voice studio/looking for an additional job/planning a wedding/being an attendant in a wedding/trying to build my relationship with Alec/managing gull bladder disease and running injuries/daily house, dog, and car maintenance/errands/my church job/ have driven me almost absolutely to the edge of sanity quite a few times in the past month. I am just infinitely grateful that I have friends and family who support me in my ventures, and support the Crohn's and Colitis foundation with their donations! The task of raising another $800 seems scary and unrealistic, but I know that if I am persistent I can do it. Or at least I can convince myself that it eventually will come through.
This past weekend, we ran at the Ma&Pa trail in Fallston. While it was a nice trail for the 4 mile run, I must say that it wasn't my favorite for 7 miles. It probably doesn't help that it was only 32 degrees again when we arrives and that the coaches were 30 minutes late with announcements as well! I started off behind everyone because I was having some technical issues with my antique ipod (the screen broke so I can't see what I am doing and have to rely primarily on listening to the clicks to get to "Shuffle Songs"), and so I started with a slow pace until I could get it playing right.
After a few minutes, I caught up with everyone and even passed a big group of people. I suppose it helps that at the beginning of the trail, the hill goes straight down :) So, I set my pace right around the end of mile one, and only managed to pass 2 more people maintaining around an 11:30 minute mile. To get back to the reasoning behind me saying that it isn't my favorite trail... Around mile 1.5 you come to a pond, and from that point almost to the turnaround there is really no consistency in the terrain. The hills are very steep and the ground is constantly changing from gravel- pavement- torn-up pavement- mud. And, to add to the mix, some of you may have seen in the last post that I tweaked my ankle at the NCR trail last week. Well, the combination of uneven terrain+irritated ankle= annoying run.
I made it to the halfway point and had a Gu that I brought with me. I was relieved that I decided to take one with me, because the coaches brought some with them and they all had caffeine in them. Caffeine is something that I have to avoid in my life because not only is it bad for gull bladder disease, and reflux, but it also makes my anxiety go haywire. So, if you ever see me at Starbucks, you can rest assured that I am drinking an iced decaf. Man, I am tangent happy today, huh? This is where I'm supposed to insert one of those witty "let's go ride bikes" comments that everyone loves to post on their facebook.
After the halfway point, I did get an energy boost from the Gu and I would say that I had a very strong finish to the very end. The most challenging part of the entire run was trying to get through the ankle pain while still keeping my normal gait AND making it up the last hill. I'm pretty sure there were quite a few times on that last hill when I came close to slowing down to a very very slow jog. But, I kept looking forward and thinking about how good it would feel if I finished strong and I added one last little sprint to the very end.
When it was all over, I immediately felt that my ankle had worsened from it's prior state and the first thought that came to mind was that I was going to have to take more time off due to an injury. However, when one of the coaches completed her run, I asked her what she would do and she suggested buying a slip on ankle brace for support and wearing for a few days until it felt better. That and icing it. So, here I am with my ankle propped up and on ice writing you this blog. It is a really great feeling knowing that I am almost caught up with my daily runs. Ideally, I will get another blog written in the next few days and be able to start doing shorter entries about the day-to-day. That really was my initial intention in writing this....
Next up: Am I losing weight?/Running on ankles/Vibrams/Schedule for June 3-4th/the most recent runs....
XO
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
No 5k for Sara/Ear Infarction/Run 4/Comments about my looks/Ankle Spankle
One of the greatest parts of running: feeling healthy. One of the least great parts of running: getting sick and not feeling healthy. I think "frustrated" must have been the most annoying word to Alec during the week that I had an ear infection. I guess I should share what exactly happened, just so people can use it as a warning when they are obsessive like I am and trying to stay in shape.
Basically, as I mentioned in the prior post, I had a sinus infection that invited it's way into my life on February 16th (I remember the day because it was the day that I signed up for the marathon, and I knew that night after leaving the meeting that I was getting sick). I was adamant about the fact that I would keep exercising and training through the infection and not let it disturb my life. It had been 2 years of health (aka no colds or respiratory problems) for me prior to this, and I felt very diminished by the fact that I got sick amidst my attempts to maintain a very healthy and sanitary lifestyle. So, I didn't give in.
I read a plethera of blogs and runners columns online about when to exercise while sick, and they all said that I was relatively clear. The accepted rule in the runner world is that if it is a sickness that effects you only above the neck, you are ok to run. Below, stay home for 3 days. Let's just say that there is a footnote to this rule. I'm writing it right now. If you are planning a wedding, running your own business, training for a marathon, fundraising for a marathon, performing singing gigs, and having a small semblance of a relationship with your significant other and you are the kind of person that gets sick from getting over-tired...the best thing for you to do when you get sick is to REST! REST REST REST! I didn't do that, and I can still feel the end traces of the sinus infection.
To end the story, I spent the week after the 5 mile run not being able to hear and taking antibiotics. Which, to my great disappointment, ended in my absense from the 5k race that took place that Saturday morning at BWI. It would have been my first time with the data chip to calculate my pace and time, and my first time meeting the other half of the Team Challenge people from Maryland. Again, the word "frustrated" comes into play.
I ended up doing 3.1 miles that Monday, and yoga and 3.1 miles that Tuesday and that was it until the next Monday. That return was killer. I was still struggling with post nasal drip and some fluid in my chest that I was coughing up, so it felt like I was running with a 10lb weight on my chest. I started sweating immediately after beginning and must have lost 3lbs in water weight just from a 5k run. I also attempted to do some resistance training, but the minute that I bent over I got that ringing in my head feeling like I was going to pass out. So, I decided to be happy with just the run and figured that it would get easier with each day. By Wednesday, I was feeling relatively recovered, and with each day I am getting back my breath.
At the end of that week, I decided that I was healthy enough to attempt the 6 mile run at the NCR trail. I was nervous, I must say, because I knew that Aunt Janet would be in Iowa and I would be all alone. The older I get, the more I realize just how shy I am beneath it all. Some who know me now would never guess that, but in my youth it was one of my predominant attributes. Anyway, I got up the nerve and met the group at the trail head at Paper Mill Rd. We were all a little chilly, and we did some warm ups that didn't involve much stretching but rather focused on getting joints loose. Lots of rotating shoulder/ankles/knees/hips. We also had a mini easter egg hunt with a prize of candy lol!
We had a very basic course to run because the NCR trail is a straight line that begins in Baltimore and ends in Pennsylvania. So, we ran up three miles and back three miles. My run was interesting... I have found that I am in a pace that is all my own, because I am never near anyone on the training runs. Sometimes I wish that there was someone else in my area so I could have a chat, but I suppose that may hold me back if I want to pick it up on a hill or at the end. I really love the scenery at the NCR, and the fact that it has a lot of other people out running in the morning. But, I HATED the fact that the trail is tilted!!! I didn't realize just how much it was hurting me until I got to the 3 mile marker to turn around and felt a tweak in my left ankle. I'll try to paint a picture for you:
It looks like a truck has driven down the middle of the track with the tires compressing each side and a hill in the middle. So, when you are running on the right side of the trail, your left ankle will be bending in on itself. If you ran on the right side of the trail, your right food would be compressed in. In the middle, both feet will be bending out.
When I felt my ankle tweak, I did a few quick rotations of it and shook it out a little, but I didn't want to mess up my pace, so I just kept going. Mile 3-4 felt REALLY long because I was trying to get used to the feeling of having that annoyance. Also because there was this other team running on the trail that day and their signs kept throwing me off and making me feel closer to the next mile than I really way. By the time that I got to mile 4, my stomach was feeling pretty empty, so I did a Clif shot (love these!) to give me an extra boost. As I came in to the end of the run, I felt my ankle swelling a bit inside my shoe (my shoe felt tight), so I loosened the laces to be more comfortable. As soon as I got home, I iced that baby as much as I could. I would say that it is almost back to normal, but at the end of the day it still feels aggravated. I will not let it get me down!!!!!!!!!
I wanted to make one last statement about my psychological battle with weight loss. I have had a few epiphanies over the past week that have really made a difference in how I view my past self vs. my present self.
Over the course of my life, I think I have taken so many mean comments from people to heart without ever thinking about what I am doing to myself. I have always thought through them as personal attacks on me that I cannot do anything about. Even the back-handed compliments that many east coasters seem to master at a young age, have become something that I just accept. As of this past Sunday, I now realize that I have handled these comments in the least healthy way possible in my past. What has lead me to realize this is that I feel confident in who I am now, and I know that I do not deserve to be treated that way. The reason that I say that it was this past Sunday is because a lady (a very negative and snarky woman) at my church was talking to me about how great I look. She said "I can't believe it, you just look so great. You have lost so much weight! I KNEW THERE WAS A PRETTY GIRL UNDERNEATH ALL OF THAT."
My former self would have taken this comment and said, "man I must have been really ugly before, and I should feel really bad about how I looked so that I never let myself look that ugly again," I will just accept that it's true and I won't talk to anyone about it The person that I am now said "wow, that was a really crappy thing to say to someone, she must really feel badly about herself and have a very shallow view of beauty to make her say something like that." And then I talked to Alec about it, and I finally felt like I had overcome one of my biggest issues.
Another thing that I've realized is that I will never ever tell anyone that they should lose weight. I won't say things to them about how they look out of shape, or about how exercise is something they should consider. The only reason to say something to someone about their weight is to serve yourself. If you do say something to someone about losing weight, you are trying to make yourself feel better by: a.) being the one who inspires them to get into shape, b.) guilting them into getting into shape because you think they need to look better for your own visual pleasure, or c.) depleting their self-confidence to the point where they depend on you for advice for everything. As a general statement, I would say that the majority of people who have emotional eating issues seek out people who will let them become dependant and rely on them for emotional support. If you do the third, you' re basically enabling the bad psychological behavior by redirecting it from food to their dependance on something else, which I GUARANTEE they will find.
In short, don't pick on someone your own size, a bigger size, or a size 0, because they all have their own journey and their own personal struggles.
Up next: Balancing work/weddings/running/fundraising/relaxation: what gives? AND, 8 miles- piece of cake.
XO
Basically, as I mentioned in the prior post, I had a sinus infection that invited it's way into my life on February 16th (I remember the day because it was the day that I signed up for the marathon, and I knew that night after leaving the meeting that I was getting sick). I was adamant about the fact that I would keep exercising and training through the infection and not let it disturb my life. It had been 2 years of health (aka no colds or respiratory problems) for me prior to this, and I felt very diminished by the fact that I got sick amidst my attempts to maintain a very healthy and sanitary lifestyle. So, I didn't give in.
I read a plethera of blogs and runners columns online about when to exercise while sick, and they all said that I was relatively clear. The accepted rule in the runner world is that if it is a sickness that effects you only above the neck, you are ok to run. Below, stay home for 3 days. Let's just say that there is a footnote to this rule. I'm writing it right now. If you are planning a wedding, running your own business, training for a marathon, fundraising for a marathon, performing singing gigs, and having a small semblance of a relationship with your significant other and you are the kind of person that gets sick from getting over-tired...the best thing for you to do when you get sick is to REST! REST REST REST! I didn't do that, and I can still feel the end traces of the sinus infection.
To end the story, I spent the week after the 5 mile run not being able to hear and taking antibiotics. Which, to my great disappointment, ended in my absense from the 5k race that took place that Saturday morning at BWI. It would have been my first time with the data chip to calculate my pace and time, and my first time meeting the other half of the Team Challenge people from Maryland. Again, the word "frustrated" comes into play.
I ended up doing 3.1 miles that Monday, and yoga and 3.1 miles that Tuesday and that was it until the next Monday. That return was killer. I was still struggling with post nasal drip and some fluid in my chest that I was coughing up, so it felt like I was running with a 10lb weight on my chest. I started sweating immediately after beginning and must have lost 3lbs in water weight just from a 5k run. I also attempted to do some resistance training, but the minute that I bent over I got that ringing in my head feeling like I was going to pass out. So, I decided to be happy with just the run and figured that it would get easier with each day. By Wednesday, I was feeling relatively recovered, and with each day I am getting back my breath.
At the end of that week, I decided that I was healthy enough to attempt the 6 mile run at the NCR trail. I was nervous, I must say, because I knew that Aunt Janet would be in Iowa and I would be all alone. The older I get, the more I realize just how shy I am beneath it all. Some who know me now would never guess that, but in my youth it was one of my predominant attributes. Anyway, I got up the nerve and met the group at the trail head at Paper Mill Rd. We were all a little chilly, and we did some warm ups that didn't involve much stretching but rather focused on getting joints loose. Lots of rotating shoulder/ankles/knees/hips. We also had a mini easter egg hunt with a prize of candy lol!
We had a very basic course to run because the NCR trail is a straight line that begins in Baltimore and ends in Pennsylvania. So, we ran up three miles and back three miles. My run was interesting... I have found that I am in a pace that is all my own, because I am never near anyone on the training runs. Sometimes I wish that there was someone else in my area so I could have a chat, but I suppose that may hold me back if I want to pick it up on a hill or at the end. I really love the scenery at the NCR, and the fact that it has a lot of other people out running in the morning. But, I HATED the fact that the trail is tilted!!! I didn't realize just how much it was hurting me until I got to the 3 mile marker to turn around and felt a tweak in my left ankle. I'll try to paint a picture for you:
It looks like a truck has driven down the middle of the track with the tires compressing each side and a hill in the middle. So, when you are running on the right side of the trail, your left ankle will be bending in on itself. If you ran on the right side of the trail, your right food would be compressed in. In the middle, both feet will be bending out.
When I felt my ankle tweak, I did a few quick rotations of it and shook it out a little, but I didn't want to mess up my pace, so I just kept going. Mile 3-4 felt REALLY long because I was trying to get used to the feeling of having that annoyance. Also because there was this other team running on the trail that day and their signs kept throwing me off and making me feel closer to the next mile than I really way. By the time that I got to mile 4, my stomach was feeling pretty empty, so I did a Clif shot (love these!) to give me an extra boost. As I came in to the end of the run, I felt my ankle swelling a bit inside my shoe (my shoe felt tight), so I loosened the laces to be more comfortable. As soon as I got home, I iced that baby as much as I could. I would say that it is almost back to normal, but at the end of the day it still feels aggravated. I will not let it get me down!!!!!!!!!
I wanted to make one last statement about my psychological battle with weight loss. I have had a few epiphanies over the past week that have really made a difference in how I view my past self vs. my present self.
Over the course of my life, I think I have taken so many mean comments from people to heart without ever thinking about what I am doing to myself. I have always thought through them as personal attacks on me that I cannot do anything about. Even the back-handed compliments that many east coasters seem to master at a young age, have become something that I just accept. As of this past Sunday, I now realize that I have handled these comments in the least healthy way possible in my past. What has lead me to realize this is that I feel confident in who I am now, and I know that I do not deserve to be treated that way. The reason that I say that it was this past Sunday is because a lady (a very negative and snarky woman) at my church was talking to me about how great I look. She said "I can't believe it, you just look so great. You have lost so much weight! I KNEW THERE WAS A PRETTY GIRL UNDERNEATH ALL OF THAT."
My former self would have taken this comment and said, "man I must have been really ugly before, and I should feel really bad about how I looked so that I never let myself look that ugly again," I will just accept that it's true and I won't talk to anyone about it The person that I am now said "wow, that was a really crappy thing to say to someone, she must really feel badly about herself and have a very shallow view of beauty to make her say something like that." And then I talked to Alec about it, and I finally felt like I had overcome one of my biggest issues.
Another thing that I've realized is that I will never ever tell anyone that they should lose weight. I won't say things to them about how they look out of shape, or about how exercise is something they should consider. The only reason to say something to someone about their weight is to serve yourself. If you do say something to someone about losing weight, you are trying to make yourself feel better by: a.) being the one who inspires them to get into shape, b.) guilting them into getting into shape because you think they need to look better for your own visual pleasure, or c.) depleting their self-confidence to the point where they depend on you for advice for everything. As a general statement, I would say that the majority of people who have emotional eating issues seek out people who will let them become dependant and rely on them for emotional support. If you do the third, you' re basically enabling the bad psychological behavior by redirecting it from food to their dependance on something else, which I GUARANTEE they will find.
In short, don't pick on someone your own size, a bigger size, or a size 0, because they all have their own journey and their own personal struggles.
Up next: Balancing work/weddings/running/fundraising/relaxation: what gives? AND, 8 miles- piece of cake.
XO
Monday, March 21, 2011
Run 3/getting through a sickness...
The week following the 4 mile run was a rough week for my joints. My hip was locked and constantly felt like it needed to be stretched, so I was stretching at the wierdest times... One of the tricks of my job is that I have to sit down on hard piano benches for hours at a time, and I think during this week, I started to feel just how detrimental it has been to my muscles. Everytime I would stand up, I would feel like I needed to push myself up, and then my hip would pop a little bit.
I hate that it sounds like I am always complaining about my pain and issues with running, but it has been a big part of it from the beginning. Like Alec said to me last night "that's just part of sports...you're always getting nicks and you just have to fight through them." I kind of like that it makes me a little more hardcore lol!
I emailed the trainer about my pain and she told me that the knee brace was an awful idea. Just like I said in the last blog, it is only intended for temporary wear and not for a long run. She also said that not only should I be icing the things that hurt after I run, but I should be icing them anytime that I can. Watching tv, etc... I figured out that icing them during my drives to work is just about the perfect amount of time. AND, the weather has been perfect enough that it stays a little cold until I get back in the car, so I can ice it again when I am done teaching! The third thing that she said that I found helpful was that I was overtraining during the week. Typically my schedule would look like this before I spoke with the trainer:
Mon- Warmup, Stretch, Run 5 or 6 miles, Ab strengthening, Armband resistance.
Tue- Yoga, Run 5k at fastest, Ab strengthening.
Wed- Warmup, Stretch, Run 6 easily, Ab strengthening, Row 2k
Thu- Day off of running with ab and arm workouts.
Fri- Warmup, stretch, do 4 miles of cross training, Ab strengthening, Armband resistance, Row 2k
Sat- Run with the group for Team Challenge.
Sun- OFF.
Now it is more like this:
Mon- Warmup, Stretch, Run 5k-10k at fastest, Ab strengthening, Armband resistance.
Tue- Yoga, Run EASY 5k.
Wed- Warmup, Stretch, Run 3-4 at fastest, Row 2k, Ab strengthening.
Thu- DAY OFF
Fri- Warmup, Stretch, Do 1-2 miles of cross training, Ab strengthening, Armband resistance.
Sat- Run with the group for Team Challenge.
Sun- OFF
I know it is only slightly different, but it has made a huge difference, because I can save more of my energy for the Saturday runs with the team. Also, I have been sick since February 16th when I first got a sinus infection and I realize now that I was pushing myself too hard with my work/wedding/singing/marathon schedule. I was getting too little sleep, and pushing myself too hard on my runs, and the result was awful. I literally am still getting over it, and after my 5 mile run on the 3rd week of training, I woke up with an ear infection.
Speaking of the 3rd run, it was beautiful!!!! I absolutely fell in love with running around Loch Raven in the morning. The run began with a nice meeting where we did our cheer and my aunt ended up winning the spirit award! She was very decked out in her orange and blue and looking full of spirit :) We began the run together and it was a little chilly, so it took a while for my muscles to warm up; I felt like I was really fighting with mother nature to get my blood going. The first mile seemed easy enough, and then it got interesting: we had only hills the entire rest of the run. The coaches informed us of the similarities between that course and the one that we will be running in Virginia, so I made sure to pay attention to my pacing. I ended up increasing my speed from my aunt around the middle of the first hill because I felt as if I was holding back. I cannot express enough how much I loved the feeling of running up and down hills. It is exhilarating! I ended up completing the 5 miles in about 1hr, which is pretty good for all of the hills. My normal time on the treadmill for a 5-6 mile run alternates between 5.0mph and 5.5mph. If I push myself beyond that, I run out of steam on the last mile and find myself sinking into my joints too much.
At the end of the 5 miles, we all stood around a talked about our run. It has been amazing meeting all of the people that are involved! I feel like everyone there is very laid back and there is no pressure to compete. Everyone just goes at their own pace, and if it something that they want to improve upon, all the more power to them. Really it is the ideal situation for me, because I am such a competitive person that I get sucked too far into the feeling of beating others and myself that I sometimes forget to enjoy myself. Story of my life really. A friend and I were just talking about this issue in my life and it has really started to make me look at everything that I do.
I'm starting to realize more and more that if you don't take the time to simply enjoy the situation that you are in (instead of dwelling on how you can be the best in that situation), you will miss out on a lot. I've been trying to concentrate on doing that for each one of my training runs, and so far, it has been 10x more enjoyable. And I even loved running to begin with...so now it is completely fabulous. I highly recommend it to anyone who feels like their progress at the gym has been too slow. Run. Do ab workouts. Do yoga. Row. Swim. You will feel great, I promise! And, if you feel like you are too far gone, or are embarassed about the way you look, take baby steps. Take a walk once a day to begin, and then maybe try taking a long walk twice a week. Then move to a bike, or swimming. Add some weights and yoga in there. And THEN, when you feel like you've started to get your wind back, throw in a run. Take it slow to begin with, and then start doing intervals. Do 1 minute on-1 minute off. I promise you that you will be feeling great in no time. And really, is that what we all want? To feel good?
Next up...No 5k for Sara/Ear Infarction/Run 4/Comments about my looks/Ankle Spankle.'
XO
I hate that it sounds like I am always complaining about my pain and issues with running, but it has been a big part of it from the beginning. Like Alec said to me last night "that's just part of sports...you're always getting nicks and you just have to fight through them." I kind of like that it makes me a little more hardcore lol!
I emailed the trainer about my pain and she told me that the knee brace was an awful idea. Just like I said in the last blog, it is only intended for temporary wear and not for a long run. She also said that not only should I be icing the things that hurt after I run, but I should be icing them anytime that I can. Watching tv, etc... I figured out that icing them during my drives to work is just about the perfect amount of time. AND, the weather has been perfect enough that it stays a little cold until I get back in the car, so I can ice it again when I am done teaching! The third thing that she said that I found helpful was that I was overtraining during the week. Typically my schedule would look like this before I spoke with the trainer:
Mon- Warmup, Stretch, Run 5 or 6 miles, Ab strengthening, Armband resistance.
Tue- Yoga, Run 5k at fastest, Ab strengthening.
Wed- Warmup, Stretch, Run 6 easily, Ab strengthening, Row 2k
Thu- Day off of running with ab and arm workouts.
Fri- Warmup, stretch, do 4 miles of cross training, Ab strengthening, Armband resistance, Row 2k
Sat- Run with the group for Team Challenge.
Sun- OFF.
Now it is more like this:
Mon- Warmup, Stretch, Run 5k-10k at fastest, Ab strengthening, Armband resistance.
Tue- Yoga, Run EASY 5k.
Wed- Warmup, Stretch, Run 3-4 at fastest, Row 2k, Ab strengthening.
Thu- DAY OFF
Fri- Warmup, Stretch, Do 1-2 miles of cross training, Ab strengthening, Armband resistance.
Sat- Run with the group for Team Challenge.
Sun- OFF
I know it is only slightly different, but it has made a huge difference, because I can save more of my energy for the Saturday runs with the team. Also, I have been sick since February 16th when I first got a sinus infection and I realize now that I was pushing myself too hard with my work/wedding/singing/marathon schedule. I was getting too little sleep, and pushing myself too hard on my runs, and the result was awful. I literally am still getting over it, and after my 5 mile run on the 3rd week of training, I woke up with an ear infection.
Speaking of the 3rd run, it was beautiful!!!! I absolutely fell in love with running around Loch Raven in the morning. The run began with a nice meeting where we did our cheer and my aunt ended up winning the spirit award! She was very decked out in her orange and blue and looking full of spirit :) We began the run together and it was a little chilly, so it took a while for my muscles to warm up; I felt like I was really fighting with mother nature to get my blood going. The first mile seemed easy enough, and then it got interesting: we had only hills the entire rest of the run. The coaches informed us of the similarities between that course and the one that we will be running in Virginia, so I made sure to pay attention to my pacing. I ended up increasing my speed from my aunt around the middle of the first hill because I felt as if I was holding back. I cannot express enough how much I loved the feeling of running up and down hills. It is exhilarating! I ended up completing the 5 miles in about 1hr, which is pretty good for all of the hills. My normal time on the treadmill for a 5-6 mile run alternates between 5.0mph and 5.5mph. If I push myself beyond that, I run out of steam on the last mile and find myself sinking into my joints too much.
At the end of the 5 miles, we all stood around a talked about our run. It has been amazing meeting all of the people that are involved! I feel like everyone there is very laid back and there is no pressure to compete. Everyone just goes at their own pace, and if it something that they want to improve upon, all the more power to them. Really it is the ideal situation for me, because I am such a competitive person that I get sucked too far into the feeling of beating others and myself that I sometimes forget to enjoy myself. Story of my life really. A friend and I were just talking about this issue in my life and it has really started to make me look at everything that I do.
I'm starting to realize more and more that if you don't take the time to simply enjoy the situation that you are in (instead of dwelling on how you can be the best in that situation), you will miss out on a lot. I've been trying to concentrate on doing that for each one of my training runs, and so far, it has been 10x more enjoyable. And I even loved running to begin with...so now it is completely fabulous. I highly recommend it to anyone who feels like their progress at the gym has been too slow. Run. Do ab workouts. Do yoga. Row. Swim. You will feel great, I promise! And, if you feel like you are too far gone, or are embarassed about the way you look, take baby steps. Take a walk once a day to begin, and then maybe try taking a long walk twice a week. Then move to a bike, or swimming. Add some weights and yoga in there. And THEN, when you feel like you've started to get your wind back, throw in a run. Take it slow to begin with, and then start doing intervals. Do 1 minute on-1 minute off. I promise you that you will be feeling great in no time. And really, is that what we all want? To feel good?
Next up...No 5k for Sara/Ear Infarction/Run 4/Comments about my looks/Ankle Spankle.'
XO
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Run 2/hip problems/a new gym...
For our second run, we had to get up a LOT earlier because we had to be an hour away by 7:30 a.m. Aunt Janet and I decided to carpool together because it is such a long drive to do alone in the morning. It was nice to have some time to wake up a little on the way there. Ask anyone who knows me, and they will tell you that I am the farthest from a morning person that anyone could possibly be. So, one of the big challenges for me has been getting myself up in time to eat breakfast and go to the bathroom with a significant amount of time left before I need to run. As of now, it is still not something that I have mastered.
Anyway, back to run number 2. We went to the Ma&Pa trail in Fallston, MD and it was a slightly warmer day than the first week. Around 35 degrees at the start. I tried something new at the beginning because it was slightly longer and I wanted to make sure that I had enough energy...I had a Gatorade 'Prime.' I'll just say yuck to that. It made me feel slightly better, but it tasted awful.
One of the things that I noticed over my first week of training was that my right knee was starting to get warm after running, and sometimes would feel tight. So I decided that for the run on Saturday, that I would go out with my knee brace on to see if it helped. Little did I know how many problems that knee brace would cause me later on....
Apparently, according to a coach, knee braces are only intended for short term wear, and not for a long run or workout. So, it should be thought of more as support between workouts and not support DURING. I really wish I had known that. It felt great during the run because it gave me an extra level of bounce that is like the feeling of new shoes. I did pace myself the entire time to be with my aunt, and we had a nice time. It is great having someone to chat with while you're running! I treasure these times so much because I know that in our busy lives, we will never be able to have this time together on a regular basis after this is over. By the end of the run, it was a little warmer outside, and the ice on the trail had started to actually melt.
The setting at the Ma&Pa is pretty. It has a farm/house as you leave and then goes down around a pond. There are hills and turns that keep you guessing, and that day you could tell that it had been rain/snowing recently because the ice had gathered in patches in all of the low areas. I am excited to take my dog there sometime because I think it is perfect for a dog to run around!
But, back to the joints...after the run, I noticed that my hip felt tight and it was aggravated by standing up. We went to a fundraising meeting at one of the participant's homes and were sitting down for a long length of time, and when I stood up that is when I first noticed the tightness. I didn't put together that I had been wearing the knee braces, and just chalked it up to the cold weather and not stretching. It wasn't until week 5 that I emailed the coach to ask her about it. Another silly move on my part....
I guess sometimes it is just hard to ask people for help. I think I spend a lot of time trying to fight my way through issues by myself, because I feel guilty and almost silly asking others. I had a trainer at Merritt, where I spent the first 80lbs of my weight loss getting into shape. His name was Ken. He was one of the people that I had trouble asking for help from, and when I look back now, I know that I should have been more open and exposed my weaknesses to him. Instead, I constantly felt like I had to compete with myself and all of his other clients to be the most intelligent, and the least annoying. When I told him that I was leaving Merritt, he was genuinely sad to see me go. He gave me a big hug and his email and made me promise to keep in touch. It is idiotic to me now that I ever thought that I had to guard my issues from him.
However, I am VERY glad that we left Merritt. While it is a clean gym, the locations were not conducive to my workout schedule. I was spending 30 minutes everyday driving back and forth to the gym. It was also about $20 more expensive than the new one we found. AND, our new gym has free indoor tennis, free classes including yoga and tai chi (both of which I have been trying to do to get myself more limber), and access to a swimming pool all summer long. It is also 5 minutes from our house. I'd say we got a good deal, wouldn't you?
Up next...Run 3/fighting off sickness.
XO
Anyway, back to run number 2. We went to the Ma&Pa trail in Fallston, MD and it was a slightly warmer day than the first week. Around 35 degrees at the start. I tried something new at the beginning because it was slightly longer and I wanted to make sure that I had enough energy...I had a Gatorade 'Prime.' I'll just say yuck to that. It made me feel slightly better, but it tasted awful.
One of the things that I noticed over my first week of training was that my right knee was starting to get warm after running, and sometimes would feel tight. So I decided that for the run on Saturday, that I would go out with my knee brace on to see if it helped. Little did I know how many problems that knee brace would cause me later on....
Apparently, according to a coach, knee braces are only intended for short term wear, and not for a long run or workout. So, it should be thought of more as support between workouts and not support DURING. I really wish I had known that. It felt great during the run because it gave me an extra level of bounce that is like the feeling of new shoes. I did pace myself the entire time to be with my aunt, and we had a nice time. It is great having someone to chat with while you're running! I treasure these times so much because I know that in our busy lives, we will never be able to have this time together on a regular basis after this is over. By the end of the run, it was a little warmer outside, and the ice on the trail had started to actually melt.
The setting at the Ma&Pa is pretty. It has a farm/house as you leave and then goes down around a pond. There are hills and turns that keep you guessing, and that day you could tell that it had been rain/snowing recently because the ice had gathered in patches in all of the low areas. I am excited to take my dog there sometime because I think it is perfect for a dog to run around!
But, back to the joints...after the run, I noticed that my hip felt tight and it was aggravated by standing up. We went to a fundraising meeting at one of the participant's homes and were sitting down for a long length of time, and when I stood up that is when I first noticed the tightness. I didn't put together that I had been wearing the knee braces, and just chalked it up to the cold weather and not stretching. It wasn't until week 5 that I emailed the coach to ask her about it. Another silly move on my part....
I guess sometimes it is just hard to ask people for help. I think I spend a lot of time trying to fight my way through issues by myself, because I feel guilty and almost silly asking others. I had a trainer at Merritt, where I spent the first 80lbs of my weight loss getting into shape. His name was Ken. He was one of the people that I had trouble asking for help from, and when I look back now, I know that I should have been more open and exposed my weaknesses to him. Instead, I constantly felt like I had to compete with myself and all of his other clients to be the most intelligent, and the least annoying. When I told him that I was leaving Merritt, he was genuinely sad to see me go. He gave me a big hug and his email and made me promise to keep in touch. It is idiotic to me now that I ever thought that I had to guard my issues from him.
However, I am VERY glad that we left Merritt. While it is a clean gym, the locations were not conducive to my workout schedule. I was spending 30 minutes everyday driving back and forth to the gym. It was also about $20 more expensive than the new one we found. AND, our new gym has free indoor tennis, free classes including yoga and tai chi (both of which I have been trying to do to get myself more limber), and access to a swimming pool all summer long. It is also 5 minutes from our house. I'd say we got a good deal, wouldn't you?
Up next...Run 3/fighting off sickness.
XO
Friday, March 18, 2011
I signed up!
In January, I threw my back out. I wasn't working out at the time, I was literally just bending over. Just like the older people in the movies do. I had just gone outside for a walk with the dog in the cold weather and I guess my back got cold, so when I got home it felt tight and I decided to bend over to stretch it. That was a BAD idea. I got stuck and Alec had to keep me from falling over. The worst part about it was that I was completely unable to workout. Right after I had gotten to my 8 mile marker, I had to just stop. I felt so helpless and honestly, lazy, because I just could be active.
So, after about a week, I was feeling better so I made the executive decision to go back to the gym for my regular schedule. IT WAS SOOOO HARD!!!! I felt like all of the stamina that I had built up just disintegrated in a week's time. My legs felt tight and my knees were warm and sore, and I started sweating after only a few moments on the treadmill. Part of my regular exercise is also doing strength training, and I went to do the weights that I had been doing and I got so frustrated because I had to go back a level on almost all of them. It is amazing how quickly my arms lost the tone and strength that I had built up.
One of the things that I noticed was that when you take a break off from running, you can expect a really difficult first run, but then your body quickly gets back to where it was. While the first two days were excruciating, the end of the week with running was almost like I hadn't stopped. (I wish the strength training was like that). Thankfully, I had worked with a trainer a few times and he offered to help me rehab a bit and get back into shape. The first big thing that we did was come up with a smarter plan for my daily workouts. Before the injury, I would bike for a few minutes to get my blood flowing, then go right into strength training making sure to work different muscle groups each day. After the injury, I had to force myself to allow extra time to fit a stretch in, and make sure that I stretched at the end as well. I also have to make sure that I am ALWAYS warm before I attempt to stretch.
Some people have told me that it is really not necessary to stretch, but I can honestly say that after feeling the tightness in my back, it is a very necessary part of any vigorous exercise. The key is being warm first. I guess I would put it like this: if you are going out for a cold run and have no time to warm up before you run, just go for it and stretch afterwards. BUT, if you have the time to warm up and then stretch or even do yoga, go for it! You will feel more flexible and more loose after you are done.
Ok so that's enough of my health lecture.
To get back to the training...
In January, my Aunt Janet asked me about my interest in running a half marathon. I had never run any races before, and had no idea what kind of fundraising would go into it, so I just figured that I'd go for it. We originally were supposed to go to a meeting and had planned to meet for some dinner prior to the event, but on the day of it got cancelled due to snow! I think I then got a little discouraged and started to doubt myself and my capabilities. Time can be dangerous when you let yourself really think about what you can do. The daunting task of running and fundraising seemed to be too much for me to handle, so I basically had decided that I wasn't going to go through with it.
Then my aunt and I talked about setting up a one-on-one meeting with the team leader and I thought, well maybe she will just tell me about the program and I will participate the next time it comes around. I think you all have figured out where this is going...
We met with Jillian, our AMAZING coordinator, and one of the coaches at Panera in Pikesville. From the moment I walked in, all I could think about was how terrifying fundraising was going to be. And then I saw the total amount that we had to raise and I wanted to run away immediately. Thankfully, Jillian and Aunt Janet both seemed really hopeful about the different way that I could raise money. My aunt even said "hey Sara, you're a singer, why don't you have a recital?" I also started to understand a little more about just what kind of cause we were representing.
They started talking about the different experiences that people had with Crohn's or Colitis, and I was immediately regretful of my selfish concern about fundraising. I heard about the young children that were honorees for this years race, and all I wanted to do was to tell them that there is hope for their future. The mere thought of a young 7 or 8 year old child going through the process of being on a feeding tube, or spending months out of school, or having to take 20 pills a day was heartbreaking. It is very true that people in our society shy away from discussing digestive disorders because they may feel embarassed about it, and that is such a shame. That is one of the other reasons that I decided to sign up for this cause. The more people out there who are aware of these diseases, the less embarassing they could be, and the more likely it will be for someone to find a cure. Because, even though many people may go years without having symptoms, they say that they are never cured. There is always a chance of a flare up, and when those happens it can mean years of pain and suffering.
Needless to say, I signed up. I committed to raising $2300 towards the cause. So far, I am about 1/3 of the way there. It is still really scary to think about the fact that if I do not raise the money, I will be responsible for paying the remaining amount, or I may not even be able to run at all. But, with all of the support that I have and with the few ideas that I have come up with, I am hoping to make it past my minimum goal.
Lastly, I wanted to end with giving a little recap of how our first run went! We met at the NCR trail (or railroad trail as some call it) at the Papermill Road entrance. I was sooooo nervous and tired (I was just getting a sinus infection that would later become an ear infection that I am still fighting)! It was only 7:30 when I got there, and I saw everyone standing around in a group and I just sat in my car trying to get up the nerve to get out. When Aunt Janet got there, I breathed a sigh of relief! We met in the group and tried to stay warm by moving around a bit. It was about 32 degrees. Then, my mentor Jessica started by having us all introduce ourselves and we played some games to share why we were there. Finally, they talked to us about what type of clothing we should be wearing and the course that we were going to run for the 3 miles.
The course was interesting to say the least. Apparently there was some ice and snow still on the NCR trail, so we set course through a neighborhood that is right down the road from the trail entrance. A very HILLY neighborhood to say the least. Also, I don't know if any of you remember this, but it was the Saturday with 50mph wind gusts that blew down trees and power lines. So that added a whole new level of dedication to the mix.
I ran with Aunt Janet for the first 1/3 of the miles and then I just felt like I had to go a little faster because I was getting cold. I really wanted to keep pace, but my body was not agreeing with me. I feel like the most exciting thing was going uphill and feeling my legs working to stay warm. I also had to keep blowing my nose into my gloves that I had taken off (gross!). I felt so hardcore in those moments. My fun moment of the day was when I was running up the steepest hill and there was a wind gust...I felt at that moment that I was running in place, and not making any forward movement. When it finally ended it was like I took off because there was no resistance meeting me.
When the run was over, we had time with everyone to stretch and meet with our mentors and the other participants. I guess that is when I started to first feel like I was really part of this team. I felt inspired to go out and do my daily runs with gusto! I even went home and mapped out a longer course that I ran outside the following week.....next up: Run 2, a new gym, and hip problems.
XO
So, after about a week, I was feeling better so I made the executive decision to go back to the gym for my regular schedule. IT WAS SOOOO HARD!!!! I felt like all of the stamina that I had built up just disintegrated in a week's time. My legs felt tight and my knees were warm and sore, and I started sweating after only a few moments on the treadmill. Part of my regular exercise is also doing strength training, and I went to do the weights that I had been doing and I got so frustrated because I had to go back a level on almost all of them. It is amazing how quickly my arms lost the tone and strength that I had built up.
One of the things that I noticed was that when you take a break off from running, you can expect a really difficult first run, but then your body quickly gets back to where it was. While the first two days were excruciating, the end of the week with running was almost like I hadn't stopped. (I wish the strength training was like that). Thankfully, I had worked with a trainer a few times and he offered to help me rehab a bit and get back into shape. The first big thing that we did was come up with a smarter plan for my daily workouts. Before the injury, I would bike for a few minutes to get my blood flowing, then go right into strength training making sure to work different muscle groups each day. After the injury, I had to force myself to allow extra time to fit a stretch in, and make sure that I stretched at the end as well. I also have to make sure that I am ALWAYS warm before I attempt to stretch.
Some people have told me that it is really not necessary to stretch, but I can honestly say that after feeling the tightness in my back, it is a very necessary part of any vigorous exercise. The key is being warm first. I guess I would put it like this: if you are going out for a cold run and have no time to warm up before you run, just go for it and stretch afterwards. BUT, if you have the time to warm up and then stretch or even do yoga, go for it! You will feel more flexible and more loose after you are done.
Ok so that's enough of my health lecture.
To get back to the training...
In January, my Aunt Janet asked me about my interest in running a half marathon. I had never run any races before, and had no idea what kind of fundraising would go into it, so I just figured that I'd go for it. We originally were supposed to go to a meeting and had planned to meet for some dinner prior to the event, but on the day of it got cancelled due to snow! I think I then got a little discouraged and started to doubt myself and my capabilities. Time can be dangerous when you let yourself really think about what you can do. The daunting task of running and fundraising seemed to be too much for me to handle, so I basically had decided that I wasn't going to go through with it.
Then my aunt and I talked about setting up a one-on-one meeting with the team leader and I thought, well maybe she will just tell me about the program and I will participate the next time it comes around. I think you all have figured out where this is going...
We met with Jillian, our AMAZING coordinator, and one of the coaches at Panera in Pikesville. From the moment I walked in, all I could think about was how terrifying fundraising was going to be. And then I saw the total amount that we had to raise and I wanted to run away immediately. Thankfully, Jillian and Aunt Janet both seemed really hopeful about the different way that I could raise money. My aunt even said "hey Sara, you're a singer, why don't you have a recital?" I also started to understand a little more about just what kind of cause we were representing.
They started talking about the different experiences that people had with Crohn's or Colitis, and I was immediately regretful of my selfish concern about fundraising. I heard about the young children that were honorees for this years race, and all I wanted to do was to tell them that there is hope for their future. The mere thought of a young 7 or 8 year old child going through the process of being on a feeding tube, or spending months out of school, or having to take 20 pills a day was heartbreaking. It is very true that people in our society shy away from discussing digestive disorders because they may feel embarassed about it, and that is such a shame. That is one of the other reasons that I decided to sign up for this cause. The more people out there who are aware of these diseases, the less embarassing they could be, and the more likely it will be for someone to find a cure. Because, even though many people may go years without having symptoms, they say that they are never cured. There is always a chance of a flare up, and when those happens it can mean years of pain and suffering.
Needless to say, I signed up. I committed to raising $2300 towards the cause. So far, I am about 1/3 of the way there. It is still really scary to think about the fact that if I do not raise the money, I will be responsible for paying the remaining amount, or I may not even be able to run at all. But, with all of the support that I have and with the few ideas that I have come up with, I am hoping to make it past my minimum goal.
Lastly, I wanted to end with giving a little recap of how our first run went! We met at the NCR trail (or railroad trail as some call it) at the Papermill Road entrance. I was sooooo nervous and tired (I was just getting a sinus infection that would later become an ear infection that I am still fighting)! It was only 7:30 when I got there, and I saw everyone standing around in a group and I just sat in my car trying to get up the nerve to get out. When Aunt Janet got there, I breathed a sigh of relief! We met in the group and tried to stay warm by moving around a bit. It was about 32 degrees. Then, my mentor Jessica started by having us all introduce ourselves and we played some games to share why we were there. Finally, they talked to us about what type of clothing we should be wearing and the course that we were going to run for the 3 miles.
The course was interesting to say the least. Apparently there was some ice and snow still on the NCR trail, so we set course through a neighborhood that is right down the road from the trail entrance. A very HILLY neighborhood to say the least. Also, I don't know if any of you remember this, but it was the Saturday with 50mph wind gusts that blew down trees and power lines. So that added a whole new level of dedication to the mix.
I ran with Aunt Janet for the first 1/3 of the miles and then I just felt like I had to go a little faster because I was getting cold. I really wanted to keep pace, but my body was not agreeing with me. I feel like the most exciting thing was going uphill and feeling my legs working to stay warm. I also had to keep blowing my nose into my gloves that I had taken off (gross!). I felt so hardcore in those moments. My fun moment of the day was when I was running up the steepest hill and there was a wind gust...I felt at that moment that I was running in place, and not making any forward movement. When it finally ended it was like I took off because there was no resistance meeting me.
When the run was over, we had time with everyone to stretch and meet with our mentors and the other participants. I guess that is when I started to first feel like I was really part of this team. I felt inspired to go out and do my daily runs with gusto! I even went home and mapped out a longer course that I ran outside the following week.....next up: Run 2, a new gym, and hip problems.
XO
Thursday, March 17, 2011
The months before the marathon training began/The runner diet
I wanted to give you a rough idea of what my training was like up until I started in on the marathon schedule, and so you can see how it all began.
In December 2010, I ran my first 6 mile run. I remember that after that run, I was on the phone with my sister and she said "don't you just feel like your body is like jello?" and my response was something like "yes, but it's good jello." I know that at some point in that conversation I also said that I just didn't know how I would ever get past the 6 mile mark, because it felt like the most difficult physical thing that I had done since dancing a recital in high school, or training to be a lifeguard.
The thing that amazes me about it, though, is that after I felt like my body had completely given up (including my stomach, which is one of my biggest battles with running), I wanted to do it all over again. I started to map out my workout schedule to fit long runs in only twice a week, so that I could not only build up my strength with resistance training, but also my speed with interval training. Eventually, towards the end of December, I made it to the 7 mile mark. I was feeling so great I set my course to run 8 miles, just because I wanted to challenge myself in January, and boy was that interesting...
That was when I had my first really big struggle with long distance running. I didn't prepare myself for that length of workout by eating the right foods and drinking liquids during the run, because I had never experienced anything like that before. I just assumed that because 7 miles felt great that 8 miles would be the same. I remember that day very well, because I went directly to the gym after eating a dinner high in sodium the night before, and a breakfast that was pretty small with hardly any fluids. I did grab a propel (THANK GOSH, because I might have been hospitalized if I hadn't) at the gym before I started, so I thought that between that and the regular water that I would be fine.
Around the 6 mile marker (about 1hour and change), my stomach started to feel upset and bubbly. So, I drank the entire bottle of Propel very quickly and slowed my pace down. I was running so slow, that I started to feel like time was going by at a crawl, and so I focused on the tv's at the gym and got outside of my body as much as I could. When I finished the run, I looked around and felt like the entire room was in a funhouse mirror. My legs were so wobbly that I couldn't feel them. I know I must have looked awful to the people at the gym because one of the trainers came over and said "wow, you look worked out" and I remember thinking to myself, "ok, just make it to the car and then you will be fine because you will be sitting and it will all go away."
When I finally got to my car, I could barely sit down, so I turned the ac on (it was like 30 outside) and tried to wake myself up. I made it home, and the moment that I walked in the front door, I ran straight to the bathroom. I was in there for almost 2 hours straight, and the only thing that I could do when I got up enough nerve to move was to lay in bed. Finally, at some point in that deluded state that I was in, I managed to put together that I hadn't eaten in hours. So, I went to the kitchen and grabbed a loaf of bread. I remember laying in bed and hugging that bread and thinking "please bread, please make me feel better." Eventually, I think I passed out from exhaustion when my stomach had finally calmed down, and I took an hour nap. Let's just say that my stomach and my legs weren't the same for 2 days after that.
Now that I have learned my lesson, I have figured out exactly what my body needs before going on long runs. I played around with drinks, diet, and sleep level, and have fine tuned it a bit more. One thing that I think every runner should know about is the packs of Gu that you can get at Dick's sporting goods. I just pop one of those in my secret pants pocket, and then down it at the 1.5 hour mark. While running I always make sure to regularly hydrate myself. And, to prepare for those longer runs, I eat more carbs the night before, a breakfast with protein and Vitamins, and make sure that I go to the bathroom the morning of the run. I always take some Gatorade packets just in case I am feeling a little queasy post-run, because it takes all of the nausea away. I recommend messing around with your diet if you are trying to train! Even though I am trying to lose weight, I realize now that it is still important to keep my body functional enough to have a good run.
So that about brings me to the first weeks of January when I pulled out my back and had to take a week off. Coming up next....getting back to running: the smartest way to jump back in AND the actual sign up for the marathon!
In December 2010, I ran my first 6 mile run. I remember that after that run, I was on the phone with my sister and she said "don't you just feel like your body is like jello?" and my response was something like "yes, but it's good jello." I know that at some point in that conversation I also said that I just didn't know how I would ever get past the 6 mile mark, because it felt like the most difficult physical thing that I had done since dancing a recital in high school, or training to be a lifeguard.
The thing that amazes me about it, though, is that after I felt like my body had completely given up (including my stomach, which is one of my biggest battles with running), I wanted to do it all over again. I started to map out my workout schedule to fit long runs in only twice a week, so that I could not only build up my strength with resistance training, but also my speed with interval training. Eventually, towards the end of December, I made it to the 7 mile mark. I was feeling so great I set my course to run 8 miles, just because I wanted to challenge myself in January, and boy was that interesting...
That was when I had my first really big struggle with long distance running. I didn't prepare myself for that length of workout by eating the right foods and drinking liquids during the run, because I had never experienced anything like that before. I just assumed that because 7 miles felt great that 8 miles would be the same. I remember that day very well, because I went directly to the gym after eating a dinner high in sodium the night before, and a breakfast that was pretty small with hardly any fluids. I did grab a propel (THANK GOSH, because I might have been hospitalized if I hadn't) at the gym before I started, so I thought that between that and the regular water that I would be fine.
Around the 6 mile marker (about 1hour and change), my stomach started to feel upset and bubbly. So, I drank the entire bottle of Propel very quickly and slowed my pace down. I was running so slow, that I started to feel like time was going by at a crawl, and so I focused on the tv's at the gym and got outside of my body as much as I could. When I finished the run, I looked around and felt like the entire room was in a funhouse mirror. My legs were so wobbly that I couldn't feel them. I know I must have looked awful to the people at the gym because one of the trainers came over and said "wow, you look worked out" and I remember thinking to myself, "ok, just make it to the car and then you will be fine because you will be sitting and it will all go away."
When I finally got to my car, I could barely sit down, so I turned the ac on (it was like 30 outside) and tried to wake myself up. I made it home, and the moment that I walked in the front door, I ran straight to the bathroom. I was in there for almost 2 hours straight, and the only thing that I could do when I got up enough nerve to move was to lay in bed. Finally, at some point in that deluded state that I was in, I managed to put together that I hadn't eaten in hours. So, I went to the kitchen and grabbed a loaf of bread. I remember laying in bed and hugging that bread and thinking "please bread, please make me feel better." Eventually, I think I passed out from exhaustion when my stomach had finally calmed down, and I took an hour nap. Let's just say that my stomach and my legs weren't the same for 2 days after that.
Now that I have learned my lesson, I have figured out exactly what my body needs before going on long runs. I played around with drinks, diet, and sleep level, and have fine tuned it a bit more. One thing that I think every runner should know about is the packs of Gu that you can get at Dick's sporting goods. I just pop one of those in my secret pants pocket, and then down it at the 1.5 hour mark. While running I always make sure to regularly hydrate myself. And, to prepare for those longer runs, I eat more carbs the night before, a breakfast with protein and Vitamins, and make sure that I go to the bathroom the morning of the run. I always take some Gatorade packets just in case I am feeling a little queasy post-run, because it takes all of the nausea away. I recommend messing around with your diet if you are trying to train! Even though I am trying to lose weight, I realize now that it is still important to keep my body functional enough to have a good run.
So that about brings me to the first weeks of January when I pulled out my back and had to take a week off. Coming up next....getting back to running: the smartest way to jump back in AND the actual sign up for the marathon!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
The Introduction.
I've always wanted to have a blog, but I just haven't ever allowed myself the time to write it. Now that Alec has been working late so frequently, I seem to have more and more nights after 11pm when I am on the internet for various wedding/teaching/singing/running related things, so I figure, why not?
As all of you know, I am getting married. I am SO excited to continue moving forward in my relationship with Alec, and I have been working very hard to plan a wedding that will reflect not only us as a couple, but also each of us as individuals. I suppose around the 3rd month of wedding planning I realized just how insane I am to take on the majority of the responsibilities for myself. That is when I reached out to Alec and my family to help. Fortunately, we (I sincerely mean WE) have come very far with our planning, and we are ahead of schedule. Who's schedule exactly? The "wedding magazine" and "self-help wedding planner" and "internet's" schedule? Bob's schedule? I dunno...just "the schedule." So, as we are moving closer into the last few months, I've decided to go completely insane and sign up to do a marathon with my aunt.
To start of my journey of losing 87+ pounds, I have to give you the whole story. Even though many of you already know all of this about me, it never hurts to share life with each other.
I have always, always, ALWAYS, hated my body. Even when I was in elementary school, I knew that I was going to be bigger than everyone else. I have very distinct memories from my childhood of people saying things to me to confirm these feelings. I know now that they were wrong in doing so, but nevertheless, the memories remain.
When I was in elementary school, I remember my "friends" making fun of me when I wore leggings and a tunic (God bless the 80's), because my butt stuck out more than anyone elses would. I remember not being picked in every single gym class because I was fat, and they automatically assumed that I was out of shape.
I remember playing on swing sets and making the swings creak when they didn't creak with my friends on them. I remember breaking things by jumping on them that did not break when my friends jumped on them.
When I was in middle school it, naturally, got much worse. I was so uncomfortable in my own skin that I wore ace bandages around my stomach, and avoided talking to as many people as I could. I was called "pig," "lesbian," "fatty," and many other hurtful names. I would avoid gym class by going to the guidance counselor because I didn't want to have to deal with the humiliation of changing in the locker room or being rejected from the team. I remember a few distinct situations with authority figures that stuck with me from this time period.
1. A lady that went to the pool with my family told me "you're never going to get a boyfriend with a body like that."
2. A lady that went school shopping with my Mom, sister, and I said "man, you're a size 13, I am a size 13 and I'm 40!"
3. My fraternal grandmother (whom I did not really ever see after this occasion) looked at me after not seeing me for about 8 years and said to my parents "She has really gotten fat."
By the time I got to eighth grade, I wanted to completely give up. The only solace I found was in music. I immersed myself in playing violin and listening to grunge with the volume all the way up and drowned the entire world out.
In high school, I thought things got better. I focused on growing as a musician and the goal of getting into college. I learned to bottle up my emotions about my weight and focus them in another direction. However, the hurtful comments and feelings continued. I was a dancer and my body was the #1 focus while in dance class. It became impossible to avoid that I was so overweight. There were times that I threw up food to lose weight so I would be a more attractive dancer, there were days where I would only eat a peach and drink 3 liters of water to keep myself full. I was diagnosed at 14 with Hashimoto's disease, or Hypothyroidism, which causes slow metabolism and weight gain. I thought "this explains everything, now I can be fixed with medicine." But it only helped me to lose about 5 pounds.
There was one instance when I went to the doctor after feeling like I wanted to end my life, and he told me "I think you just need to lose weight. Have you ever gone to a gym? Maybe that will make you feel better." I mean, I was FULL OUT asking this guy for mental help and his response was, "you're fat". It's really unbelievable how completely ignorant adults can be because they think that kids are resilient, and that maybe give them a hint about how fat they are will help them in some way. WRONG. So wrong.
Anyway, at the point of graduation I was a definite size 16+. I remember going prom dress shopping at JC Penney and praying that I would fit into that size 16, because after that you are plus sized, and those dresses just never seem to look the same. I also know that at that point I was around 195 lbs. Then came college.
I was miserable in college. I wanted to get away from my life in Maryland, so I chose to go to the school that was the furthest away of all of the ones that I applied to. I landed in Indiana. Good old Indiana...so so so different from the east coast. So secluded from the culture that I was used to. SO DEEP FRIED EVERYTHING.
College for me basically equalled the pits of despair for health. I drank, partied all night, worked my butt off stressing in class all day, ate only fried foods (that's really the only edible food that they had), and sat around my dorm room on the internet (it was new and exciting at that point). I gained the freshman 40+ the sophomore/junior/senior 10. (There was a point during junior year that I became anorexic because of all of the emotional stress that I had. I hated myself and my life, so I just decided to stop eating. I thank God everyday for the close friends that I had that forced me to eat the day that I almost passed out). After that, I just kept gaining weight and never went back. When I left Valpo, I was a size 20.
After Valpo, I got a desk job. BIG butt killer there. I gained more weight and got even less exercise than in college. By the time that I got to Peabody, I weighed around 270 pounds. I was told while attending school there that I was too fat to be cast in any operas. (Yet, I managed to get cast in several?). I actually was called in to sit down with the opera director so that he could ask me to lose weight. As a response, I completely withdrew from the mainstage opera department and focused entirely on early music...where I felt accepted, and comfortable. Looking back, I should have made more people aware of that interaction while I was there. I do understand that casting is at the sole discretion of the director, but I am 100% sure that it does not give them permission to belittle students, or make them feel unwelcomed.
I swear the story is almost done.
I met Alec, the most wonderful and supportive man anyone could ever ask for, my second year at Peabody. When I met him I was at the point in my life where I was getting tired of feeling, well, tired all the time. Of not being able to walk upstairs, uphill or even downhill, without getting tired. I was also told by my doctor that I was at high risk for developing diabetes. So, that summer of '07, I began to run. I mapped a course out in my neighborhood and eventually worked up to 3.5-4 mile increments. I felt great. A slight problem occurred however....I fell in love.
So, after about 4 months of working out and getting down to a size 18, it just all stopped mattering to me. All I cared about was seeing Alec, and finishing school. At some point between 2007-2009, I just completely stopped caring about my health. I did notice that I had reflux, which impeded on my singing, but I attributed it to bad genes. I also noticed that I had horrible anxiety, but I attributed that to my high stress career choice. In August of 2009, I weighed myself at Alec's parents home and I was 280 pounds. A size 22. At that point in time, I decided that it all had to change.
In October, I joined a gym. I have never looked back. I started to work out everyday that I could...6 days a week. I noticed that I was feeling more in shape, but I just wasn't losing any weight. In January 2010, I went to the doctor and got weighed and saw that I had only lost 4 pounds in 3 months. I decided to evaluate my diet completely. I also noticed that I was having severe stomach pains (not reflux) after eating a big meal. So, in January 2010, I completely shifted my diet. Luckily, I changed it just in time, because it was then that I realized that I have gal bladder disease. Thankfully, I had become mindful of my eating before it came to the point of emergency surgery.
After those first 20 pounds were lost, I felt great!! I remember sitting at Bertucci's with the whole family and telling Aunt Janet about it, and she made everyone stop talking and told the whole table. It was such an incredible feeling. I felt that I had so much support from everyone, and it made me reassured that I was moving in a good direction.
Around my first 50 lbs of weight loss, I started to run at faster speeds and to feel a draw to the treadmill. I remember my trainer would try to get me to use other equipment, but I just kept going back to running. It is such an incredible feeling, because I know that my body is really working hard. In November of 2010, Aunt Janet and Laura both approached me about doing runs with them. I was SO EXCITED by the thought that I could actually run and keep up with two amazing women!
In December 2010, I reached the "less than 200 lbs point" and my total weight loss so far is at 87 pounds and counting. In January 2011, Aunt Janet asked me if I would be interested in running a half marathon with her...and this is finally, where our daily blogging begins :)
Oh and p.s.- I am currently down to a size 14. 1 size away from my middle school waist line.
As all of you know, I am getting married. I am SO excited to continue moving forward in my relationship with Alec, and I have been working very hard to plan a wedding that will reflect not only us as a couple, but also each of us as individuals. I suppose around the 3rd month of wedding planning I realized just how insane I am to take on the majority of the responsibilities for myself. That is when I reached out to Alec and my family to help. Fortunately, we (I sincerely mean WE) have come very far with our planning, and we are ahead of schedule. Who's schedule exactly? The "wedding magazine" and "self-help wedding planner" and "internet's" schedule? Bob's schedule? I dunno...just "the schedule." So, as we are moving closer into the last few months, I've decided to go completely insane and sign up to do a marathon with my aunt.
To start of my journey of losing 87+ pounds, I have to give you the whole story. Even though many of you already know all of this about me, it never hurts to share life with each other.
I have always, always, ALWAYS, hated my body. Even when I was in elementary school, I knew that I was going to be bigger than everyone else. I have very distinct memories from my childhood of people saying things to me to confirm these feelings. I know now that they were wrong in doing so, but nevertheless, the memories remain.
When I was in elementary school, I remember my "friends" making fun of me when I wore leggings and a tunic (God bless the 80's), because my butt stuck out more than anyone elses would. I remember not being picked in every single gym class because I was fat, and they automatically assumed that I was out of shape.
I remember playing on swing sets and making the swings creak when they didn't creak with my friends on them. I remember breaking things by jumping on them that did not break when my friends jumped on them.
When I was in middle school it, naturally, got much worse. I was so uncomfortable in my own skin that I wore ace bandages around my stomach, and avoided talking to as many people as I could. I was called "pig," "lesbian," "fatty," and many other hurtful names. I would avoid gym class by going to the guidance counselor because I didn't want to have to deal with the humiliation of changing in the locker room or being rejected from the team. I remember a few distinct situations with authority figures that stuck with me from this time period.
1. A lady that went to the pool with my family told me "you're never going to get a boyfriend with a body like that."
2. A lady that went school shopping with my Mom, sister, and I said "man, you're a size 13, I am a size 13 and I'm 40!"
3. My fraternal grandmother (whom I did not really ever see after this occasion) looked at me after not seeing me for about 8 years and said to my parents "She has really gotten fat."
By the time I got to eighth grade, I wanted to completely give up. The only solace I found was in music. I immersed myself in playing violin and listening to grunge with the volume all the way up and drowned the entire world out.
In high school, I thought things got better. I focused on growing as a musician and the goal of getting into college. I learned to bottle up my emotions about my weight and focus them in another direction. However, the hurtful comments and feelings continued. I was a dancer and my body was the #1 focus while in dance class. It became impossible to avoid that I was so overweight. There were times that I threw up food to lose weight so I would be a more attractive dancer, there were days where I would only eat a peach and drink 3 liters of water to keep myself full. I was diagnosed at 14 with Hashimoto's disease, or Hypothyroidism, which causes slow metabolism and weight gain. I thought "this explains everything, now I can be fixed with medicine." But it only helped me to lose about 5 pounds.
There was one instance when I went to the doctor after feeling like I wanted to end my life, and he told me "I think you just need to lose weight. Have you ever gone to a gym? Maybe that will make you feel better." I mean, I was FULL OUT asking this guy for mental help and his response was, "you're fat". It's really unbelievable how completely ignorant adults can be because they think that kids are resilient, and that maybe give them a hint about how fat they are will help them in some way. WRONG. So wrong.
Anyway, at the point of graduation I was a definite size 16+. I remember going prom dress shopping at JC Penney and praying that I would fit into that size 16, because after that you are plus sized, and those dresses just never seem to look the same. I also know that at that point I was around 195 lbs. Then came college.
I was miserable in college. I wanted to get away from my life in Maryland, so I chose to go to the school that was the furthest away of all of the ones that I applied to. I landed in Indiana. Good old Indiana...so so so different from the east coast. So secluded from the culture that I was used to. SO DEEP FRIED EVERYTHING.
College for me basically equalled the pits of despair for health. I drank, partied all night, worked my butt off stressing in class all day, ate only fried foods (that's really the only edible food that they had), and sat around my dorm room on the internet (it was new and exciting at that point). I gained the freshman 40+ the sophomore/junior/senior 10. (There was a point during junior year that I became anorexic because of all of the emotional stress that I had. I hated myself and my life, so I just decided to stop eating. I thank God everyday for the close friends that I had that forced me to eat the day that I almost passed out). After that, I just kept gaining weight and never went back. When I left Valpo, I was a size 20.
After Valpo, I got a desk job. BIG butt killer there. I gained more weight and got even less exercise than in college. By the time that I got to Peabody, I weighed around 270 pounds. I was told while attending school there that I was too fat to be cast in any operas. (Yet, I managed to get cast in several?). I actually was called in to sit down with the opera director so that he could ask me to lose weight. As a response, I completely withdrew from the mainstage opera department and focused entirely on early music...where I felt accepted, and comfortable. Looking back, I should have made more people aware of that interaction while I was there. I do understand that casting is at the sole discretion of the director, but I am 100% sure that it does not give them permission to belittle students, or make them feel unwelcomed.
I swear the story is almost done.
I met Alec, the most wonderful and supportive man anyone could ever ask for, my second year at Peabody. When I met him I was at the point in my life where I was getting tired of feeling, well, tired all the time. Of not being able to walk upstairs, uphill or even downhill, without getting tired. I was also told by my doctor that I was at high risk for developing diabetes. So, that summer of '07, I began to run. I mapped a course out in my neighborhood and eventually worked up to 3.5-4 mile increments. I felt great. A slight problem occurred however....I fell in love.
So, after about 4 months of working out and getting down to a size 18, it just all stopped mattering to me. All I cared about was seeing Alec, and finishing school. At some point between 2007-2009, I just completely stopped caring about my health. I did notice that I had reflux, which impeded on my singing, but I attributed it to bad genes. I also noticed that I had horrible anxiety, but I attributed that to my high stress career choice. In August of 2009, I weighed myself at Alec's parents home and I was 280 pounds. A size 22. At that point in time, I decided that it all had to change.
In October, I joined a gym. I have never looked back. I started to work out everyday that I could...6 days a week. I noticed that I was feeling more in shape, but I just wasn't losing any weight. In January 2010, I went to the doctor and got weighed and saw that I had only lost 4 pounds in 3 months. I decided to evaluate my diet completely. I also noticed that I was having severe stomach pains (not reflux) after eating a big meal. So, in January 2010, I completely shifted my diet. Luckily, I changed it just in time, because it was then that I realized that I have gal bladder disease. Thankfully, I had become mindful of my eating before it came to the point of emergency surgery.
After those first 20 pounds were lost, I felt great!! I remember sitting at Bertucci's with the whole family and telling Aunt Janet about it, and she made everyone stop talking and told the whole table. It was such an incredible feeling. I felt that I had so much support from everyone, and it made me reassured that I was moving in a good direction.
Around my first 50 lbs of weight loss, I started to run at faster speeds and to feel a draw to the treadmill. I remember my trainer would try to get me to use other equipment, but I just kept going back to running. It is such an incredible feeling, because I know that my body is really working hard. In November of 2010, Aunt Janet and Laura both approached me about doing runs with them. I was SO EXCITED by the thought that I could actually run and keep up with two amazing women!
In December 2010, I reached the "less than 200 lbs point" and my total weight loss so far is at 87 pounds and counting. In January 2011, Aunt Janet asked me if I would be interested in running a half marathon with her...and this is finally, where our daily blogging begins :)
Oh and p.s.- I am currently down to a size 14. 1 size away from my middle school waist line.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)