Friday's Run

Don't laugh at me, but that Wii workout kicked my butt yesterday. I was sooo sore when I work up this morning. I wanted to use it as an excuse to not go running this morning, but I gave myself a mental kick in the rear and went out anyway. I increased my route distance from a quarter of a mile to just over a half mile one way.

And this isn't even mentioning the supposed to be 3 minute jog that turned into 4.5 minutes (covered about half a mile!!) because a car passed me and I didn't hear the timer go off to tell me to start walking. I was completely amazed with myself. So I may be finally moving on to Week Five!

My buzzard friends were also back now that it's cooled off some. There were a few circling overhead, but I couldn't get good pictures of them. When I stopped to get a picture, one of them even looked at me like he was checking to see if I had keeled over yet!

Warming up in the morning sun.

Can you tell that the one on the bottom
is looking right at me??

Just finished my run!
My hair is WILD!!

Stats:
Distance - 2.18 miles

Time - 33:12
Average Pace - 15:15 per mile
Fastest - 10:35 per mile
Slowest - 29:04 per mile
Calories Burned - 230 k/cal

Thanks for reading!

Monday's Run

Beautiful sunrise this morning!

Monday morning was an early one! Jacob, my husband, decided he wanted to start running with me again, so we were up at 5:30 to get a run in before he had to be at work.

While we were out, I was having a really difficult time finding my pace and was having a hard time catching my breath. I chalked it up to the humidity levels in the air, but I still wasn't pleased with my run as I felt like it was a flop. That is, until I got back..

Apparently, I was subconsciously pushing myself to run faster to keep up with Jacob, who naturally runs faster than I do. I figured this out when I ended my run on the Nike+ Running app and was informed that I had set a new personal 1K record of 6:47!

Unfortunately, pushing myself like that also re-irritated my shins, so I decided not to run this morning to let them rest.

Monday's Stats:

Distance - 2.20 miles

Time - 32:04 minutes

Average Pace - 14:35 per mile

Fastest - ???

Slowest - ???

Calories Burned - 237 k/cals

Records - 6:47 1K

Ever since the most recent update, Nike+ Running hasn't been syncing data or loading properly, so I can't access all of my info..

C25K: Week 3 Day 1 (Again)

This week, I'm repeating Week 3 again, and probably will for a few more weeks. I still have trouble running the full three minutes without stopping early because I can't catch my breath.

Last week, there was only one buzzard sitting on the tree watching me. Today, there were six! A few times, one of them would even fly over about 10 feet over my head and hover for a split second. I can only imagine he was checking to see how close I was to passing out.

Buzzards aside, however, I'm running some of my fastest times the past few outings. Here's today's stats:

Distance - 2.75 miles
Time - 35:40 minutes
Average Pace - 13:51/mi
Fastest - 8:59/mi
Slowest - 33:43/mi
Calories Burned - 248

I'll see you tomorrow!

C25K: Week 3 Day 1 Repeat

I know, I know.. I've been very lazy and unmotivated for the past few weeks. My husband was out of town and I was staying up too late to want to get up and go running at 7:00 am. Bad Hunter...

But I'm back into it now! Just got back in from a 2.5 mile run and I feel great! I was quite impressed with my stamina as I was able to still run for the 3 minutes that are in Week 3. Here's my times:

Time - 34:42
Average Pace - 15:13/mile
Fastest - 9:35/mile
Slowest - 33:12/mile
Calorie Burn - 244

I also had this critter watching me the entire time.. I was beginning to feel like Simba passed out in the desert!

C25K: Week 3 Day 3

Today was rough!  According to the weather, it was 132 degrees Fahrenheit when I went out!  Now, we all know it wasn't actually (more like 70 degrees), but it sure felt like it!  The weight of the humidity in the air felt like I was running with an extra ten pounds strapped to my middle.

And if that wasn't bad enough, there were birds everywhere this morning.  And Harley is a Catahoula Cur mix, which means he was bred to be a hunting dog..  So he was trying to chase all of the birds.  One time, he actually darted in front of me and halfway across the road to chase a bird that had swooped past.  Thankfully there wasn't a car coming.

Today's stats are:
Time - 37:07 minutes
Distance - 2.44 miles
Fastest - 10:17/mile
Slowest - 34:48/mile
Avg. Pace - 15:12/mile
Calories Burned - 260

I believe that I'm going to bump up my mileage next week from 7.5 miles to 10 by adding in an extra running day.  So my new running schedule will be Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.  I'll be adding in repeat day for my C25K program instead of advancing to the next week.  I may even be repeating Week 3 next week as it's pretty tough and Week 4 will be even tougher.  Week 4's workout is run 3 minutes, walk 90 seconds, run 5 minutes, walk 2.5 minutes, run 3 minutes, walk 90 seconds, run 5 minutes.  I'll give it a try Monday before I make my final decision, however.

I'll see you tomorrow for my weight in!

New Name, Same Blog

Hi guys!  What do you think of the new name?  I'm pretty excited about it!  I decided to rename the blog as I no longer use it as it was originally intended (as a food diary to keep me more accountable).  I now also have a personal Instagram account that I will post updates on and be a little more visual with my daily life than on here.  Pop on over to IG and follow me if you'd like!

Easter Break Catch Up

Hi guys!

I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday weekend!  I had an extremely busy (yet wonderful!) Easter break, so I'm just now catching up on my posts.  My last weigh in results (which I actually took Monday morning) are:

• Arms - 12 (down 0.5")
• Chest - 36.75 (down 1.25")
• Waist - 41.25 (down 1.25")
• Hips - 41.75 (down 1.25")
• Thighs - 21.25 (down 1.25")
• Weight - 168.6 (down 3 lbs)
• BMI - 26.8 (down 0.5)

I know last post I stated that I was going to repeat my C25K program's Week 2 again until I felt more comfortable running as long as Week 3, but I think part of my inability to keep up was the fact that I went at the hottest point of the day.  The heat just sapped all of my energy.

So this week, I've been doing Week 3.  I did Day 1 yesterday and Day 2 today, as I'm trying to get my running back to my Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule.  Friday, I will be completing Day 3.  I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to repeat Week 3 a few times.  Running for a  solid three minutes is extremely tough!

Week 3's course is running 90 seconds, walking 90 seconds, running 3 minutes, walking 3 minutes and repeating.  Yesterday, I was unable to run the first 3 minutes.  I found a better pace and was able to go the full 3 minutes the second time, however.  Today, I was able to do both 3 minute times.

Week 3 Day 1 Stats:

Distance - 2.57 miles

Time - 35:40 minutes
Fastest - 8:33/mile
Slowest - 33:43/mile

Avg. Pace - 13.51/mile

I ran my fastest 1K by running it in 6:56.  I ran my fastest mile at 12:48.

Week 3 Day 2 Stats:

Distance - 2.46 miles

Time - 38.05 minutes
Fastest - 9:50/mile
Slowest - 27:28/mile

Avg. Pace - 15.27/mile

Today's average pace should have been faster, but I had to chase down my dog and walk her back to the house in the middle of my run.  Emma Grace, my oldest, let her out of the house.

I love seeing my records update on Nike+ Running.  I can't believe I've come so far!  Here are my beginning times:

1K - 16:53

1 mile - 17.25

I can't wait to see how much faster I get and how much further I can go!

Thanks for reading!

C25K: Week 2 Day 1 Repeat

Yesterday I completely skipped doing Insanity.  As the weather warms up, my house gets to almost 80 degrees F during the day, which I feel is just a little too hot to be doing that kind of activity.  I'll try doing it earlier than I have been before I put it back on the shelf until cooler days.

Today, I went out running much later than I usually do.  I actually went at the hottest time of day because my children woke up extra early this morning.  They usually don't wake up until 9-ish, but my youngest woke up screaming about 7:45 while I was getting dressed to go out.  I guess she had a bad dream.

It was so hot when I went out today that I couldn't keep up with my Week 3 Day 1 run.  I decided to back track and start Week 2 over again as I still have difficulty running for that length of time.  I'll repeat Week 2 at least one more time before I progress to Week 3.

If I go out that late again, I'm going to have to take a bottle of water with me at least for Harley.  I was afraid he was going to get too hot.  I tried to let him drink from a small stream, but as he approached, a turtle that we both failed to see dove into the water.  He charged about 10 feet backward and decided he didn't want water that bad.  When we got home, both of us drank plenty of water and sat beside one of the air vents in the floor until we cooled down.

Thanks for reading!

C25K: Week 2 Day 3

It felt absolutely wonderful to go out for a run this morning!  I waited about an hour later than usual, so I missed most of the "morning rush" traffic - no parents speeding to get the kids to school and no college kids speeding to get to their morning class!  I did, however, have to deal with two chicken trucks that had just picked up a trailer full from the chicken farm down the road.  I don't think there's a comparable stench that exists on Earth..  They were absolutely horrible.

I don't know if any of you know what a sweet gum tree is, but they are no fun to run around.  There's a couple of them on my route and I absolutely hate it when a car is coming when I'm by these trees.  I have to be really careful to not fall down because their seed pods are all over the ground around them.  It's literally like running on huge marbles!  Here's a picture.  Just for size, they're usually about the diameter of a tealight candle if not a bit bigger.

Anyway, enough chit chat.  I had a great run this morning.  I went 2.5 miles with a time of 37:40 and an average pace of 15:03 according to Nike+ Running.

See you tomorrow!

C25K: Week 2 Day 2

Hello everyone!  I went out for my run this morning even though I really didn't want to.  But I'm glad I did!  I woke up this morning really tired and drug around until the absolute latest I could possibly go out because I was telling myself that I didn't want to go today.  When I finally forced myself outside, I told myself that I was only going to walk a few laps and go back inside.

I was not enjoying being outside, at all.  There's been a cold snap the past few days, so it was quite chilly when I started this morning.  Not to mention, there was a heavy dew on the ground that had soaked my shoes and socks through before I even made it to the road to start walking.

After my half mile warm-up, however, I finally forced myself to turn on my C25K app and started running, still telling myself that I was going to go in after two laps.  Let's face it, who likes running with wet, squidgy shoes?  I sure don't!

After two laps, I had started to wake up, the temperature was warm enough to take off my jacket (or maybe I was just hot?), and I had quit paying attention to the water squishing between my toes with every step.  I was enjoying myself!

So I finished my 2.5 miles in a rather slow 39 minutes and already completed my step goal set by Noom.  So far, I already have 6500 steps and it's only 8:20 in the morning!  Today is going to be a great day!

Get out there and work past your excuses!

C25K: Week 2 Day 1 & Walking

I had a great time getting out and running this morning!  I was afraid that after almost two months of not running, that I would have lost my progress and wouldn't be able to pick up where I left off.  I decided to back track a week and start from there, but I think that, thanks to Insanity, I could have picked up exactly where I'd left off!

For Week 2, you alternate 90 seconds of jogging with two minutes of walking for 20 minutes.  I did this with surprising ease!  I started to tire toward the end, however, so I think I made a wise decision by backing up a week to readjust to running.

According to Noom, I went for a total of 2.69 miles in 39 minutes with a pace of 14.27 min./mi. and burned a total of 340 calories.  According to Nike+ Running, I went 2.56 miles in 39 minutes with a pace of 15.07 min./mi. and burned a total of 277 calories.  Which is correct?  I'm not sure.  I think Noom is more correct on the calories because it's more personalized.  However, I think Nike+ Running is more correct about distance and time because I know the loop I run is about 2.5 miles.  Maybe there's something off with Noom's GPS signal.

Then, last night, my mom and I went for a walk that, according to Noom (I don't use Nike+ Running for walks because it's calculated for running), we walked 1.79 miles in 34 minutes with a pace of 18:55 min./mi. for a calorie burn of 161 for me.  Her Noom calculated over 200 calories burned for her personalized account.

Thanks for reading!  See you tomorrow for Insanity Day 11!

Follow me on Nike+ Running!  My username is hmlove1218

Day 10: Cardio Recovery

Yesterday, after my weigh in, I went out for a run for the first time in forever!  It felt great to be back out there and the dogs really enjoyed it.  My husband had Harley, the faster of our two dogs, and they were running ahead of me and Kimber because we're the slow runners.

Kimber was really excited to finally be back outside and had been pulling on the leash despite multiple corrections.  When my husband and Harley stopped for a water break, Kimber gave one good yank on the leash right as my foot was about to touch the ground and caused me to land wrong.  My ankle gave way and I hit my knees on the pavement.  After a few choice words directed at my four-legged running partner, I got up and finished my run, though we cut it half a mile short.

Anyway, over night, my ankle rested and felt better this morning, so I did my Insanity video.  Luckily it was Cardio Recovery which doesn't require all the crazy jumping around, so my ankle with have one more day to recover a bit.  My knees were scuffed up from falling, but they didn't give me any problems.

Today's workout was more of slow and controlled muscle work than the usual insane activities.  There were tons of slow leg and ab work such as squats, lunges, and leg lifts.  It took me about twice as long to complete the video as it should have, because I kept having to stop and take breaks to control my rowdy youngsters.  Maybe that's why today wasn't so difficult for me because I took longer breaks more often than the video works in.

Tomorrow will be an early morning, because this week is supposed to be sunny and warm so me and the hubby will be out running again.

See you tomorrow!

Is there anything you'd like to see me post more of?  Want recipes or meal updates?  Leave a comment below!

Early Morning Walking

Today was my first day to be able to go out in the morning in weeks.  I woke up with tons of energy when my alarm went off at 4:45 and bounced out of bed to get dressed.  It was such a lovely morning except for all the rain puddles..  My dog, Harley, was quite happy about those, however, because he had a drinking station every few yards.

Since I haven't been able to run for quite some time now, I took it slow this morning and briskly walked my route instead of running.  I did run about an eighth of a mile as I was finishing my walk, though.  It felt nice to be able to do it, but it also confirmed my decision to take it slow today because my shins started aching as soon as I started jogging.  I'll pick up my C25K program again Thursday, where I'll be starting week three.  Hopefully this nice, not rainy for freezing weather holds out for the rest of the week!

See you tomorrow!

Oh, and a big thank you to whoever is giving me all the +1s!  It's really encouraging :)

Day 1: This Is Me & Fit Test

Hi there!

So this will be my first blog post for the revamped Blog It Off and I figure I should tell you a little about myself.  I am a mother of two beautiful little girls and married to my wonderful husband of four years.  Now, I love my children dearly, but having a little one grow inside you takes a major tole on your body.  I now tote around roughly forty extra pounds of fat and much less muscle.  You see, before my kids I was a very fit martial artist and had been training for eleven years.  I miss the confidence I had when I was in shape.  I miss being able to look in the mirror and not hate what I was looking at.  I feel like a stranger is looking back at me and I'm tired of it.

I've tried a couple things to get back in shape but I haven't stuck to anything for more than a few months because I wasn't seeing results.  I tried running, I tried dieting, I tried to get back into martial arts,  I even tried diet pills.  Nothing stuck in the long run.  I decided that dieting wasn't for me because I wanted a lifestyle change not a short-term fix.  I was discouraged when I tried to pick up martial arts again because I couldn't do everything I had been able to (totally irrational thinking I know..)  I actually kind of liked the diet pills more for the boost they gave me during the day, but also because I lost a few pounds rather quickly.  But pills are not a fix to the problem.  They will not change your lifestyle - the root of almost all weight problems.  Pills can only mask the problem and offer temporary success if you do not use them with regular healthy eating and workouts.

In 2013, I also tried the workout program Insanity.  I liked it, but wasn't pleased with the results (or lack of, actually).  I lost roughly five pounds during the program where all over I see reports of people losing twenty or more in the first round.  Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed.  I allowed myself to give up on my fitness dreams and resigned myself to having "the mommy body" for a whole year.

But not any more!  Late January, I picked up running again and found that I no longer care about what people think when they see me working out - life is to short to worry about other's opinions!  I'm running (well, jogging actually), about 11 miles a week and following a Couch to 5K program.

I've also decided to start my second round of Insanity and did my first Fit Test today.  Here are my results:

• Switch Kicks - 55 (these weren't too bad)
• Power Jacks - 25 (my thighs started burning FAST!)
• Power Knees - 55 (these are harder than you expect)
• Power Jumps - 15 (these are difficult)
• Globe Jumps - 5 (these don't seem hard, but after about two rounds, you're feeling it!)
• Suicide Jumps - 9 (call me crazy, but I actually really love doing these)
• Push-Up Jacks - 10 (I could have just done the "jack" part and been worn out!)
• Low Plank Obliques - 50 (my form started suffering about half way through and my feet kept slipping)

Now for my starting measurements:

• Arms - 12.5"
• Chest - 38"
• Waist - 42.5"
• Hips - 43.5"
• Thighs - 22.5"

• Weight - 171.6 lbs.
• BMI - 27.3

And my "Before" pictures:

I'll be using MusclePharm's Shred Matrix instead of coffee (with LOTS of creamer) for the energy boost I need in the morning.  On days I'm really dragging, I may even use MusclePharm's pre-workout drink, Assault, in Raspberry Lemonade.

I'll be doing my Insanity workouts Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and running my C25K program Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday.

I'm using Noom Coach to track my calories in and calories burned.  I also have the Noom Pedometer to track my steps throughout the day, with a daily goal of 8000.

Thank you for reading and following along with me on my fitness journey!  See you tomorrow!