8K Turkey Trot

Today I did my first turkey trot.  It was an 8K and it was so much fun.  The weather was great - Sunny and windy but not hot - in the 60's.  There were a few hills I did not anticipate but I persevered.  The race began on the highway then down a small blvd. and then onto a multipurpose trail through the woods that was beautiful!  I started out too fast.....again!!  But all in all I am pleased.  I had no one to run with, so my time was a little better.  I tend to not push it when I am running with someone else, especially if they are a new runner.  No one can be any slower than me....just newer!!  lol

The course was supposedly 5 miles but my Garmin said 4.94 when i crossed the finish line.  I did not realize that until I had sat down.  I took off my shows and then decided to check my Garmin. I don't like stopping on a uneven number.....if I had seen it before I took my shoes off, I probably would have gotten back out there and did a few more steps to equal 5.  But I won't let it bother me this time.. he he....

I did a 1/1 ratio this time.  (run 1 minute/walk 1 minute).

My stats:
4.94 miles
1:08 total time
Mile 1 - 12:52
Mile 2 - 14:11
Mile 3 - 13:21
Mile 4 - 15:14 (must have been those bigger "hills")
Mile 5 - 12:24
Avg. HR - 162
Max HR - 182

I did speed up at the end but if I had not started out too fast I might have been able to go even faster in the last mile.  There was several hills that I didn't know about and that made it a little slow going for me.  I had a torn calf muscle last year and did not want that to happen again, so I walked up the hills and ran down them.

I am pleased with my time.  Last year I was running a 15 minute mile and now I am down to a 13-14 minute mile.  So I am improving somewhat.  I have also been able to run a mild without having to stop and walk.  That is so cool!!! Last year I ran 300 miles and this year I have run over 500 so far!  Woohoo!  I can't believe it.  In two years I have gone from a couch potato to running OVER 500 MILES.  That just blows my mind!  Never in a million years would I have ever thought I could or would do that.

My finish line pic:  Time 1:08:11

A few friends:
Rod

Martha:

I have lots of things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving day...especially my health.  But I am not there yet.  I still have a ways to go.  I have only lost half of the 100 pounds I need to lose.  But I won't give up!

In two weeks I have my third half marathon in Memphis.  I am so excited.  My son and his wife are running also. They ran it last year with me too....well, not with me but at the same time as me.  They finished way BEFORE me of course.  But we had a great time and I anticipate having a great time this year too.

I have gotten a little lax on my training this time around.  I am thinking about doing the  Renaissance at Colony Park half marathon again.  It will be in April next year.  It was in June of this year and it was way to hot.  I don't think I want to do one ever again in the heat!!!

 I don't like running alone as I have said many times and the thought of 13.1 miles, hot or cold, with no one to talk to sounds really daunting.  I have a friend, Millette, who is thinking about doing the Renaissance with me.  It would be her first half.  But I have to get over this one in Memphis in two weeks first.  It took me 3.45 hours last year but I anticipate my time being much better this year.  I know what to expect this time...hills included.  Most people would say the "hills" are just bumps, but to me that are hills.  When you train in the Mississippi Delta which is all FLAT LAND, the smallest hill can seem like a monster.  We have no hills here to train on other than the levee and it is a whopper of a hill!! There are no rolling hills here like in Memphis.

My husband went with me and he seemed proud of me.  He is not too thrilled about running, it bores him I think like football does me..he he...but he goes and he takes pics for me.  He is my official driver, camera man, etc.  He is a sweetie!  I thank God for him every day.

Of course I could not do any of this without my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Without his mercy and grace I would still be a drunken, miserable, depressed, overweight, unhealthy, drug addict wondering why my life was so miserable.  Instead, now I have peace, joy, and serenity every day of my life.  Thank you Jesus!    

In Search of Food....

 

Have you ever found yourself looking around for something to eat but not sure why?  I found myself in that situation just a few minutes ago.  Judging from my calorie count so far, I could not possibly be hungry.  So what is it that has me daydreaming about the vending machine and scoping out my office for any tidbit or morsel of food I can find to eat???  I sat in my chair and wondered, “what am I feeling?” but I honestly do not know.  Maybe I’m tired?  I just cannot put a finger on what it is that I am feeling that has me desperately searching for food.  One day I hope to discover what it is but today I just do not know.   

 

What I do know is that I will NOT go downstairs to the vending machine.  I have a few crackers so I will eat those and see how that does.  I have only had 4 glasses of water today.  Generally I have 8 or more so I will drink some more water……haha….water and crackers…..am I in prison??  Lol.  That is an old wives tale….you get more than water and crackers in prison (not that I know personally.)   

 

 After years in recovery one thing I know for sure is that you can’t fix a problem until you can identify what that problem is…..unfortunately today I just can’t lock down what I am feeling.  But I will keep searching.  This is not the first time I have felt this and it probably won’t be the last.   And I thought that writing about it might help as well.  At least it will keep me busy so I don’t start searching for food again.  

 

Have you ever had that problem and if so, could you identify what you were feeling and what did you do about it?   I would love to hear how you handled it.   

 

MAKE it a great day my friends. 

How to Find the Best Sports Foods for Your Diet | Active.com

How to Find the Best Sports Foods for Your Diet | Active.com

Nice short run.

I have been sitting around on my behind, waiting for someone to run with.  I have decided to not wait any longer.  I started this running thing alone and I can continue it alone.  I did take Lillie, my 9 pound dog, with me but wound up having to carry her some of the way.  Won't do that again.

I love having someone to talk to when I run.  I am a people person!  But I have yet to find someone that is as committed as me and as slow as me. There are lots of runners here but they are way too fast for me.  I had one friend that was awesome but she has since decided not to run any more.  Not sure why.  Another friend runs in the morning and I can't see to make myself get up in the morning time.  I guess I will have to if I want to run with someone.  She is the only one that I can probably really count on.  I have another friend that runs with me some but is not as committed as me and she is "hit or miss" most times.  So I wind up running alone.  Oh well, at least I can still run.  I will suck it up and make the best of it!!!

I third half marathon in just a month away.  I missed my 12.5 mile training run this past Saturday because I was out of town with my daughter.  Don't think I will make that up either.  I will just continue on from here.   I am going to try and get my butt in bed early so I can get up early.  Maybe I can meet my early morning friend for a run.  Someone said that if I would just do for a while, it would become habit.  But I did it for almost two months and then fell into laziness again.  Well, not really laziness but sleeping later and then running in the pm.  But I really would like to get it done in the morning time.  All I have to do is.....JUST......DO.......IT!!!!!!

MAKE it a great run my friends!!!

It's all about choices.

Just finished eating supper at my inlaws. I am not hungry but my mind keeps tempting me with "get a little more"! What is it that makes my mind tell me to eat when I am not hungry? I have been able to string together a few good days of eating right and I feel great! I just want to be able to continue. The choice is mine. I can choose to eat good or I can choose to eat what I call "sloppy eating". One day at a time I can make the right choices and hopefully have a few days, months, and even years of abstinence from compulsive eating.

Being from the south it is not surprising I think about food all the time. Food is a big part of EVERYTHING we do down here. But I can choose to be different today. I don't have to follow the great majority. This is my life and my body and I want to treat it with respect for a change. I am recognizing the mindless hand-to-mouth action that I participate in. I am trying to pay attention to what, how, and why I eat compulsively.

I am exercising more too and feeling great! I would have never believed that this couch potato would learn to love working out! But I do! And running?? Never in a million years would I have believed I would be a runner!

I have a long way to go but one day at a time I can get there. It's all about choices.

What good choices have you made regarding eating and/or exercise lately?
Sent from my Cellular South BlackBerry® Smartphone

Had a great OA meeting last night. Today I texted my OA friends and told them I was committing my abstinence to them and they should text me back at the end of the day and see how I did! And............drum roll please........I did great! I stayed abstinent and within calorie range.  

Did a 3 mile run and did my best time for not being in a race; 40:25 minutes. I ran/walked 30:45 instead of my usual 1:1 so maybe that helped with my time. Sat. was my 19th sobriety birthday (no drugs or alcohol in 19 years) so on the way home from my run my husband called and said he wanted to take me out to eat. Yikes!! But I was prepared. I texted by friends again and told them I was going out to eat and to pray for me!! We went to our favorite Italian rest which is owned by friends of ours. My hubby told them it was my sobriety birthday so they brought me bread pudding for my birthday!!! Oh no!! I had one bite and then had her put in a to go box. I am proud of myself, I did pretty good! 

- I did not get appetizer. 
- I did not eat the bread they put on table. 
- I ordered grilled chicken salad with dressing on the side. 
- Ate one bite of bread pudding dessert and threw the rest away as I was leaving because I knew if I took it home I would eat it!!! 

And of course my OA friends texted me and asked how it went and I could give them a good report that I was proud of! 

    

But I must remember - ONE DAY AT A TIME. Now, lets do the same thing tomorrow!!!

300 Oaks 10K Race Report

My 10K this past Sat was fun!  I wanted to PR but did not.  I did my time of last year for this race but it was not my best 10K time.  I did better on my splits this time.  l have a tendency to start out too fast.  According to my Garmin I did better. I want to learn to pace myself.  It has taken me over a year to do it but I am getting better.

My friend, Millette who has only been running for a few months did a fantastic job!  She hung right in there with me and this was her first 10K!  I am proud of her.

The race sponsored a pre-race party for all the racers and it was really fun.  It was at a nice restaurant and on their outdoor patio. The food was wonderful!   Ran into our former music pastor and he even entertained us for a while by playing his guitar and singing.

                                      Rod and April at the pre-race party

                                      Millette, Me and Shirley at the party

                             My plate.  The stuffed mushrooms were to die for!!

                    Me and Rod at the party. Don't know why I making that face???

 Here are my stats:

Total time:  1:23:59
Mile 1 - 13:36
Mile 2 - 13:56
Mile 3 - 13:45
Mile 4 - 13:41
Mile 5- 13:33
Mile 6 - 13:22
Calories per Garmin = 763
Calories per HRM - 1,736!!!????
Avg. HR - 146
Highest HR - 174

I used the new Roctane Gu.  Don't care too much for the taste but it seemed to help me during the race.  I took one 45 minutes before the race, 15 minutes before the race and then one at the halfway mark.   I may have over did it because Sunday night my shoulder muscle was cramping and I thought I might have to go to the ER.  A Mobic, 2 Tylenol and a heating pad cured that!  But it sure was painful.  I seemed to be exhausted on Sunday.  I don't usually feel that way after a race but for some reason the 10Ks seem to do a number on me!

Here are few more pics for your enjoyment!

                      Millette, Shirley, our Mayor Heather Hudson, Me, and Rod.

My finish line

                              

Millette finish line

                                

April, Rod's wife, Me, Millette, Shirley

                                

                  Another group pic with our Mayor Heather Hudson, Rod and his wife April.

                                                   Glad to be finished!

                                             Kids fun run! How cute!

                                                       --  AWARDS --

                             

There were over 800 people registered so they needed a BIG grill to cook all those hamburgers and hot dogs!!

                                     

They gave out an award for the best water stop and the "Village People" won.  I could not get a very good picture but they were cute!

                                    

                                       That 1 mile fun run did Colton in!

Well that's it folks! It was fun and I enjoyed it.  I am so looking forward to cooler weather to run in though!  How about you?

This is a picture collage I made of all my races so far.

Fried foods, eating out and fluid retention.

Does anyone have this problem? When I eat fried foods I seem to "swell up." I have weighed as much as 9 pounds difference from one day to the next after eating out. I know restaurant food is notorious for high sodium count but 9 pounds?? I also have the same problem with gatorade. I can drink one of those and swell up something awful!! I guess I don't sweat enough when running to justify drinking a gatorade. I don't like them much anyway.

It takes about a week to get the fluid off. And to top it all off, I am drinking anywhere from 8-12 8-ounce glasses of water a day and have been for months now and this dosn't seem to help. You would think the water would counteract it but it doesn't! I am trying to eat very little fried foods, if any, but am finding it hard. Is there such as thing as a salt intolerant person? I don't have any heart problems, kidney problems or anything like that. I get so frustrated over this sometimes. I have decided not to let the scale get me down since I flucuate so much when I weigh but it is a real downer sometimes!!

Thanks for your input!

August Recap

 

I said on my July recap that I was going to do better this month and I have. So here goes: 

Water: 8+ glasses every day. 

Calories: Ate within calorie range 16/31 days  

Tracked food: 28/31 days 

Calories burned: 6,159  

Fitness minutes: 863 

Exercised 19/31 days  

Ran/Walked 51 miles 

Lost 2 pounds 

Should have done more exercise. Should have done better on staying in calorie range. Should track food DAILY! But I'm pretty pleased. Will strive to do even better next month. 

September Goals: 

1. Read scripture daily and pray for wisdom and strength to be and do my BEST 
this month! 
2. Exercise 6 days a week - try for 30 minutes a day. (Friday is rest day, the day 
before my long run) 
3. Log food EVERY day. 
4. Stay within calorie range EVERY day. 
5. Reach out to another member of OA daily. 
6. Encourage someone along their fitness journey, weekly if not daily. 
7. MAKE it a great day - every day! 

I am going to try my best to complete these goals. Maybe I'll lose weight in the process! 

MAKE it a great day my friends. 

 

Since it is so late and I am tried, I am going to give you this race report in pics...after all, they say a picture is worth a thousand words and I sure don't feel like writing a thousand words tonight!  Enjoy - I know I did.  And... I got THIRD PLACE in my AGE GROUP!  Woohoo!

Me and Millette at the start

Mississippi Track Club Van 

Rosalyn 

Denny 

John 

Group Pic

Goofing off and relaxing before the race

Phillip Dorion

Andy Sanders

Our friend John rounding the corner - way before us of course!

Me and Millette

Still hanging in there

Not giving up.....

Rounding the corner of the home stretch

Finish line at last!!

Me - Third place in my age group

Race started at the BB King Museum

Martha

We had a great time.  It was so much fun. And to get an award was cool too.

Here are my stats: 
Time: 41:21 (not my best but I tried) 
Mile 1 - 12:57 
Mile 2 - 13:30 
Mile 3 - 13:10 
Average pace 13:21 
Ratio 1:1 
Avg Heart Rate - 123 
Max Heart Rate - 182 
Calories per Garmin - 407 
I was third in my age group and 133 out of 144. 

I can tell I am improving. My average mile used to be a 15 minute mile. Now I'm hitting on 13!! That is iimprovement and you can't ask for more than that! The awards were cool too. It was at the BB King Museum so the awards were old 45 records with original label on one side and race logo with place you won on the other. Really cool! It was a fun race and one I would love to do again! 


And last but not lease, here is Debbie, my best cheerleader. She goes with me to all the races and takes pics, carries my stuff and cheers me on.   I could not ask for more than that!!!