Still Alive and Running

2011 was a busy year for Jeff and I. It was a year of tough decisions, transitions, and determination to make progress toward our health and fitness goals.

After concluding our Power 90 program last January, we fully intended to start another round after a short break. However, we just never got our act together to make it happen. But, that does not mean that health & fitness went out the window. Quite the contrary.

In 2011, we focused our fitness energies on running. Okay, running for Jeff, for me it is more like walking with short bursts of jogging here and there. Sometimes you just don’t want to jeopardize one fitness plan by adding in another, and so the return to the Power 90 never happened.

But before we get to that, I should probably fill you in our track record (get it, TRACK record? Teehee!), so that you can understand how we got to where we are today.

It all started near the end of 2005. We had some friends who had trained for a half marathon and talked about how they worked their way up to 13.1 miles. Once Jeff heard their story, he kept goading me, “We can do it. Come one, let’s try it.” He never expected that she who is allergic to running would take him up on it. But, I did, and once he recovered from his shock it was on!

We started our training plan in January of 2006 by walking 20 minutes every couple of days. Gradually, we added in more time, and then some quick jogs. By the time June rolled in, we were ready to run our first half marathon, The Charity Chase (whose course is somewhat reminiscent of an Escher drawing – how can there BE so many uphills????)






We celebrated our victory by taking an extended break from running. I wasn’t exactly a PLANNED hiatus, so we soon decided that we needed another goal and signed up for the 10th Anniversary Myrtle Beach Half Marathon for February 2007. Not that either of us did a great job of getting back on track with our training. I paid the price by ending up with bad shin splints, so I had to walk the entire race, but I finished. Not that Jeff could verify. I was so slow that he missed my finish because he had gone to the emergency tent to see if they picked up my dead carcass along the way.

Again we fell into a hiatus, this time for about a year. In 2008, we adopted a casual run/walk routine, not particularly focused or consistent. That year, I returned to the Charity Chase, this time as part of a relay team. In this case, that means I did half of half marathon (that is 6.5 miles for you numbers people out there). In 2009, Jeff rejoined the Charity Chase doing the entire race, while I shared it with a relay partner once again.


Our Charity Chase Crew 2010 (L to R): Alexis, Daniel, Annabanna, Jeff, Erin, & Yours Truly



Since that time, Jeff has pretty much stayed on track, focusing on the half marathon distance. In 2009, he completed 3 half marathons. I, on the other hand, decided that I would focus on shorter distances and try to improve my 5k (that is 3.1 miles for all of my non-metric friends). It turns out, that was not the best strategy for me, it is a lot easier to slack off on training when your goal is only 3.1 miles. Meanwhile, Jeff steadily improved his speed and endurance.

In 2010, I decided it was time to make my triumphant return to the half marathon distance. Jeff and I decided to register again for the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon. This time we were well-trained, excited, and ready to go! And then the race got cancelled because of 3 flakes of snow (better that I don’t go into it, I’m still a little bitter). Instead we ended up doing the NC Half Marathon in High Point, NC in March.


We followed up a month later with a half marathon in my home town. It was quite the family affair. Jeff did the entire race, as did my sister April (her first – Woot!). I shared a relay team with my elder sister, Michelle, and my niece, Josie. April’s husband, Sam, also participated on a relay team (not quite as cool as mine, but not many are). My mom drove the “get-away” car from relay point to relay point and cheered us on.


A family affair (L to R): Michelle, Sam, April, Yours Chubbily, Jeff, and Josie



After all of the family excitement, we returned to casual maintenance runs, until we came up with a plan for our next big fitness endeavor to begin in September 2010. Which brings us up to where we started this blog.

Now you are up-to-speed (SPEED, get it??? Haha!)

So, what happened in 2011? To be continued . . .


ps – thanks to Carrie Ross for suggesting the title.

We're BAAA-AAACK!

Hopefully you won't get the same creepy chill up the back of your spine as you did when Carol Anne said the same thing about the TV people.

We took some time off from the blog. It was not intentional. Life has just been THAT busy!

I know some of you are probably wondering....did we finish the Power 90? If so, what was the result? So, here goes...

Power 90 Results Edition:

We DID finish the Power 90. (Insert cheers and confetti, here!) However, it was more like the Power 95 for us. As the holidays approached, we missed a couple days here and there and had to make them up.

Which means that we did every prescribed Cardio & Sculpt routine, just not within the EXACT time frame. We did our final workout on December 30th. We even exercised on Christmas day. Twice, actually, we started the morning with a run/walk in the snow. I even have photographic evidence!

Christmas run/walk - a new holiday tradition!

So, did we see results? Well, yes and no. Read on for details.

Valerie's results

• I lost 9 lbs total
• I lost 3 inches from my waist
• I lost 3 inches from my hips
• I am seeing muscle definition in my arms and legs
• I found out that I could enjoy strength training

I had hoped to have better results, but considering we were doing this during the holiday season, I guess I should be glad to have any results at all. For example.....

Jeff's Results

• He GAINED 1.4 lbs! Yikes.
• I will grant him this - I can see the improved definition in his arms

Run/walk progress:

December was not a good run/walk month for either of us, especially me. It was tough for me to have time and energy to do both the Power 90 and run/walk. But, I knew that once we finished, I would try to find a way to get back to the roads. Which leads me to ....

Where do we go from here?

The Power 90 program is finished, however our journey has just begun. Clearly, I have a lot more than 9 lbs to lose to get back to the size I was when we first met. Anyone remember the goal number? Anyone? Buehler?

The next phase of our journey is a return to half marathon training. Specifically, training for the Flying Pig Half Marathon in Cincinnati on May 1st. We are racing in honor of my sister April who turns the big 4-0 in May!

The real challenge here is not just getting myself back to half marathon distance. I also need to finish with an average pace of 16 minutes/mile or less. This is no problem for Jeff, but past history shows it is not necessarily a given for me.

We have developed our training plans. Mine is a bit aggressive, hitting challenging mileage early and increasing my ratio of running. So far, January has been a great training month and I am on track!

January Half Marathon Training Update

I started January with a "long day" distance of 3 miles and an interval of 45 seconds running/90 seconds walking.

Last Saturday, my long day was up to over 6 miles and I have increased my interval to 60 seconds running/90 seconds walking. Yay! for early progress.

I am also doing well at cross-training on my non-running days. In the past, I have not really cross-trained on off days. Thanks to the Power 90, my body is used to 6-days-a-week exercise, so it is not such a struggle to cross-train.

What does the scale have to say?

I am pleased to report that my progress has continued through January. I am down an additional 4.4 lbs so far! That makes 13.4 down since the journey began.

The year is off to a great start, and I am looking forward to seeing some more results this year. Who is with me?

Get your workout started and SAVE MONEY!

Pick a race for 2011 and start training now. Find a program to train at your own level, whether you run, walk, or do a combination of both.

I recommend the Flying Pig in Cinncinnati. Why? Because we plan to do it! It has races for everyone; kids races, 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon, or a shared relay! Here is a link to check it out: Flying Pig.

This is also a great time of year to take advantage of holiday savings to get your gear. So, what are you waiting for????

Back for the Attack

Just like Dokken, I am back for the attack.

This past week's battle of the bulge got brutal. It was like a big sundae of fitness derailment. Just start with a big dollop of Thanksgiving and a dollop of birthday celebration food temptations, top it off with an NFL football game, sprinkle on some routine-disrupting travel, and add a bad cold on top!

Can we survive the stadium concession stand?

I found myself faced with many challenges:

• Wednesday night I found myself sneezing, wheezing, and unable to sleep through the night


• We had intended to workout before we left for our Thanksgiving travel Thursday morning, but Jeff took pity on me and we moved our "off day" to Thursday


• I struggled with motivation and energy because of the cold


• Grabbing meals on the go made it very difficult to do the right thing.....I'll be honest, I did not always make the right choices


• We had to figure out how to fit the exercise in without our usual equipment and routine
• We also had to find time in our busy travel schedule

I was proud to have some shining moments throughout the weekend:

• I successfully used my Spark People Thanksgiving strategy of getting small portions of the Thanksgiving goodies and no seconds!!! This is my most calorie-reasonable Thanksgiving EVER!


• In fact, I had a positive calorie differential on Thanksgiving Day!!! Wow.


• Minimal liquid calories - a tough one on a social holiday weekend that was pretty cold. (Dear Peppermint Mocha, I'm so sorry. It's not you, it's me. We can still be friends, right?)

• I even went to Panera, AFTER the cold football game and resisted the Peppermint Mocha Latte.


• A new development of late - I find myself getting full sooner than expected. So, I successfully stopped noshing, even though I had plenty of tasty goodness left throughout the weekend. (My "clean your plate" Granny is probably turning in her grave right now!)


• We made our workouts a priority. Thanks to my sister and brother-in-law, April & Sam, for letting us use their house and weights. They even exercised along with us and found us a nice running location.


• We did EVERY scheduled workout this long holiday weekend, even getting up at 5am to fit in some Power 90 before heading to Cleveland for the football game on Sunday.

I have to admit, I feel a huge sense of accomplishment for our successes this past weekend. I am ready to dig deep and pull out all the stops.

We have one month left in the Power 90. I am in attack mode and mounting a full-out assault in this battle. Bulge beware - I'm gunning for you.

Movin' on up!

While I wish we were movin' on up to a deluxe apartment in the sky, unfortunately we are just moving up to Sweat Cardio level 3-4. We have decided that week 9 is time to take the cardio to the next level. Boy, are we crazy or what???


Here is the difference:

• Each routine goes from 2 sets to 3 sets (except for kicks, which thankfully remains at 2 sets!)
• Increase the pace to manic lunatic speed
• Double the target number for the abs routine

Here is the result - OUCH! It is a real butt kicker, no pun needed. My glutes are telling me all about it today and so are my abs!

Maybe this next level is what I need to help me burn some yummy Thanksgiving calories.

Speaking of Thanksgiving calories and overindulgence, SparkPeople has a GREAT article about reducing some calories: 8 Ways to Trim Calories & Fat from Thanksgiving Dinner

I plan to adopt some of these strategies to try to eat less calories this year. What are YOUR holiday survival strategies?

Decade of Decadence

Today, Jeff and I officially celebrate 10 years as a couple. To start the morning off with a bang, we began week 9 of the Power 90 with the Sculpt Circuit 3-4. Who says romance is dead???

Just for fun, here is an old school photo vs. one taken recently.

The early days vs. now-a-days

Oddly, we are so much more active now than we were back then, and yet sooooo much fluffier. But we are working on that, right?

So, now, how did Week 8 go?

Exercise

We stayed with level 1-2 Sweat Cardio, but continued with the Level 3-4 Sculpt Circuit. I have to say, the new pace and intensity of weight training is kicking my butt a bit.

My running was less consistent. I made it out on Monday, but missed my Wednesday run/walk. On Saturday, we pulled our carcasses out of bed early to do the local Turkey Trot. One thing is clear, I need to get back to some hill training!


Some turkeys ready to go trot

Diet

My calorie differential was on track all of last week. However, my calories were higher than I'd like them to be on Thursday, Friday, AND Saturday. Sigh.


Coming soon . . .

Well, I'm sure it will come as no surprise that this coming week will be a challenge. We have two BIG obstacles to face: travel and the grand-daddy of all calorie-fest holidays, Thanksgiving. I'll be thankful if I can keep from putting on EVERY pound that I've lost so far.

Will we find time in our busy travel schedule to keep up with our exercise regime? Will we be able to resist indulging in a total pig-out bonanza?

Stay tuned, my friends. In the meantime, have a Happy, Happy Turkey Day!

You CAN Have Your Cake and Eat it Too!

Coldstone Cake that is! Let me 'splain . . .

Hello. My name is Valerie. I am an ice-cream-aholic. I always have been, but since the moment I first met Coldstone, every day I crave the rich, creamy yumminess that they offer. Unfortunately, along with the amazing taste comes and amazing number of calories. Therefore, I try to ration my Coldstone indulgences.

For those of you don't follow Coldstone news (and I don't understand who would not), yesterday they introduced new 8-layer cakes and had a free tasting at all participating Coldstones across the country. FREE??? Coldstone? You KNOW I had to go!

Here is where the having & eating comes in. You all know I have my daily calorie budget and I struggle to stay within it. My strategy was to PLAN for my visit to Ice Cream Heaven. Luckily, Coldstone does publish its nutritional information. Birthday Cake Remix is typically my flavor of choice. So, I did my research and developed the following plan:


I know that it looks like a hot mess, but it is SOOO delicious!

1. Eat a sensibly for lunch and breakfast to ensure that I had the extra calories left to "spend" at Coldstone


2. I would consider my Coldstone calories as part of my dinner calories, and scale back on my "dinner" to compensate by eating a smaller portion meal after my visit to Coldstone


3. Request a taste sample of the "sinless" lower fat and calorie version of Cake Batter ice cream to see I could save calories that way (I did, and NOT the same)


4. Plan B: Ihad actually planned for full calorie, full flavor all along! Cake Batter is not the lowest calorie flavor, but I was willing to spend the extra 20 calories for it.


5. Remix the Birthday Cake remix: hold the chocolate syrup (really a bit much for me, anyway), hold the brownie (this WAS a compromise), at just 25 calories keep the rainbow sprinkles (which is my favorite mix-in anyway).


6. With my remixed Remix, a "Like it" size would be 355 calories

So, everything went according to plan until Step: 6. From there I took a detour. Not to worry, it was a good one!

My friends ordered their Coldstone in the kid-size. This inspired me to follow suit. The smaller portion (about half the "Like it" size), saved me even more calories and still satisfied my Coldstone Craving!!!

To be cautious, I recorded my calories for the Remixed Remix and the small cake sample as 1.5 "Like it" size of Birthday Cake Remix (which I know is more than I actually had). Even with those calories, I was still within my weight loss calorie budget. And, the scale showed it with a decrease of 0.04 lbs this morning!

So, when losing weight, you CAN have your cake (metaphorically speaking for a low calorie day), and eat one at Coldstone, too!