Plateau Busted!

It's time to CELEBRATE!!

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I have FINALLY broken through my weight-loss plateau! That's right ladies and gents, I'm officially back to 205. This is the weight I was when I ran my half marathon last year! Woohoo! I still have 2 months until my next half marathon, so I'm hoping that as I continue with my training, I will drop those last remaining 5lbs (plus one or two more). That will put me under 200lbs for the first time in about 10 years. Crazy!!! I'm so excited and proud! As you all know, I had just about given up because I had been stuck at 210 for so long- but thanks to everyone's support and motivation, I managed to keep muddling through and it paid off. So, THANK YOU!

On another celebratory note, I decide to follow some of Kara's advice the other day and went out for a run. There was no mileage goal in mind, no set time limit- I just went out to run and see how far I managed to go. I did set my watch timer, but only so I could log my run. I started the stop watch and then put it in my SpiBelt so I wouldn't be tempted to check it. I maintained a steady pace for most of my run, extending or shortening my route as I felt. When I finally hit my street again (I did and out and back loop), I stopped my watch to see that I had been going for 1:20:07. Not too bad for "just going for a run"! I went inside and logged into my DailyMile account to put in my route. Turns out I did 6miles! 6 miles in 1:20:07?! Holy crap crackers, Batman!! Apparently, I need to run without my watch more often. I think I get so stuck in trying to beat my time and speed up my pace that I actually slow myself down by psyching myself out. Anyone else ever feel like this?

Anyway, it's a great feeling knowing that I'm back on track with losing weight and that I had such an awesome long run. Gives me motivation to keep going! Did anyone else have any amazing achievements this past week?!

Thank You, Kara Goucher

I ran yesterday. And, boy, did it feel nice. I went out and did a nice, easy run of 2 miles. Took a slow pace for most of it. The only exceptions were when I pushed my pace up the two hills on my route, and then when I sprinted the ends of each mile. I was pouring sweat when I was done, but it felt great! And, I finished under 30minutes. Woohoo!

I've been lacking motivation again lately (surprised? I didn't think so.) It's so hard for me to get back into a routine when work is killing all of my energy. I work with kids all day, every day. I love it, but it is EXHAUSTING. Being high-energy all the time is great- it's almost like a workout in itself, but by the time I get home, I want to curl up in bed and just sleep. It's also hard to wake myself up early to try and run, but this is nothing new. I'm just not a morning person and I'm okay with that.

I was talking with my boyfriend the other night about how I feel I have been slacking WAY too much for my upcoming race in October and how I'm considering not doing it and just using the extra time to prep for the Disney Princess race in February. I hate that I even thought that- it makes me feel like such a quitter. Ugh! Anyway, my boyfriend told me not to give up just yet. He said to wipe the slate clean, get back on the wagon, and see how I do over the next few weeks. If, by the time I hit September, I'm not feeling ready, then to wait till February. But, if I work through my road blocks and get back in the game, he would be there to cheer me on (for both races).

So, I pulled out a book I had almost forgotten I'd bought- Kara Goucher's Book: Running for Women.

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I cracked it open and started reading. I eventually got to the pages where she talks about her set backs and how she sometimes has periods where she has a hard time doing her trainings. Then, she put in a great list of suggestions to help make training a little less cumbersome. One thing she suggested was to change wording- instead of saying "I'm going to do 4 run days this week,", change it to "I'm giving myself 3 rest days this week,". She said it's almost like reverse psychology. I'm going to start trying that possibly. If not aloud, then at least in my own head.

Another thing she suggested was mixing up your training a bit (especially when you find it hard to stick to a particular schedule). For instance, I know I have to do 3 runs and a cross training/walking day. However, instead of making it every Tuesday is a short run, every Thursday is a tempo, etc, to try and mix it up as it fits into my week. That way you don't stress as much or get so down on yourself if something unexpected happens on Tuesday and you can't make a run.

One last thing she advises is to give yourself a break! (Seriously!) If you are scheduled to do an 8 mile run, but you feel you can't do it- just go out for a one mile run. First off, one mile is better than no miles, and , secondly, once you are out and running the chances are you will start to feel better and extend your run a bit on your own.

I've only read like 5 chapters in the book, but it made me feel so much better about my training road blocks. Just knowing that Kara Goucher hits some hurdles herself makes me feel that what I'm going through is perfectly normal. And that's comforting. It makes me think that maybe I can get back on the bandwagon and do ING Hartford in October afterall.