12 Miles and Other Running Things

"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." 

-T. S. Eliot

This Saturday I ran 12 miles. It's a good thing I don't have to do those long runs on my own because I really don't know what I would think about for 2 hours while I run, run, run. What do I usually think about? I think about finishing. I have to convince myself to keep going (ok trick myself, is closer to the truth).

"Only one more minute; only to the end of the road; just till you've been running for an hour; think of all the skinny cow ice cream/pancakes/potato chip you can eat after burning 1100 calories...etc."

But luckily I only have to do one long run in the week by myself, so I only have to bribe my brain a few times.

So I'm going press pause and talk about how much Team In Training has changed my running.

• I went from thinking I HAD to just run all the time, and that walking was weak, but now I know walking makes me stronger. 
• Running went from a very independent, solo action for me, to a social, group activity. Don't get me wrong... I still really like running on my own. A lot of the time I prefer it, but I also love having a pace partner. Even if there is no talking, just having someone there makes a big difference when it comes to how far you can push your legs.
• I've gotten a lot faster, even though I run slower on long runs (I credit my determination + having a great training schedule on that).
• I've started to actually enjoy running.

Wait, huh? You mean to say this girl has been running for 9 months and didn't like it? Yes. Yes, that's correct. Running was torturous for the first 3 months. The only reason I've kept up with it (until recently) is because I like the way it makes me feel after and I like the results. Now? I like it a bit more. I like the people. I like the accomplishment. I like seeing my surroundings in ways I never would have before. I like pushing myself. (I like the clothes.)

The lesson here is if you hate running, maybe you should join a running group (in Savannah there are all of the C.R.E.W. groups and the Savannah Striders, but nationally check your local running stores or meetup.com) or you should raise money for cancer and join Team In Training or DetirmiNation. I mean stop being so selfish while you hate running, geez.

p.s. Check out my post over at GeekChic: The Blog! It's the first of many! And look out for more posts every once and a while from my girl, Caity.

A Productive Monday? Weird.

This morning I got up at 7AM and headed to a yoga class... I really didn't think I was gonna make it based off of how much I didn't want to wake up early the night before, but I got there with time to spare! The class went well. I learned a lot today about where everything goes and all that. My first class was taught by someone different and I kinda just flew threw poses, but since then the classes have really taught me a lot.

After yoga I came home and made the "heart healthy" serving of some quick oats. Let me tell you how much oatmeal that is. IT'S A WHOLE LOT! I added a bit of lite maple syrup and my normal olive oil of course. Whew it was a lot, but I ate it all. It was a lot of points too, but I worked so hard today it didn't matter much. After breakfast I started on my room... my room is in real bad shape. It hasn't been cleaned in forever! I did about 4 loads of laundry through out the day and really just picked up in my room. I've still got some work to do.

For lunch I made an over-stuffed with veggies quesodilla. It was delicious! I don't think I mentioned it here but I've been on a no meat diet this past week. I'm just trying it out, but so far it's been really easy! I haven't had meat since Wednesday at lunch! I'm going to try it out till the end of my WW week (Wednesday) and then see what happens from there while I'm on vacation.

For my first dinner I had a protein meal replacement bar right before my workout. Strides and Strength went fabulous then I picked up my second dinner on the way home! I had veggies and rice with some tofu. The tofu was alright, nothing to brag about, but the veggies were delicious!

Tomorrow I have got to finish my TNT letters, finish packing, finish cleaning my room, run a few miles and hopefully have energy to go to yoga too.

How did I forget to tell you guys I surpassed the furthest distance I've ever run this weekend?! I ran 6.8 miles (my nike + app actually said 6.94, but I don't know about that accuracy...) and DANG it was hot. And I really regretted those fried pickles I had a few hours before I ran...but I did it! Now I just got to stay motivated while I'm camping.

Camping, camping, camping. I can't stop thinking about camping.

Motivation? Maitenence?

Where has my motivation gone?! My discipline? The past two weeks have been lacking in that department... seriously lacking! I can't seem to wake up early enough to run and I always have things to do at sun down so I can't seem to get out and run during the week. Eating wise I've been doing really well this week, but I have only gone to yoga once, and I've only run once! That's no good. 

In other news, I'm seriously lacking on the fundraising portion of my summer! I've got to get some letters and emails out. So don't be shy about clicking that link over in the corner :). Any amount is better than nothing!

Also! I'm going camping next week!! Every year a group of my friends and family meet in the same campground in the middle of the smoky mountains in Tennessee for 5 days and it's something I look forward to from the moment we pull out of that little campground. 

 BUT if all goes accordingly this week I should be going into maintenance mode next week! Talk about jumping head first into maintenance for sure. I'm not sure what to expect but with Weight Watchers we have a 2lb leeway so I think I should manage. 

Are any of you out there in maintenance? Tips?

Took a Little Break...

It's been a little over a month since I wrote a post, and it's mirrored in my weight loss. I was pretty slack at the end of April and most of May. I've cracked back down the last two weeks, so I figured I should get back to the blogging. 

The last 10 pounds have really made a huge visual difference for me, and apparently every one else. I get lots of compliments, and at times it's embarrassing but I appreciate people noticing my hard work.

At 167

At 157

I've changed my goal from 154 to 149. I'll maintain there for a few months, probably till after the half, then re-evaluate to see if I want to lose more.

Eating right and working is still hard. I don't have time to eat when I'm there, plus my options are really limited, so if I forget to bring something or I don't eat before hand I end up not eating or I stuff french fries and a turkey sandwich in my mouth. Between Friday and today I lost 3 pounds... which I  think a lot of you would say, "That's a good thing!" but losing weight because I'm not eating or not eating right, in my eyes, is a bad thing. So I'm happy to have some time off to get back to my routine.

This week marks the kick off for my half marathon training! I'm stoked. I've never run with a group before so I can't wait to experience that (plus I'm a little nervous). We have our kick off on Thursday. That means I'm going to start really annoying the heck out of you guys for some money. I set my goal high, and it'd be AWESOME to reach it. I'm trying to think of a fundraiser I could do through work and maybe some other bars/restaurants on River Street so if you have any ideas, pass 'em along!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ga/rnrsav12/kkerkhoff