My life as a Jen

I am back in town...

2011-05-03T10:21:00.000-07:00

I had an absolutely beautiful vacation weekend with the BF. Did an enormous amount of sightseeing and MILES of walking up hills, stairs, sand, around crowds, through aquariums, around town, all over Chinatown. I'm glad I packed the good shoes.

Back to reality.

SBD-wise, I did pretty good. Since we went to San Francisco, I did indulge in a bit of sourdough bread but that was about it. Lots of omelettes and cheese, a few beers, one moderately sized pasta dinner. These meals were small and accompanied by LOooooOOOOOOOOOOooooooong walks. :)

SBD Phase 1, Day 2

2011-04-26T07:18:00.000-07:00

Two days into the diet and I'm feeling less bloated and full of energy. I won't say that I'm not going through withdrawl--I'm a bit cantankerous and I'm sure I'll be snappish to my fellow partners today at work.

Breakfast consisted of 1/4 cup egg whites/fake eggs, 35 g baby spinach and a slice of light colby jack. Quite filling.

Planet Fitness afterwards where I did the 30 minute workout. Protein shake (26g) at home.

Lunch will be ranch dip with yellow peppers.

I'm still not sure how I'll survive my vacation this weekend.

SBD Day 1, Phase 1

2011-04-25T04:56:00.001-07:00

Breakfast today consisted of:

85g. baby spinach
1/3 c. 'Egg Beaters'-esque egg product from Costco
1 oz. Monterrey Jack cheese.

Quite a lovely, extremely low-carb omelette.

There is so much pasta, cake and candy hanging around the house, but after last night's feat of becomming a human garbage disposal, I am through.

Also, it's a sad fact that I'll be out of shape for this upcoming vacation, so I shall be forced to get a spray tan. Tanned fat looks better in pictures than super white/anemic fat. And yes, I'm taking a zillion pics.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T06:13:00.000-07:00

The Easter Bunny decided to leave lots of candy at my house this year, so I shall indulge for the next several hours, then I AM FINISHED!

Time to cut back on the carbs, at least the white flour and sugars.

Yeah, really easy to say. My house is full of almond rolls, bakery rye bread, frozen waffles, frozen cookie dough and other assorted tasty evils.

*sigh*

Here's a little goal: it's approximately 2 months until my 30-somethingth birthday. If I work my ass off at the gym at least 5-6 days a week while sticking to a reasonably low-carb diet, noticable changes could be possible. Also in approximately 2 months is a friends's wedding, and I REALLY want to fit into my lovely White House/Black Market dress I purchased for a wedding last May.

Ugh

2011-04-22T12:32:00.001-07:00

I am falling behind with the exercise and diet!

School is keeping me busy, as is work.

I am trying desperately to get in to see my doctor. Things aren't acting right and no amount of exercise will change that. Way cryptic there!

On top of everything, I'm going on vacation next Friday. San Francisco! At least I'm guaranteed a ton of walking...and a ton of sourdough.

I might have to re-start the South Beach Diet. Insulin resistance is a bitch.

Short and sweet...

2011-04-16T05:53:00.001-07:00

I wish I had the self-discipline and drive necessary to run in the rain. :(

And now for something completely different...

2011-04-13T13:01:00.000-07:00

I'm starting school again! The classes begin tonight, so my gym routine will need to be altered for Wednesday and Thursday nights! I'm now on the slow, agonizing path toward becoming a lawyer! Wish me luck!

Feeling motivated...

2011-04-08T07:41:00.000-07:00

I FINALLY went to Planet Fitness yesterday morning, checked the place out, wandered around and settled on a nicely situated elliptical machine nearish to the TV showing Regis and Kelly. Fast forward 18 minutes... I'm feeling great, a little numb in the feet but overall dandy. Good arm and leg workout. The question I'm stewing over is: can a predominantly low-impact exercise done consistently for a number of weeks hamper my long-term running goals?

Ugh...

2011-04-05T04:58:00.000-07:00

The good thing about working is being able to ignore food cravings and hunger pangs. Sure, we talk about food all day long, but I'm given just enough time to savor a little Babybel light. In other news, I'll finally hit the new gym tonight! Maybe 15 minutes of eliptical, 15 minutes of treadmill walking, and the 30 minute Curves-esque circuit...although I'm fairly lazy and the recumbant bike could be tempting.

Friday night @ 8:54

2011-04-01T17:54:00.000-07:00

and I am home. Getting ready to curl up and watch Pride and Prejudice. Or maybe read. Even though I'm technically not a spinster, I certainly feel like one at times. My loegs are arching for some unknown reason. I just purchased the nifty gym membership and already I'm feeling too weak to exercise. I'll probably just end up doing some crunches before bed. Blah.

Total body workout

2011-04-01T02:31:00.000-07:00

Late last night I joined a gym! Planet Fitness! $29.99 down, $10 a month! That's all! Can't wait to use the eliptical machine! Exclamation!

I'm back, part 2

2011-03-13T08:36:00.001-07:00

In addition to the running and working out, since January 11th, I've been sticking to a sensible reduced calorie and fat diet. No more South Beach Diet: it's just not a healthy or realistic option for me anymore. I need my carbs and sugars in moderation. Although the weight isn't quickly dropping off of me like it had in the past, I'm happy with the slow, steady results.

Basically, I'm sticking to 1,200 calories and around 39 grams of fat daily. This allows me to eat anywhere and anything. I just need to make wise choices.

I'm back, yet again...

2011-03-13T07:54:00.000-07:00

This Lent, among other things, I've given up NOT exercising. therefore, I'm sticking to week 1 of Hal Higdon's half marathon schedule for the whole 40-ish days. Things are looking good!

Looking good!

2010-12-11T11:22:00.000-08:00

So far since Tuesday I've run 6 miles! Perhaps a 30 minute walk today or tomorrow. Perhaps a 3 mile run today or tomorrow. Regardless of which day, the walking and the running will be done.

The super awesome Garmin arrived in the mail yesterday. I'm still reading the instructions even though it is fully charged. I may have to test-drive it this afternoon.

Depending on the status of Chuck's stomach I'll might try it out tonight.

Off to a good start...

2010-12-04T10:01:00.001-08:00

Last night, I purchased three new pairs of running socks!!!

Oh, yeah. I almost forgot...

I also bought a Garmin Forerunner 305!

I just need to figure out the official start date of the official training regimen. Then I'm all good!

One month challenge!

2010-11-23T05:44:00.000-08:00

Starting today and running through December 23rd, I will be sticking to South Beach Diet Phase 1 and running five days a week. This is just a jump-start to healthiness over the holidays. It will also involve extreme self-control while baking cookies. How I'm going to do that, I do not know. I know I will have to cheat twice during the next month: Thanksgiving this Thursday AND November 30th (Advent by Candlelight) which I am making tea sandwiches for.

Here's today's progress so far:
Breakfast: Egg substitute omelette with canned mushrooms, onions and 2% American cheese.
Planned exercise: 1.5 miles.

Yes, I start new plans every couple of months...but I haven't completely given up! :)

2010-08-12T08:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been slightly more athletic than usual lately...and due to that, I have an unfortunate issue concerning a part of myself that I don't wish to dwell upon.

*sigh*

Also, I will be running the Macinaw Bridge on Labor Day! Me and 400 other runners. The only issue I can forsee: I need to run the whole thing without walking. The walk is something separate and not the event I won a slot to participate in.

Still fat, though. South Beach Diet does work BUT it requires serious willpower...something I am lacking at the present.

Hot

2010-07-15T13:26:00.000-07:00

Yep, too incredibly hot to run. Not an excuse...I just don't want to die.

Diet was a similar story. Today was 'Open Forum' for the district and I took part. And I ate. And ate. And ate:

-A Gardenburger on a bun with mustard.
-A second Gardenburger sans bun with mustard.
-A small cup of Turkish/Indonesian-style coffee with lots of sugar and condensed milk.
-Five ginger chews.
-Snack sized bag of Fritos.
-Two cans of Diet Coke.

AND FINALLY

A vegan s'more from Whole Foods.

All in all, not too terrible. My intestines are already confused.

Alright. This is it. I am back.

2010-07-14T05:08:00.000-07:00

This blog is now dedicated to running AND weight loss. I'm getting older and older and fat. I'm inactive and miserable and it's all going to stop RIGHT NOW!

Everything is going to change! I am finished with being lazy. I am no longer going to waste my 30's in a state like this.

Basically, every aspect in my life is going to change. It needs to change.

In a nutshell here's how it is--

Weight: probably about 136. It should be around 110.

Running: I am registered for the Detroit Marathon. I need to get moving and quit being lazy. I hope to finish in less than six hours.

Job: I work at Starbucks. I have a ridiculous amount of education. This does not add up. I WILL have a new job by December 2010. Why not before that? Simple; I have a major vacation planned for late October/early November. What new employer would hire someone only to have them disappear for three weeks?

Relationships: I need to become a newly energized individual. My boyfriend is probably getting sick of sitting around doing nothing with me. Learning new skills and developing new interests will help make things more interesting.

That's all for now.

Getting back to the whole running thing...

2009-12-25T16:07:00.001-08:00

And playing with Blogspot again. The picture at the top has absolutely nothing to do with running; it has more to do with my anemia than anything else. Hopefully, I'll have an appropriate running pic soon.

Need to get bitten by the running bug again...

2009-09-07T07:39:00.000-07:00

I need to get another shot of motivation! I've really REALLY fallen behind. I was initially training for a full marathon, now I'm barely training for the half.

On the upside, I've lost 15 pounds since May 31st. On the downside, it's with help from a low-carb diet. If I start to train within the next few days, will I die from lack of energy? I am taking in lots of protein, but will that be enough? Before the half, I totally plan on a big plate of Pad Thai!

I really should've joined a running group. I need a group of people to hold me accountable. Self-discipline has never been my strong suit.

120.2

2009-04-02T06:18:00.001-07:00

Not couting my weekly long walk, I have run 120.2 miles since January 13th!

Yesterday was a terrible run. Terrible, horrible run. I completely pooped out. Here's the long-ish story: I worked at 4:30 AM, grabbed a banana for breakfast. Had a cup of coffee at work. Got home around 10 AM, had a cracker. Went out for sushi (asparagus, egg and tofu) and then to Costco (samples of spinach pie and guacamole and chips.) Finally got home and attempted to run. After maybe a half-mile my energy was completely sapped and I eventually walk-runned for 41 minutes. Pathetic.

At the 5 mph pace I've been running for the past few weeks, the marathon will take me way over five hours. That's not counting a slowdown or bathroom stops. I really need to work on getting MUCH more protein in my diet or I will continue to have shitty workouts in the future.

Today's breakfast: omelet with American cheese, asparagus and mushrooms. No toast!

Impressive...

2009-03-19T08:53:00.001-07:00

I've run over 115 miles since January 13th!

Dang!

I really need a decent running picture.

Wow!

2009-02-18T09:40:00.000-08:00

I've run 60 miles this year!

Wow!

Mileage...

2009-02-02T09:47:00.000-08:00

I ran 30+ miles in the month of January! That's probably more than I ran each year on the track team!

Let's hope I can stay motivated!

Rest day

2009-01-26T08:31:00.000-08:00

According to Hal Higdon, Mondays are a day of rest. Suprisingly, I really want to run today. Yes, I know my body needs the rest; injuries are not what I need right now, BUT I may have finally gotten to the point in my running where it's becomming a routine part of my life!

Years ago, I participated in track and field in high school. Not 'ran' for the team but meerly participated. I fought my way through the warm up mile each day of the season for three years and always hated it. Afterwards, we would do some kind of coordinational drill and then break up into our individual specialties, my specialty being: tying to look invisible while messing around in the shot put field, occasionally throwing the shot but never EVER breaking 20 feet. Senior year, I discovered I was pretty good at discus, but for the most part, I wasted all my time doing very little.

I'm realizing that the "team sport" aspect of track was the main issue at hand. As I'm discovering the enjoyable parts of running these days, I'm only doing it for myself. I'm competing with and against myself. There's no one else cheering me on, or rooting against me, and this is probably the way I need it to be.

8 months, 26 days...

2009-01-22T17:20:00.001-08:00

At the pace I'm running, I won't be able to finish in time.

Back to basics...

2009-01-13T09:38:00.000-08:00

Detroit Marathon: in 9 Months, 4 Days!

Today is day 2 of my 30 week training schedule.

Feeling very optimistic!

Starting over from scratch...

2008-11-30T06:55:00.000-08:00

And I mean, starting EVERYTHING over.

I can't believe how much I've eaten within the last week. To top it off, I'm having a big Italian restaurant dinner tonight. Italian food + being a vegetarian = PASTA! Not good.

Starting tomorrow, I'm going to stick to WW religiously. Nothing non-Core will be consumed. If I stop all the badness cold turkey, I should be down 10 pounds by Christmas! The running regimen starts back up again tomorrow as well. I'll have 6.5 months until the Bayshore Marathon (I'll definitely be in shape for the half by then.)

Damn, I feel so incredibly gross right now.

Lame!

2008-11-22T07:09:00.000-08:00

Thursday night, I was scheduled to work until 9:00, but stayed a bit later. Was dead tired when I got home. Friday, I was also whipped when I returned home. SOOOO, looks like I'll be running 4.5 miles today. Either that or I'll make myself start the week/whole regimen over from scratch.

I suck. I really do.

I hate my job...

2008-11-20T05:48:00.000-08:00

I'm scheduled to work 12:30 to 9:00. This means in addition to missing the first 10 minutes of CSI, I'll have to do my 1.5 mile run late tonight.

I WILL NOT tell myself I'll do it tomorrow, because I have no self-discipline whatsoever. I'll be dead on my feet tonight, but I'll make myself run it. Maybe I'll try to run a bit faster than usual on the treadmill.

Day three...

2008-11-19T13:50:00.000-08:00

And I think I'm getting sick.

Damn. I just woke up from a two-hour nap on my side on a recliner, body curved and a loose chair button digging into my shoulder blade. So cold. So chilly.

Here is the week's schedule:

Monday: rest, or in my case stretching.
Tuesday: 1.5 miles. Treadmill
Wednesday: 3 miles. Treadmill
Thursday: 1.5 miles. Treadmill probably
Friday: rest (I'll probably stretch.)
Saturday: 3 miles. Maybe run outdoors.
Sunday 30 minute walk. I'll probably walk to Dunkin Donuts and back for a cup of coffee.

BUT by day three, I'm feeling blah.

Getting serious this time...

2008-11-13T18:28:00.000-08:00

I haven't been running lately. I haven't been doing much of anything except for writing my NaNoWriMo novel (as of right now, I'm 38% done!)

As of Monday, I will be starting this serious running training regimen so I can be prepared to run the Traverse City marathon, although I'm planning on only running the half. Hell, maybe I'll be prepared to run the full. If I do only the half, I'm hoping to cut an hour off my 3:13 result from the Detroit half marathon.

Well, back to the writing.

One more thing...

2008-10-28T07:17:00.000-07:00

I thrive on solitude. I do not get lonely. I'm single, I'll probably be single forever, unless I can meet Mr. Wonderful who's also a lone wolf.

That being said, I really could use a running buddy. Someone to kick my ass and keep me motivated.

My next big race...

2008-10-28T06:25:00.000-07:00

The Traverse City State Bank Bayshore Marathon!!!

I'll do the half-marathon! I'll actually train for this event! Real training starts the week of Thanksgiving! Until then, I'm going to stick with Hal Higdon's half-marathon for novice runners plan, just walking the running parts. I'll also train with this method for running!

I've never been to Traverse City! It looks beautiful!

Still sore/tight

2008-10-22T15:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am the world's biggest complainer, BUT I'm still not feeling up to running. My quads held up nicely for the first shift worked since the half, but walking down the stairs is still a bit shaky. Tomorrow I'll attempt a nice walk around the block.

I really don't work in a regular environment. Until the economy works itself out (yeah, right) OR until I find another job, I'm still slinging lattes at Starbucks. I'm on my feet for an average of EIGHT hours each shift. That's a lot. That's more than just sitting on my fat butt in front of a computer all day. If I over-exert my legs, I'm just going to be standing around in pain.

I really need to post a picture of myself. This is supposed to be an inspirational blog, right?

This can't be good...

2008-10-21T06:05:00.000-07:00

It's Tuesday morning, approximately 47 hours since I finished the half marathon, and my legs are in serious pain. I am having difficulty walking down the stairs. Compared to yesterday, I'm feeling much better, but I've never had this much post-race pain in my life.

I'm crediting my improvement from yesterday to my box of Walgreens Heat Therapy Patches. And maybe the package of Oreos that I bought while I was there.

I did it!

2008-10-20T05:43:00.000-07:00

I actually ran a half-marathon. And by ran, I mean RAN. Okay, sure, I walked in the fluid/hydration stations, because I didn't want to slip on the cups strewn all over the pavement. Also, I walk-runned the inclines on the bridge and the tunnel because of the bottlenecks of walkers. I feel rather accomplished and overwhelmingly SORE!

Edited to say: I DID IT IN 3:13!

Stupid email

2008-10-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

This blog is obiviously NOT a spam blog. I'm just a runner who is currently sick. Thanks for the cornern.

Slow and steady

2008-10-04T11:11:00.000-07:00

I figure that by keeping a 3.5 mph pace, I'll finish the half marathon in about 3 hours and 45 minutes. Yes, that is ridiculously slow AND I'll be finishing with the real marathon runners, but I AM going to finish!

I'll have a high protein, high energy breakfast in the morning, a Powerbar before I start running and maybe a serving of Shot Blocs after every three miles. I'll also probably have to pee constantly...must remember to factor that into my finishing time.

Yummy chewy creepy

2008-10-02T10:35:00.000-07:00

I went to REI today to look into warm, sweat-wicking clothing for the marathon later on this month. I didn't find anything that appealed to my current economic state (dirt po until payday) but I bought a package of these nifty little Shot Bloks (Cola flavoured, not Black Cherry.)

Do they work? Yet to be determined. I ate both servings within an hour. So far, I haven't needed an afternoon nap. There could be potential.

Welcome to my running blog!

2008-10-01T17:35:00.000-07:00

I need to keep track of my running, since I need to be held accountable. Plus, I need to get off my ass.

That is all.