Race Report: 2 Mile Race in 28:54

@ CNLBank 31st Annual Winter Park 2 Mile Road Race

I walked/jogged my first race today and it was amazing. I walked most of the way, jogged every so often, and sprinted to the finish line in just under 29 minutes (28:54)! I am extatic that I finished under 30 minutes since it has been taking me 35-40 minutes to walk 2 miles. But it is totally different when you are surrounded by other runners and have strangers cheering you on. I had already planned on jugging at the very end as I crossed the finish line; when I neared the finish line and saw that it was less then 3 minutes under 30, the addrenaline kicked in and I sprinted there with over a minute to spare! This really is an incredible feeling and we are already planning the next few races. Next up is a 5k at Windermere on April 12th. My goal for this first 5k is to finish it under 45 minutes, but I haven't even tried to walk this yet, so we'll see.

Here are my official stats for today's race:

Race Length: 2 Miles
1 Mile Time: 14:30ish (I don't remember the exact number)
Total Time: 28:54
Overall Place: 336 / 406
Division (Women 25-29) Place: 30 / 36
Gender Place: 208 / 260

I mentioned having specific fitness goals in my last post; I gave this a bit more thought and here is what I came up with for my current fitness/health goals (will adjust as needed):

- lose the fat on my belly and thighs
- get fit (build appropriate muscle, endurance, and stamina)
- get down to a comfortable weight within the range of my ideal body weight (depending on where you look, somewhere between 105-135)
- fit into size 6 pants (I didn't even think this would be possible, but now size 8 pants are starting to fit loosely, so I think this will be a reality soon)
- run 1 mile without running out breath (eventually I want to be able to run a 5k, but one step at a time)
- walk/jog a 5k (then a 10k)
- complete The Gauntlet at Florida's Finder's Fest at a competitive pace without feeling faint
- complete the Urban Dare at a competitive pace without feeling faint

Fitness Update: -11.60 lbs in 58 days

Starting Weight: 152 (1/29/08)
Previous Weigh-in: 143.2 (3/15)
Weight before Mexico: 142.8 (3/19: -.4)
Weight after Mexico: 145.6 (3/24: +2.8)
Current Weigh-in: 140.4
Weight Difference: -2.8 / -5.2
Total Weight Loss: -11.6
Mini Goal Met: over 10lbs loss
Current Goal: 135 lbs (5.4 lbs to go)

It is a little alarming that I lost over 5 lbs in the 4 days since I've been back from Mexico, but I think the heavy weigh-in on Monday reflected all the bad food, sodium, alcohol consumption and water retention from the day or 2 prior rather than my real weight. Despite my best intentions, I did not workout while in Mexico--unless you count all the walking, which was not enough to counter the amount of food (take out) that I ate. In the 4 days since I've been back, my food intake went back to normal and I got my workout regimen back on track. I walked 2-4 miles everyday this week and did 20-30 minutes of cardio kickboxing on 3 of those days. That is amazing compared to the 10 mi/day of cardio kick I did when I started.

I've been trying to figure out what motivated me to keep going this time since I've had many false starts in the past. I guess I didn't really mean it before and didn't have goals in mind. This time I have focus and specific goals (e.g. get fit so Jason and I can compete in the Urban Challange without me feeling like I am going to pass out). I think the slow and steady pace has really helped. Other than adding more veggies, fruit, and healthier snacks and eating smaller portions more often throughout the day, I have not really stopped eating any of the foods I love--only the amount of them I have in one seating.

This really has been a lifestyle change because I now look at doing physical activity in a whole new way. Jason had tried to get me to ride our bikes to work and I cringed at the thought. I tried it once and decided it was not for me. But now I do not even bat an eye at the thought of walking 2 miles to work or to the corner store (did that last night with Mel and walked back with a backpack full of beer). Best of all, I feel great, have more energy and I am saving money by not eating out as much and walking to work (if I can keep it up with the hot Florida weather).

I probably should give some credit to the 365 days self portrait project. I think it has helped me become more self aware and thus more motivated in bettering myself. Who knows. I never really thought this project would have this effect, I just wanted to take better pictures.

Walk to Work

In preparation for Saturday's 2 Mile Run/Walk in Winter Park, I started walking 2 miles each afternoon to get used to it and figure out my pace. So far I seem to be able to do it within 35-45 minutes. I could probably walk it faster, but I am just getting used to the distance. It also serves as a great warmup for my cardio/weight workout that I do immediately after the walk.

Taking the back roads through my neighborhood, it is a 2 mile route to work on foot or bike. I walked it this morning in under 40 minutes--not bad considering I had a backpack full of stuff (including my lunch, snacks, water, and laptop) and had to stop to take off my jacket and get some water out of my bag.

I've been hesitant to bike this because of the backpack, and what the wind will do to my hair, but it would be much quicker than walking. It is also quicker and shorter to bike than to drive my car because I don't have to deal with traffic and the direct route is half the distance of driving. Since I teach early in the morning 2 days a week, I won't bike/walk on those days so I am going to try to bring extra food and water on those days to lighten the load on the days I walk/bike. If I can pull this off, I would walk/bike 4 miles each day plus the 20-30 minutes of cardio/weights when I get home, and doing physical activity in the mornings wakes me up and sets a good tone for the rest of the day. The problem comes when it's not so cool out or it rains.

The trip to Mexico through off my weight and workout regimen, so I'll post a fitness update after this Friday's weigh-in.

Fitness Update: -8.8 lbs in 42 days

(I should have posted this on Friday, 3/14, but I kept forgetting: better late than never)

Starting Weight: 152 (1/29/08)
Previous Weigh-in: 143.6
Current Weigh-in: 143.2
Weight Difference: -.4
Total Weight Loss: -8.8

Current Goal: 135 lbs (8.2 lbs to go)

Not much of a loss this week, but at least I did not gain any weight; and the size 8 pants I bought at Target a week or two ago fit comfortably today. This really does not surprise me because I only did 3 days of cardio last week. I completely skipped Friday (I think this will have to become my official rest day). I went to Disney Sat & Sun, so I at least walked around quite a bit, but no actual workout on either of these days. On Thursday I did Yoga because I tried a new workout on Wed and I needed to relax my muscles; and I don't usually have time to workout and eat before poker night. I am starting to see a pattern here, so I think Thursdays will be my Yoga day, Friday my off day, and the rest alternating cardio and weights.

I leave for Mexico Wednesday, so I will weigh myself that morning and then on Sunday when I return. I may try out the Fitness Ladder while I am there so I still get some exercise, on top of all the walking we'll probably be doing. I may put some of my workout videos in my ipod, but I think it will be difficult to watch that and workout at the same time. If I put ones I've been doing a lot I should be able to do it by just listening. I am trying to be good and workout everyday until then since I am sure my food choices won't be the healthiest either.

On March 29th, we're doing a 2 Mile Run/Walk in Winter Park if anyone wants to join us. I'll probably just walk for the 2 miles, but I do need to go for a walk or hit the treadmill to figure out my pace.

Fitness Update: -8.4 lbs in 37 days

Starting Weight: 152 (1/29/08)
Previous Weigh-in: 146
Current Weigh-in: 143.6
Weight Difference: -2.4
Total Weight Loss: -8.4

Current Goal: 145 lbs - Exceeded!

New Goal: 135 lbs (8.6 lbs to go)

My next goal was going to be 140, but since I am so close to that already, I am going to go for 135 lbs. I cannot believe I lost that much weight this week; but I did workout everyday but yesterday, for 30 minutes on most days, and I ate pretty good this week. I had a few days with only 20 minutes or so of activity, and one day of yoga (Dynamic Stretch) because my knee was bothering me again. I really need to schedule at least one day a week for yoga or the like to give myself a productive break and relax. I just always feel like I have the energy to do a cardio workout and don't want to waste it on yoga, but I need to because it is just as important as the cardio and weight training.

I am giving up on Gyminee because it really is more than I need. I only track what I eat because it helps me make better choices when I have to write it down, so I am now using TweatWhatYouEat for that. It is super easy and convenient (I just IM it what I eat--I can even do it from my phone). I use Google Calendar to track my daily exercise and weekly weigh-ins; it helps me to look at how active I've been during the week or the month at a glance.

I am really happy with my progress so far and I am going to reward myself with some new Legos after work (see next post for details).

New Old Clothes

Last night I was looking through my other closet--you know the one with all the clothes that are either out of season (read: it's too damn hotin Florida) or that do not fit me at the time, but for which I have hopes that someday I will again be able to wear. Anyway, I was looking for these dresses to wear when I go to Mexico--oh yeah, I am going to Mexico in about 2 weeks--because they are very light and casual, when I decided to see if some of my old clothes fit.

And they do!

Not everything fits yet, but I had several pairs of pants I had bought at the Rave years ago that I love because they are so comfy and the fabric is really light. I swear it has been years since I have been able to wear them, but I am wearing one of them NOW! I think they even fit better than they did when I bought them :) I also promoted some of the tops to my regular closet that I had stowed away because, while they technically fit, they made me look pregnant.

This feels so good and totally motivates me to keep this up and reach my next goal. I almost fit into a size 8 again. I tried on some of my size 8s and, while snug and not really ready for public consumption yet, they do zip up! I should be able to wear them in a couple of weeks, which is good because I have an entire suit in there that I don't think I've ever worn--the skirt still has the tag on it! I think I bought them ages ago (at least 6 years ago) because they were on sale and they technically fit and I would be able to wear them when I lost weight--of course at the time I was doing nothing to try to lose weight.

I still have plenty of work to do because I have some pretty long skirts in there that I really want to wear that still do not fit, but being a size 8 again is great. I do not plan to buy any clothes unless they are a size 8/medium or smaller. Though I think I am pretty good on pants for a while now :)

Once I reach my goal of 145 lbs, which should be this weekend, my next goal will probably be 140 lbs. (ultimately I want to be 135 or less, but I find that setting goals of 5 lbs at a time keeps me more motivated). I really have been wanting to buy Karaoke Revolution for the xbox 360, but I am going to hold off and make it my reward for reaching 140 lbs. That should be in about a month, or less, so if I still want it by then it will be the perfect reward. If not, maybe another facial--which I think will be my reward this weekend.

Fitness Update: -6 lbs in 30 days

Starting Weight: 152 (1/29/08)
Previous Weigh-in: 147.6
Current Weigh-in: 146
Weight Difference: -1.6
Total Weight Loss: -6

Current Goal: 145 lbs (1 lb. to go)

I sorta skipped last week's weigh-in; well, I did weigh myself but didn't show much of a loss so did not post about it. There were parties 2 Saturdays in a row and Jason's birthday dinner, so I didn't eat the best. I was also not feeling as good and thus did not workout as much as I should have. I weighed myself last Friday because I figured it would not be good to weigh myself the morning after consuming alcohol and junk at a party, but that weigh-in was after work after I had drank tons of water, so it is a bit off. It did show a .2 loss, but anyway.

This week I tried to eat better and workout more to make up for the bad choices last week and it paid off. I was getting a bit discouraged, but looking at the scale this morning gave me that extra kick I needed. One more pound to go for my first goal! Hopefully I'll reach that by next weekend and I can then set a new goal. But a 6-lbs loss in one month is a good accomplishment, so I should feel good about that. yay!

Fitness Update: -4.2 lbs in 17 days

Starting Weight: 152 (1/29/08)
Previous Weigh-in: 148.6
Current Weigh-in: 147.8
Weight Difference: -.8
Total Weight Loss: -4.2

Current Goal: 145 lbs (2.8 lbs to go)

I actually did my weigh-in yesterday morning because I knew I would be drinking last night and it would affect my weigh-in today. I think I am going to switch to Saturdays permanently because it will be a more accurate representation of the week, since I think I tend to make worse eating choices during the weekend.

I was fairly good last week. I did eat out twice (once for lunch and once for dinner) and last weekend I didn't make the best choices. I still managed to do cardio for at least 10 minutes everyday this week, with 20-minutes or more at least half the week. On days when I only did 10 minutes of cardio, I also added 10 minutes of toning or yoga. On Friday my knee started to give me trouble so I need to ease up on the kickboxing and launges a bit. I also need to do better at warming up and stretching since the 10-minute workouts don't leave much time for that. I found a Walk Away the Pounds workout to do for when I need something a bit lower impact (read rest) and I think I am going to use part of it as a warm up for when I do any of the 10-minute workouts. The last thing I want is to seriously injure myself and not be able to workout at all. Even on rest days I want to go for a walk or do yoga. The idea is to be active in some way every day. I've also been parking further at work so at the very least I get that extra brief walk each morning.

It does not look like I will meet my goal of 145 lbs by Jason's bday, but I am fine with that as long as I continue to show a loss. I am going to try to watch what I eat more closely and workout at least 20 minutes each day this week to make up for some of the bad choices I made last week and the ones I'm likely to make at Jason's bday party.

Fitness Update: -3.4 lbs in 11 days

I am hesitant to post about this because it seems every time I do I fall off the wagon, but I really want it to work this time. So I need your support to help me stay on track.

I've been trying to workout and eat better on and off since sometime last year, but about 2 weeks ago I started using gyminee to seriously track my food intake and exercise activity. I am not on a diet persay, because I know that I won't keep that up and all I really need to do is eat healthier and workout more. However, I've started to pay attention to what I eat and working out regularly.

I am eating breakfast everyday. This is huge for me because I am not a morning person, but I know its very important to losing weight, kickstarting my metabolism for the day, and forming a healthy eating habit. We've cooked dinner at home and taken our lunch to work for the past 2 weeks. I think this alone will be a huge help because it is much harder to make healthier choices when I go out to lunch, not to mention all the money we're saving that we can spend on healthier food. Instead of eating my typical 2 big meals (lunch and dinner) and random snacks in between when that is not enough, I am consciously eating smaller meals more often and drinking lots of water throughout the day. I'm trying to eat more veggies and fruit with my meals and as snacks, so we started getting deliveries from Orlando Organics again every other week. Since I know I have a sweet tooth, I also got some 100 calorie packs and granola bars from nabisco. They are healthier, low in calories, and will give me that sugar fix I need every so often so I don't cave and run to the vending machine.

I managed to do at least one 10-minute cardio kickboxing workout everyday last week (I wanted to start small and work my way up). The week before that, I worked out 3 days. Now that I am starting to build a habit, I am going to kick it up a notch and try to do at least 20 minutes of cardio each day with some toning thrown in there. Yesterday I did 20 minutes of kickboxing toning (arms, shoulders, butt, and thighs from 10 Minute Solutions - Kickbox Bootcamp) in the morning and 30 minutes of Kathy Smith's Kickboxing Workout in the afternoon. I really love kickboxing because its high intensity and fun, so it doesn't feel like work. I joined netflix again so I can try out other workout videos to find enough things to mix it up and prevent me from getting bored and quitting. I am also going to incorporate yoga into this because with all this punching and kicking, I need some stretching and relaxing too. I am going to try to do some activity every day, even if it is just one of the 10 minute videos, butI think I may take one day off each week to let my body rest. Today I am beyond beat and only managed 10 minutes of kickboxing, but that is better than nothing.

So, here are my current stats (I'll update them every Sunday after my weight-in):

Starting Weight: 152 (1/29/08)
Last Weigh-in: 150.2 (2/3/08)
Today's Weigh-in: 148.6
Weight Difference: -1.6
Total Weight Loss: -3.4

Current Goal: 145 lbs (3.6 lbs to go)

My current goal is 145 lbs, which I hope to reach by Jason's birthday (2/23). I figured instead of setting one massive goal, I'll set smaller ones that I can reach easily so I stay motivated. I have no idea what my ultimate goal is, but the ideal body weight for my height is in the range of 105 - 135. I'll probably set 135 as my next goal, or maybe I'll just continue in 5 lb intervals until I am happy with my body. Ultimately, I'd like to be down at least 1 pant size. I'll be happy as long as I am showing a loss of 1-2 lbs. each week. I want to do this slow and steady and be healthy about it so I can sustain it and maintain the weight once I lose it.