Final Half Marathon Training Update

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I cannot believe this morning was my final big run before the Chicago Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon. Well according to Runkeeper, I had to do an 8-mile run. I wish this whole time I could've done these runs on Sunday mornings, but alas with my work schedule I had to adjust. But ya know, I kinda like the Monday morning run. It is a nice way to shake off the weekend and burn some extra calories before Tuesday's weigh-in. :) Anyway, this morning the alarm went off at 4:45am and for a moment I regretted setting it for that time, but once I was up and getting ready for the run I was happy. I knew it would be worth it especially when I am greeted by this sight ...

I decided to once again head north on the Lakefront path and I was happy I did. That path is less crowded and more shaded by trees. This morning was actually perfect running weather. I wanted to bottle it up and use it for the Half on Sunday. :P

I felt great during the whole run. I had my jelly beans, water belt and pump-up music mix ready to go. I decided to try pinning my belt to my shirt to see if that kept it from shifting, which for the most part it did. It didn't twist around my waist, but still occassionally rode up.

I made sure to alternate which water bottle I drank from to try and keep their levels even and I had a jelly bean every 30 minutes. The plan seemed to work since...

I ended up finishing the run in 1:18. 30, which comes out to 9:49 min/mile. I was thoroughly impressed with myself. I kept a pace of under 10 minutes for the whole 8 mile run. I have never done that before :) I then went back through the old records and found that I did my first half-marathon 8-mile training run on July 4 and finished in 1:26.47 (10:51 min/mile). So that means I took off a good 8 minutes on my time or about a minute per mile. WOO! Now, I know the weather conditions were waaaay better than the last run, but I know my training had a little bit to do with it.

Once I finished the run, I felt awesome. I thought it was a great note to end my training on.

Well, the Chicago Rock 'n Roll Half is on Sunday ... t-minus 6 days! I am looking forward to it and hope to come away with a PR. It looks as if the weather conditions will be in our favor, but you know how these things can change in a matter of minutes. But, no matter what, I will try my hardest and finish - that is all I can ask ... especially having had back surgery just a little over 6 months ago.

Well, I celebrated my run today with a nice Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee...

Terrapin 5k - August 2011

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I can't believe last night was my first 5k since June. I was really trying to hit one a month, but I guess work/training for the Half Marathon got in the way :P Anyway, I was worried for the Terrapin 5k because it has been hotter than hot here in Chicago, but thankfully we got a break. It wasn't too humid - a steady 82 degrees at race time.

Pre-Race 5k!

(Note: I changed my pre-race pose since I was getting alot of flack for the "skinny arm" pose I always use.)

I always want to improve on my time when heading out for a race, but I knew with the conditions not to expect much. So I set a goal of under 30 minutes no matter what. I found a girl in a teal tanktop and just followed her the whole run. I should hire her as my motivator since I ended up with a personal record by more than a minute!

I finished in 27:10, which works out to 8:46 min/mile. :) Woo! I could not believe that. Me, little ol me, finished in under 9 min/miles!! Wow! To put this in perspective, I finished my first-ever 5k in 2005 in 36 minutes...

According to the official results, I finished 947 overall, 85 of 349 for my age & 329 of 1608 for females. I am beyond proud of these results!!

I think the half marathon training is really paying off for the shorter runs as well. I felt awesome throughout the entire thing.

You also have to love a race that gives you a free beer at the end... :P

 
 
 

Moving...

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Not sure if anyone here follows me on twitter (@IrishEyes1982), but I have been talking about our moving situation. Basically, the wife and I have been in the same apartment for almost two years. We lucked out when we found it. A two bedroom/two bath for $1,600. That is good for Chicago in case you were wondering. :) The place took dogs and was within walking distance of work. Oh and best part? It was a block away from Dunkin Donuts. Woo! Well over time the neighborhood and our street in particular has changed. The violence has increased. The amount of youth out and about at all hours of the night has increased. The traffic to and from the bars has increased. (I can only handle my doorbell being rung at 3am so many times) The solicitors are always outside our door. I mean there are blocks around us, yet they always set up shop right in front of our door. Also, homeless people always like to set up camp in front of our door. I really don't know what is so alluring about our doorway?

Anyway, I digress. Basically, I am over where we live. I am over having to push through the "teens" and "prostitutes" outside my door when I need to go to work at 5am on a Saturday. So, the search began...

Our management company refused to try and move our lease to another of their buildings. So we had to start looking elsewhere.

Oh and we now have two dogs. If you think renting with one door is a hassle ... try two! :P

So I really left the apartment search to the wife since she spends more time at our apartment than I do. My one stipulation was outdoor space. I wanted either a back porch, front porch, roofdeck or yard space. She found a perfect apartment last week, but for some reason we were not selected. Again, back to square one.

Well, I had lunch with my friend Ellie the other day (who just moved to our neck of the woods) and as we walked to her place she pointed out an apartment for rent. It is about 4 doors down from her new place and the same landlord. So we went and viewed it the next day and .... WE GOT IT! Yay! The horrendous apartment search is over.

We signed the lease this afternoon and can move in anytime after August 15. It looks like we are going to shoot for August 18 to start the move. Now, we are still in our old lease and have that place until the end of September, which will make the move a little easier. But, it will stretch the old budget. Looks like these girls will be spending alot more time at home ... which is fine now that I can do that on a huge back deck! :)

So we are paying a little more per month, but we are getting a 3 bedroom/1 bathroom place with free laundry and a huge deck. Oh and did I mention the jacuzzi tub? Yeah, I will like that after a long run.

Now the great thing about the new place is it is still within walking distance of work and Dunkin Donuts and even closer to my gym and the Lakefront running trail. Aaannnd we can have puppy play dates with Ellie and her lil munchkins! :)

I feel a sense of relief that we have a place and will not be homeless. But, I am now stressed about finances. I know it will all work out. (We are starting to put some things around the apartment on Ebay).

I will be sure to post lots of pics when we are all settled!! :)

 

Truth Tuesday

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Well folks. There is some truth about to be dropped :P This was the worst weigh-in of my Weight Watchers career! I gained 6.6 lbs. I know! I was SHOCKED to see it too, but then I took another look through the old Food Logs (curse you food logs) and could see the reason why! Starting Weight: 217.4

Today’s Weight: 172.8

Total Lost: 44.6

Pounds From Goal: 8.8

Okay so this was a reality check. Note to self: filling all your cravings in one week DOES NOT WORK. This last week I have felt bloated, sluggish, uncomfortable and overall just BLAH in my own body. That is right folks. Your body gets used to all those fruits and veggies so when you replace them with pizza and french fries - it notices.

This last week I had plans to go out every night. This is rarer than rare for me. Usually you can find me at home with the wife and pups, but for some reason we got popular for a five-six day span. :P There was also waaay more drinking happening than usual: sangria, beer, wine. You name it, I had some. That could also have played in to the big gain - Bloating! Definitely a possibility.

Here is how I had to look at it. It was a learning experience. I learned that I cannot end all cravings at one time. It is better for my mind and body, if I hit one or two cravings a week - or at least spread it out. I also figured out that I need to go back to my one glass of wine a night or stay away from the really heavy beers. That definitely had me feeling bloated. Additionally, I need to not eat late at night. Normally, I try not to eat after 8pm. Usually it isn't a problem, but Sunday night I got home late and the wife suggested going out for a drink. One thing led to another and I had finished off steak fries and half an english muffin. Say it with me: unnecessary.

There are two positives I can take from last week. 1) Honesty. I honestly wrote down everything I ate on my food longs. I may not have had the point value figured out or the exact amount I had, but I wrote it all down. 2) I didn't dodge the scale. I faced what I did and survived. I didn't melt. No one threw me out of Weight Watchers. My blog wasn't taken down. I am human (sometimes I need to remind myself of that).

So I had a bad week, but I cannot let it ruin this week. I started fresh this morning. I hit the gym (even though the snooze button was wicked tempting). I planned my food log today (hitting my DPT right on the nose: 29) and am sticking with it. I also made sure it filled all 5 of the food/liquid healthy checks.

There it is folks. You heard it here. I fell off the wagon, but I got back on. As I finish writing this, I look down at the tattoo on my right wrist and remember why I have it ... "Ancora Imparo" (It is Italian for "Still I am learning")

 

Half Marathon Training Update

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T-minus 13 days... I know! I cannot believe it either. Man, time is really flying!

This morning I ran a season-high 12 miles. Wow! I cannot believe I did it. I knew I had to "finish what I started" so I powered through. I definitely felt a lot better than last week. I think by mile 2 of last week's run I was already wandering/dreading the rest of the run. This time, that doubt didn't sink in until about 9.5 miles. :P

Also, there were no dead bodies or cops on this run. Well, I saw two bodies, but they honestly looked like they were just sleeping :)

After last week's run, I knew I had to be better prepared for today's run so I got to work.

*Music ... I was tired of listening to P!nk & Glee. I love them both, but not on loop for two hours. So yesterday I had the wife transfer all my music from her computer to DVDs that I could bring to work and transfer to my iPhone. I then created a "Half Marathon" mix. I had a nice blend, but it is all upbeat. I put 3 hours of music on there so I would be covered.

*Dehydration ... Usually I get wicked thirsty on the second half of the run and instead of slowing down and stopping at the public water fountains, I wanted to carry water on me. So Saturday, I went to Fleet Feet Sports and bought a water belt. I got the Nathan belt with two water bottles and the pouch in the front. The race caps on the water bottles were super easy to use and leakproof.

*Energy ... I finally bought some Jelly Belly Sports Beans. I was given some of these during my marathon in 2006 and liked them a lot better than the Gu.

Let me tell you these three changes from last week to this week made a HUGE difference. I took a hit of water whenever I wanted it. I could get my head or neck if needed, which water fountains couldn't easily do. I took a jelly bean (out of my easily accessibly front pouch) every 30 minutes and although I don't like eating while working out - it wasn't the worst experience. I could definitely feel them helping. Also, having an entire collection of "pump up" music was awesome. It was like my iPhone/RunKeeper knew when I needed a good dose of "Tootsie Roll" or "Ice Ice Baby." :P

I also changed my course. I still ran along the Lakefront, but instead of running South towards downtown. I ran North. For the first time, I saw the "start" to the Lakefront Trail. It was a nice change. Also, there are way more trees on the second route so I was hidden from the sun a little.

So here are the final stats ... I ran 12.01 miles in 2:09.39 (10:48 min/mile). Let me refresh your memory - last week, I ran 11.01 miles in 2:02.19 (11:06 min/mile). So big improvement this week.

The internet amazes me everyday. This morning, I was able to find the results from my first (and only) half marathon - February 26, 2006 on the Cape. I finished that in 2:20.18 (10:42 min/mile). So my original goal for the Chicago Rock 'n Roll Half was under 2:30. Now I am going to try and do under 2:20.18. I know it may not happen, especially since one run was done in the winter and one in the dead of August. :P The heat is definitely harder to run in than winter. But, either way I will try to do my best ... and finish! :)

Well, I leave you with a couple pictures from my run this morning ... I wanted to show everyone how I looked like a real prepared runner :)

Cravings...

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Cravings are super hard for me to deal with especially since I walk by a bunch of bars and restaurants on my walk home from work and to/from the gym everyday. Rough! I mean, as long as I don’t see the Potbelly’s, I won’t think about their sandwiches. It is once a pass a place that I am like, “Wow! Chinese sounds awesome for dinner” or “Oh margaritas are perfect on a Wednesday afternoon.” Temptations and cravings are everywhere… How do you all deal with your cravings? I was thinking about it a lot this week. I just finished eight days of eating on point (no activity or weekly pts used), but then the cravings overcame me. Wednesday night I had some chicken tenders and Forever Yogurt. Last night I had Domino’s Pizza. This morning I had a pumpernickel bagel from Einstein Brothers. This weekend I plan to finally try the pulled pork sandwich from Subway.

So as you can see: I basically feed all my cravings in a four to five day period. Then I go right back to eating on plan. It is a weird conundrum, but it has been working for me. I don’t know. I think my brain would rather take the weight gain hit in one week than worry about going over multiple weeks in a row.

I wonder if it wouldn’t be smarter to fill one craving per week, but the thing is I can go 8-10 days without getting a craving. So I don’t know if I would necessarily have something to splurge on each week. It seems that my cravings come in one spurt and I need to squelch them all and move on.

The thing I love about Weight Watchers is I can do this. I can be normal. I can eat what I want and if I go off the path. I just get right back on when I am ready. It is always here to pick me up. As is the #7daychip ... I always start a new #7daychip after a time of indulging ... it helps me feel "cleansed."

 

How do you all silence the demons?

Way To Go Jim!

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I keep mentioning my friend Jim, who is not just an awesome guy, but a great motivator for me. Jim is also a Weight Watchers member. He started the Weight Watchers at Work program in November 2010. (He was actually the one that gave me the idea to bring Weight Watchers to my work). About a week ago, his company discontinued the program so he is in Week Two of Weight Watchers Online. I applaud him for sticking with Weight Watchers even though he will no longer have the meetings to attend, but reminded him he could also switch to that option down the road. He, like me, weighs in on Tuesday mornings. So it is nice to have that in common as well. Well, Jim has been kicking butt and taking names since November 2010. He has lost about 40 lbs and continues to succeed. We were talking about how you don't realize weightloss really until you look at pictures side-by-side so we took a new pic last night to prove it. :)

Left: July 28, 2011 and Right: September 2010 (Two months before joining)

How amazing does he look!! :) You can totally see the change. I am so proud of him and wanted to give one of my biggest supporters and motivators some props on the old blog!

 
Go Jim Go!! :)
 
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We also took a pic back in January together so here is another difference maker...
 

and...
 
 

Support...

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... and not the kind that comes from your nylons or sucky-inny things. I am talking about people. This week’s meeting topic was on “relationships.” For me, that really hit home. I don’t have the highest self-esteem so I really just want people to like me. So I am always trying to make sure I am reaching out to people, etc. But, sometimes there comes a point where you realize that friendships are supposed to be two-sided. Each person needs to put in as much as the other. That is just how the successful ones work. Apparently, a lot of the people I thought were friends, were not. It became a one-sided relationship that I couldn’t handle anymore. But, that is too depressing to kick the post off with. I want to really start this post by thanking the people that support me on a daily basis. I thank my parents, my wife and my pups. In addition, I thank the people that let me bother them with questions/comments/thoughts/pictures all the time: Linds, Mel, El, Jim and Elizabeth. I also thank my Weight Watchers community (especially my leader Lisa), as well as, the online community (HealthyLoserGal, Brad Gansberg/7daychip, #runchat, #fitblog, #wwchat) that has flourished in support. Lastly, but not leastly at all: I thank my blog followers. It may be a small group, but I thank each of you for taking the time to read my ramblings.

I thank you all for understanding why I made the changes in my life that I did. Cut down the partying. Cut down the eating out. Cut down the sitting around. Increase the fruits and veggies. Increase the activity. Thank you for going along with me.

Ellie had an especially great idea. For her b-day, she got people together to run a 5k then go to brunch. I think that is one amazing idea. (I wish I could’ve gone, but work was calling). I think changing plans with friends from being completely food/drink based to something else is great. Ideas we threw around in our meeting were: movies in the park, trips to the museum/aquarium, running 5ks, walks near theLake, etc. Now, don’t get me wrong – every once in awhile I like to get my drink on, but sometimes it is nice to switch it up.

So in all this rambling, I thank you all for your support. Without it, I would not be succeeding the way that I am. To those that decided not to support me, there is a reason we were not meant to be. Someday I will understand it, but it still hurts. I try not to take things personally, but really it is how I am. I always wonder if it was something I did, or didn’t do, or if really they were just using me for what they needed then moved on. In some cases, I know the answer. In others, I don’t … and maybe I don’t want to.

Instead, I will continue to turn to the people that truly have my back in this journey. I will count my blessings for my haves … and not give a second thought about my have nots.