Running Group Success

First off, let me go ahead and tell you how much I love my running group. Last Saturday, rain was in the forecast. I’m not going to lie, the first thing I did when my alarm went off at 6:30 AM was check the radar and the hourly predictions and hoped for a bunch of rain so I could stay in my warm bed with my handsome man and snooze away the morning. But what did I find? Only clouds and no chance of rain until much later in the morning. So I got up, got dressed and headed towards the meeting spot.

As usual, I got really nervous before we started. I’m still not over my fear that I won’t be good enough or I’ll slow the group down. Once we got started, the first mile was brutal. I don’t know why mile 1 is always such a crappy 11 minutes of my life but it is. The beauty of this group is that there are so many volunteer coaches that no matter what pace you’re going at, you have a coach with you. This week I was with one other girl who was running and then two coaches were with us. Susie, the coach I talked to the most, is 62 and has been running for 5 years. She has completed 4 marathons and is amazing. Throughout the entire run she was so nice and talkative and encouraging. She and the other coach that was with us routinely told us how great we were doing and kept our spirits up.

This is exactly what I was hoping to get from this. It makes me so excited to be doing my long runs for marathon training with them. I’ll need all the help and support that I can get during the super long runs.

In other news, my Visalus shakes are going pretty well. Due to some poor eating choices over the weekend, I’m not really sure if they’re effective or not yet. I’ll give you a full report at the end of the week. The protein powder is much tastier than others. It’s also a lot easier to add things to it and blend. I’ve added both veggies and fruit to it and it’s been wonderful. It’s something I’d probably purchase again.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful week thus far and I’ll catch up with you this weekend from the BEACH!

WHAM! (said the scale)

Yeah - I did it. I stepped on the scale. I'm now in "oh my GOD I'm going to the beach in 2 weeks and I am an elephant (and not the cute baby kind)" mode. The only good thing that has come from this is I am strictly looking at portions and eating totally clean. #hopeitworks #gottagetintoahabbit

Let's see...oh! Group run last week! Super awesome. Was very pleased with getting to run with a group of people who weren't judgmental or mean. Just there at different levels and wanting to run. I'm honestly looking forward to going back again this Saturday! It was a short (about 3 miles) course but it had some killer hills. I know I'll for sure get my money's worth. There are coaches with every "group" so each pace has someone there cheering them on and talking the whole way. I love it. And they stress so much that time doesn't matter. Maybe if I hear it enough, it'll sink in ;)

And now some photos to capture the week...

Spring in Atlanta also means "hot as balls" This was after a lunch time run - omg. 

Panera style lunch. Love their classic with chicken and avocado. Nom! 

Flew kites on Sunday with my loves! 

This is Kennessaw Mountain. It's pretty wonderful (and local!)

A mile straight up, up, up! 

The view from the top! 

And on the way down we made a new friend! He was literally 10 feet away. Just hang in' out and eating like it was no big deal that a bunch of humans were in the woods....

Here's to another great week and some great decisions! 

The Quote that Let me Know I Wasn't Alone

You know, I used to be really good at running. I was putting up some pretty fantastic times and had lost a bunch of weight. I weighed probably 15 pounds less than I do now. When you're only standing about 5'3", 15 pounds is pretty considerable. Fast forward through tearing my achiles tendon and being forced to take 6 months off of running....and then just losing the will to run anymore which turned into a year out of running and the 15 pounds gained and here we are today. And I've had a hard time really describing what it felt like to try to make a come back from what I used to be.

I was reading articles on CNN Health and came across this one. It's about a guy who was faced with cancer and had his health taken away from him. Now that he's cancer free, he's making a giant come back. Truly an inspiring article.

One thing in particular that stood out for me was this quote:

Exercise isn't new to me. It's something I used to thrive on. Training for a triathlon isn't even new to me. I had a regimen before. I'd swim in the mornings before work. Saturdays were my big workout days. If I wasn't doing a big run or ride, I'd take a spin class and jump right on the treadmill after and run 4 miles. Interestingly enough, that doesn't make it any easier. It's often more frustrating. Not being able to do what you used to do sometimes makes you not want to do it at all. It's a constant fight I have with myself. Trying to push through one barrier only to be stopped at the next makes me feel helpless.

It's like the sun just started shining again. This is exactly how I still feel today. I look back on my old mile times and I can't help but be sad and beat myself up. Why can't I run like I did before? What's keeping me from going as fast? Why can't I run 13 miles without stopping like I used to? Why haven't I lost any of this weight like I did a couple years ago? And let me tell you - it's exhausting.

It's exhausting to train. It's exhausting to constantly analyze and wonder and think and try to fix whatever problem you think you have that is preventing you from being what you once were. I haven't aged a decade. I don't smoke. I drink too much wine but the intake is about the same as it used to be. I can't figure out why I can't get to where I was. We're talking 8min miles vs 11min miles here folks. Absolutely frustrating.

And as a result, the motivation is uneven. Some days are just a bare to get out for a walk and others I wish I could run for miles and miles and miles. I miss the constant motivation and the will to do better and run faster. Instead, I'm faced with constantly battling the "why bother?" thoughts.

It's nice to know that maybe I'm not as crazy as I thought I was (or that he's just as crazy). I highly suggest you read the article - great story and a great outcome!

Atlanta Marathon CANCELLED

So, today as I was perusing Facebook, a fellow runner posted that the Atlanta Marathon had been cancelled. Yeah – THE marathon. The one I have signed up for a training program for and everything. I frantically searched my E-mail for the undeniable truth – the Atlanta Track Club had cancelled the marathon and is putting all their efforts into the 10 miler set for the same say.

I was immediately very upset and even texted the handsome man that clearly this was a sign that 26.2 just isn’t for me. Nashville fell through and now Atlanta just wasn’t even an option. At some point a person just has to accept what the universe is trying to tell them, right?

The good news is this: I told the universe to suck it. They are allowing everyone who registered for the marathon to run the 10 miler AND transfer their marathon registration to either the Savannah Rock n Roll Marathon on November 8th or the Silver Comet Marathon which is on October 26th. I chose the savannah because it is F-L-A-T. I was lucky enough to be able to get a hotel down there still. So. My Marathon Dreams are not squashed, just postponed to the following weekend. I now get to run the 10miler with a friend of mine and I still get to get my triple peach medal. And let’s be clear – I am ONLY running the Peachtree Road Race to get my snazzy medal.

And truth be told, running the savannah is probably a blessing in disguise. Running my first 26.2 on a totally flat road without any humidity may be the best plan of action. Get my confidence up and then I can come home and tackle the hills that are Atlanta.

In other news…things are going pretty well. Nutrition is…so so. Getting my perception of food and what I’m eating is going better. Not perfect and not aiming for perfect, really. Just trying to make it through.

I’ve got the group training run on Saturday morning and then barre. Pretty excited to have a fun filled weekend in the sun!

Nothing to see here, folks...

Well, if it were a contest to see who could drink the most beer or eat the worst food... I would have won for the weekend. No guilt - we had a blast. Baseball game, music festival and friends. Can't really ask for too much more than that! Back on track on this wonderful Monday morning. 

Planning a nice run for my lunch break and then maybe a spin class after work. Can't decide if I want to spin or swim. I also have yoga this evening so I could spin at 6:30 and then yoga at 8. Decisions, Decisions... 

I've been working a lot on my overall mental state as far as working out and eating go. I've been trying to equalize them and make them into one rational thought as oppose to a total explosion of guilt and guilt eating. I think it's coming along well. Slowly but surely, I suppose. Yes, I continued with my smoothie for this morning. Excited that I've gotten my money's worth out of the nutribullet and that I'm taking in more natural vitamins and nutrients. 

I promise I'll have something much more exciting to update about at some point but for now I will leave you with how much I LOVE the show Boundless. It's amazing. If you don't know what I'm talking about... go google it. I'll do a review here at some point... 

Keeping it Simple

I've been spending a lot of time lately trying to keep things simple. I'm constantly guilty of over complicating things. And when I say things I really mean everything. Specifically when it comes to weight loss, exercise, running etc. I over think, over analyze and end up spiraling into a giant pool of crazy.

This past week I've kept up with my morning veggie/fruit smoothies. Simple. Come downstairs after getting ready for work, throw a bunch of stuff in my Nutribullet, blend and go! Lots of nutrients, low calorie and a good choice to start the day. Simple.

I've lowered the amount of time that I'm spending at the gym. I'm running fewer miles and making each mile worth it. Starting over, so to speak. I can run longer distances but I'm attempting to change the way my brain thinks about running and tackle my expectations. Hobbies are supposed to be fun. Running became something I resented. Running easy miles and rebuilding my confidence is helping it become fun again. Simple.

I joined two training programs that actually start one right after the other. The simple runs for the 10k are going to help me make more running friends and help me feel like I may not be the worst athlete in the world. I'll go to a specific meet up place, work with coaches and have fun while running. Simple.

I am making good, simple choices to lead me to where I want to be. I'm trying to decompress my brain and remember how fun this all used to be. Eating right, doing great things for my body and becoming a great athlete.

And now... some pictures. You should probably just follow me on Instagram so you can see them in real time :-)

I'm a vitamin whore. 

Mother Nature has given us some AWESOME weather this week!

I wanted to eat every single bag of this. Don't worry - none of it made it into my cart.

Group Runs

Well, I've done it now. I've made myself accountable via money. I've done something that I've always really and truly avoided - I signed up for a group training program. Two, actually. One for the Peachtree Road Race and one for the Atlanta Marathon. I know that I can run a 10k. The problem is that I'm clearly doing something wrong. I don't see real improvement. I'll have one really great run and then I'll be right back to almost a minute slower pace for several weeks then another great run will happen and the cycle continues. I've clearly got something wrong with how my body trains and I think that this will be a great opportunity for me to learn some new things. I want to not just run the Peachtree but RUN it. Looking for a killer run and I'm hoping that the coaches and motivation from my group will be helpful.

I don't run with people for a really ridiculous reason. I get super embarrassed. Like...really bad. I'm my own worst enemy and hopefully these group runs will help! And if not...well. The money wasn't that bad and I know that I will have had tried.

Let's see....in other news. HOLY BOSTON, BATMAN! So proud of everyone who ran today! I got chills watching MEB cross the finish line. Finally, an American win! USA! Home of the brave, y'all! One day maybe I'll be there running with the other 30,000 people.

Still going strong with my morning smoothies. Starting to get use to the taste/texture. Juicing has its perks but I'm hoping that this takes my nutrition to a different level.

Alright - off to get ready for bed. Early wake up call for some fitness types of things :) Have a great week, y'all!