Running update

Beer watch day two. The yeast is continuing to feast. The bubbles are quite active. This might be my favorite part of brewing beer. It's lots of fun to watch the bubbles come up through the airlock.

I walked and ran the GloRun in the frigid cold near Lake Hefner in Oklahoma City. I was on and off the grass the entire 3 miles and that was super bad for my ankle. This is the ankle I rolled on a rock at the Red Coyote Pack Pint Run. It's clearly not healed. I had my brace on but the unstable surface was too much.

I was stuck in a 30 minute line of cars waiting to leave the course. Fortunately, it was warm but the race director that decided the course should cross the only road to leave was a huge idiot. I had to wait until all the walkers were off the course. (Insert angry emoji here!)

I then ran and walked 7 miles the next morning. I didn't notice anything but a little soreness. As it turns out, my ankle was completely swollen. (I like to say fat because it looked like cankles but that sounds wrong.) My friend then told me that I could be doing permanent damage to my ankle. Then hubby told me not to do the half this weekend. Then my coach told me not to do the half this weekend. I'm so sad but I gave my registration away to someone else. Now I can't join the half fanatics and I can't tell what to do with my ankle. My guess is that I strained it originally and just reinjured it. 

Post run delicious waffle. I ate the entire waffle. On a separate note, I am considering Weight Watchers. My mom and sister are raving about it and want me to join. But it's not free and Myfitnesspal is. Any of you Weight Watcher fans have any thoughts? Has anyone joined and then went back to Myfitnesspal? My clothes are feeling too tight again. Sigh. The journey continues.

Weight Loss Wednesday

I've learned that the scale doesn't tell the whole story to my weight loss journey. Recently, I witnessed a non-scale victory! Success!

I went to Lake Hefner on Sunday and decided to walk all the way around it, thinking that it couldn't have been more than 8 miles. Sometime after the halfway point, my phone died. I kept walking. As it turns out, it was 10 miles. That was more than I was planning to walk and it took me 3 hours. It was 90 something degrees and I got color (I wanted a little color on my skin and I got more than a little).

I've walked 10 miles before and afterwards everything was aching. I'd have friction burns in at least two spots and blisters on my feet. It was hard to move after all that walking. This time, I felt stronger. I still had the friction burns (4 spots since I had on shorts) and no blisters! I wasn't sure how well I'd be able to recover from such a long walk.

Monday morning, I was not sore and I went to my spin class. I took the opportunity to do active recovery and did not expend a lot of energy. I came out of the class feeling ready for the day and not feeling exhausted or sore or hurt. My work at the gym is paying off!

This is a very small victory but it means progress. Its a sign that if I keep my workouts, I will get stronger. I will be able to accomplish huge feats of fitness, (half marathon!) My current goal is to get lean and mean. I can do it!

I hope you enjoy the random photos and I'm linking up with two awesome bloggers!

Weight Loss Wednesday

Welcome to another edition of Weight Loss Wednesday. This is my opportunity to share my journey towards weight loss maintenance. I remember being the overweight girl in junior high and high school. I didn't accomplish my weight loss goals until in my 30's, which meant I had struggled with losing weight for about 10 years. 

Recently, I started a Facebook group to help keep myself and my friends accountable. If you'd like encouragement, find me on Facebook and I'll add you to the group. If you are starting out in your weight loss journey, I would like to give you two solid small steps toward your goal.

(spoiler alert: I've mentioned these before in previous posts)

1 - Don't drink your calories. Personally, I am guilty of this in the form of beer and alcohol and the occasional smoothie. I try to keep those calories in balance with my workouts.

2 - Walk every day. I am good at this one. I actually go to the gym 5 days a week and I run on Saturdays with the Runhers organization.

If you can make these two small changes to your routine, you will lose some weight. Remember that losing weight is a long time journey and it never ends. (Even at goal, I am still needing to stay focused.) I really wanted to link up with some of my favorite bloggers because they are an inspiration to me.

Top 10 reasons for walking

1- Walking is low impact. Joints are not stressed out.

2- Walking burns calories.

3- Walking reduces stress.

4- Walking is good for the heart.

5- Walking outside gives you fresh air.

6- Walking with a friend gives you time to catch up.

7- Walking is good for circulation. (Did I make that up? Possibly.)

8- Walking is good for your lungs.

9- Walking is good for your mind.

10- Walking is easy and accessible for everyone and any fitness level.

I would have a tough time choosing which I enjoy most because I enjoy to walk and run. Today, my foot was hurting in an unexpected spot. I think its time to attempt self-medication. I'll ask my sweet hubby to give me a foot massage. :)

I'm a runner with RunHers

Except when I attempted to run this morning. It just didn't feel right and I opted for a walk instead. For the past month, I have been running with RunHers, which is a national non-profit community based running group. The runs are supported with water stations and currently the runners are preparing for the Memorial Half/Marathon on April 27th. While I have been training with this great group of speedy runners, I will not be running the Memorial Half, because I will be in the Bahamas. A few of you mentioned your jealousy. All I can say is, "I'm not surprised." The Bahamas are amazing. I actually registered for this Half Marathon, all giddy and excited to run my first half (or walk it, I am not opposed to walking.) After paying the $70, I realized that my dates were all mixed up and we would literally be in Nassau that day. Oops. Another $15 later and I will be deferring my race registration until next year (which I will ensure the annual Bahamas adventure does not coincide with the Memorial Half again.)

The RunHers group has been a very supportive group. You don't have to be fast, you just have to go. Its a rally cry in every email that posts the upcoming run location. I had to chant that to myself as I attempted my first run of 9 miles last Saturday. At 7.5 miles, my knees were hurting. I am a chicken with pain and once I determined stretching was not helping, I immediately switched to walking and made it to the finish location dead last. I watch a lot of TV shows such as Naked and Afraid, Get Out Alive with Bear Grylls, Dual Survival and other reality TV. I am not interested in a mechanical injury (as Bear would put it.) I do my best to listen to my body and when I'm not comfortable, I switch gears quickly.  

I have truly enjoyed running with RunHers. Everyone is so supportive, encouraging, there's water stations along the course and there's accountability to make sure that everyone checks in at the end. Its an excellent group of women to run with. I hope you have a RunHers group near you to run with. There is a nominal annual cost of $20 that is not required. I've been meaning to pay it because I believe the group does good work. I'll get to it eventually.

Finally, I made it a goal to run a half marathon this year. I am not abandoning the training. I found a very popular half marathon in Tulsa called the Route 66 Half. I've heard the course is good but I know that it is in November. That's a sketchy month for running. It could be blistering cold or fairly decent. I have the end of the month to catch it at $60. Or I could wait and pay $80.  Once I make a final decision, I will be posting it on this blog.

Tip Tuesday

The holidays are fast approaching and the holiday eating has already started for me. If you have fallen off the wagon, don't beat yourself up and don't wallow in the past.

Look to the future! Starting right now, you can be healthier. Truthfully, if you can learn portion control, the treats won't over take you this year.

If you have overdone it eating find time for a walk and load up on water. The exercise will help to burn off the calories and the water will flush your system. Saturday, I walked for 8.5 miles in 2 hours and 17 minutes. I think its time for new shoes though because my knee has been hurting since. I discovered some of the pain can be eased through stretching and I'll be stretching my knee back to normal in no time.

Please come back for more healthy living tips and weight loss encouragement. If you need someone to help you reach your goals, let me know! I'd love to help you!

Serious Sunday

Yesterday, I committed with my friend to complete our first half marathon. We started training. Our plan is to mostly walk and run a little. We walked 6.2 miles yesterday and I plan to walk a good amount today as well. Depending on what time I get to the gym, I will be walking 1 - 2 hours. 

Originally, we thought a half marathon required running the entire time and it sounded overwhelming. I decided that running is not all that great for my knees but walking is doable. We plan to train for the memorial half in April. 

What's great is, I know I can do this. It is still 13.1 miles but I will complete it. What great goal are you looking forward to accomplishing? Please share with me. I'd love to rejoice with you.

High Five For Friday

Usually, Fridays are the best but not this week. The vacation is winding down. Sad. It's been a really good week for us though. On the upside, we have booked a trip to Dominican Republic for April. That's going to be an awesome trip with all my Parrothead friends.

These shoes are gorgeous and make me very tall. I am not good at walking in these shoes however. I made it through all of Wednesday night, standing and walking. When it was time to turn in, I found a shuttle to take us to our room. It was a short shuttle ride. I am not going to wear these shoes for awhile.
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My favorite activities

These are my top ten favorite activities to relax and unwind after a stressful day.

1: Writing- usually about anything,

2: Reading - I like to read books that help me learn about myself and interesting subjects,

3: Music - I love playing the piano and listening to music,

4: Tv watching - favorite shows include Biggest loser and Extreme Makeover Home Edition,

5: Crocheting - I like to make scarves and give the finished product away to the needy,

6: Walking - I like going out for a walk, a run, or a hike in the forest,

7: Biking - I love going out on my bike and hitting the road. Its so freeing!,

8: Photography - I love taking photos of architecture, food, and flowers,

9: Shopping - I don't even need to buy anything. Sometimes its just relaxing to browse,

10: Hydrating - tea at Starbucks, or relaxing with a beer or wine at a nice bar. Its hard not to feel relaxed after hydrating.

Never give up

I had a tough workout today. I started out running but finished out walking. My abs were not ready for the run but I am very proud that I kept going at the same rate until the end of my workout. Initially, I was disappointed that I couldn’t run. I run most days, so why was today different? There is no answer to that question.

Dear Lord, Please give me the wisdom and strength to accept me the way you miraculously made me. Thanks.