today I set out to run 16 miles for the first time:) I was feeling good and excited and confident...woke up to a beautiful cold, sunny day:) as I drove to meet Joel in Banks, I set a goal pace of 8:05 (2:09:13).
We started out and my first mile was 8:22....
second mile was around 8:00 and went down from there, I was a bit concerned at first that I was going to fast as we made it up that first gradual incline...worried I would burn out, but I decided to just go for it and trust in my body that I wouldn't quit no matter what and just see how it went. I feel like I always hold back b/c I'm afraid of burning out.
we climbed the big hill and I still felt good. (all those hills must be paying off).
started the gradual down slope and ran in the very low 7's the whole time...mile 7 was 6:56.
the last 4 miles were back to flat. I was worried I would slow down to an 8 min pace or slower but SURPRISINGLY I held it below a 7:30 pace to the end!
[B]Finishing time was 1:59:58!!![/B]
I set a new Half Marathon PR at [B]1:38:19.[/B] my last half time was 1:46:41 so that is HUGE!.
I still have a smile on my face and joy in my heart. I am so proud of myself and felt the real beginning of believing in myself that I can do this and was actually meant for running.
I love it. I know i'm just a baby and beginner in this stuff called running but it sure feels good to be seeing improvement.
I am SO SO SO excited for my first marathon in May.
Oh...and I went to Red Robin tonight b/c I have 2wks off now and I ate FRIES instead of salad! and had a big Starbucks hot chocolate with extra whip! it was rad. ha ha.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Update
Ok!!! So as of December 16th I will be completely done with my HCG journey. I have lost a total of 17.5 pounds. I am fitting into jeans that I haven't worn since before I had Sam! Actually they are getting a little baggy. I am really happy with the outcome. More than the weight loss I am most happy about the self control and will power that I have developed. I still WANT all the sweets and cheesy snacks but I am SATISFIED with just a few bites.
During Thanksgiving I had ONE plate of food and just a few really small portions of desserts. I know that during the holiday season I will be fine and not over do it on the junk. I went to Gustav's last night and if you know me at all you know that their fondue is one of my most favorite things in the world to eat. I had maybe 6 pieces of bread (small cubed bread) and I was satisfied. After Gustav's I went to a friends for a little pre-Christmas party and I was pretty good. Although I could have TOTALLY eaten all of the spinach artichoke dip. This morning when I weighed myself I was a little nervous but I actually LOST .2 lbs!
Hopefully I won't ever get to the point that I would have to do this diet again...(maybe if I ever had another baby) but I would do it in a heartbeat.
The goal now is to try and incorporate some kind of exercise routine into my day....
Sunday, November 28, 2010
5K PR
I am going to try to keep this post optimistic, but also hope that you can all understand where I'm coming from.
So, I set out to do a 5K today and PR.
I have only done 1 other 5K and it was in May when I was just training by myself. I ran it in 21:18 and was very surprised. I was going for 22:00. It was a flat course with one teensy tiny little hill around mile 2.5. I was SUPER excited when I ran that!
So, today I set out to PR but as much as I could. I THOUGHT the course I was running was flat....should have looked into that more. NOt that it's bad if it isn't but I would have been more mentally prepared.
In hindsight, I made some mistakes. I didn't plan my warm up right. I ended my 2 mile warm up and sprints about 3 min before the race started. oops.
Then I handed my garmin to my friend who was pacing me, thinking that it would keep me from being distracted but AGAIN in hindsight I felt a bit lost not knowing what mile we were at etc(no mile markers).
The race started and I was in the lead group but we immediately started up hill ....which I thought I did good on but probably not good enough. the only girls who passed me was a few of the highschool girls (the race was at the highschool)...they looked like they were on cheer squad together! lol
the whole course was up and down LOTS of hills and no signs, in and out of the woods etc...sort of confusing..just not what I was expecting.
I finished in 20:46, so I SHOULD be thrilled but I felt like I could have ran more like 20:15 or better.....
It bothers me that I've been working my butt off for 10 wks and I expected to be able to run faster than that! it sort of feels like a slap in the face...what about all the HILLS I ran? ugh. frustrating.
The wiser side of me tells me "Nicole, if you're going to try to be a competetive runner, you're going to have to TOUGHEN up, suck it up and know that not every race is going to be your best".
My husband was sweet enough when I came home and cried in his arms to remind me that I was comparing a flat 5K time to a hilly 5K time and it's true. He says the best comparison is to run the SAME 5K course and THEN compare.
again, point taken. I get it.
but still...I felt sad.
I know this is all a learning journey...and I'm dealing with it. I am just so competitive with myself, I have high expectations with EVERYTHING in my life and I probably need to just chill out but still.
Everytime I've tried to sleep today I just sit there going over my race in my head...wondering what I could have done differerently, and it's just eating me up.
I want to get my legs STRONGER! I want to get to the gym but My family can't really let me go any more than I already am.
Time to stop talkin' and bust out my PLYOMETRICS dvd
So...that is my update.
I like Liana's quote she just posted...I need to just HANG IN THERE and not quit. EVENTUALLY I will hit my goals. I believe it. .
So, I set out to do a 5K today and PR.
I have only done 1 other 5K and it was in May when I was just training by myself. I ran it in 21:18 and was very surprised. I was going for 22:00. It was a flat course with one teensy tiny little hill around mile 2.5. I was SUPER excited when I ran that!
So, today I set out to PR but as much as I could. I THOUGHT the course I was running was flat....should have looked into that more. NOt that it's bad if it isn't but I would have been more mentally prepared.
In hindsight, I made some mistakes. I didn't plan my warm up right. I ended my 2 mile warm up and sprints about 3 min before the race started. oops.
Then I handed my garmin to my friend who was pacing me, thinking that it would keep me from being distracted but AGAIN in hindsight I felt a bit lost not knowing what mile we were at etc(no mile markers).
The race started and I was in the lead group but we immediately started up hill ....which I thought I did good on but probably not good enough. the only girls who passed me was a few of the highschool girls (the race was at the highschool)...they looked like they were on cheer squad together! lol
the whole course was up and down LOTS of hills and no signs, in and out of the woods etc...sort of confusing..just not what I was expecting.
I finished in 20:46, so I SHOULD be thrilled but I felt like I could have ran more like 20:15 or better.....
It bothers me that I've been working my butt off for 10 wks and I expected to be able to run faster than that! it sort of feels like a slap in the face...what about all the HILLS I ran? ugh. frustrating.
The wiser side of me tells me "Nicole, if you're going to try to be a competetive runner, you're going to have to TOUGHEN up, suck it up and know that not every race is going to be your best".
My husband was sweet enough when I came home and cried in his arms to remind me that I was comparing a flat 5K time to a hilly 5K time and it's true. He says the best comparison is to run the SAME 5K course and THEN compare.
again, point taken. I get it.
but still...I felt sad.
I know this is all a learning journey...and I'm dealing with it. I am just so competitive with myself, I have high expectations with EVERYTHING in my life and I probably need to just chill out but still.
Everytime I've tried to sleep today I just sit there going over my race in my head...wondering what I could have done differerently, and it's just eating me up.
I want to get my legs STRONGER! I want to get to the gym but My family can't really let me go any more than I already am.
Time to stop talkin' and bust out my PLYOMETRICS dvd
So...that is my update.
I like Liana's quote she just posted...I need to just HANG IN THERE and not quit. EVENTUALLY I will hit my goals. I believe it. .
Friday, November 19, 2010
15 miles
Well today I set out to run my first ever 15mile run. I am starting to understand how marathoners would think this is just such a small distance b/c the longer I train with Joel the more the longer miles seem so easy. It's a weird feeling actually.
For those who know me well, I can get a little sarcastic sometimes so keep that in mind while you're reading.
I am finding alot of humour in this running journey of mine....9wks ago when I met Joel in person for my first track work out, I thought I made it very clear that I had NO (meaning ZERO) desire to run a marathon. well maybe ONE just for good measure but not anytime soon. He actually rolled his eyes at me. lol. He obviously saw something I didn't. Anyway...it only took 1 long run where I actually ran it the RIGHT way to feel a twinge of desire for the marathon. That desire has slowly grown and after my run today, I can officially say that yes, I am going to do it ! ..and actually WANT to do it Thanks Joel for ignoring my idiocy and sending me on those long runs anyway
So, my 14 mile run 2wks ago was...Okay. I think I had a 8:29 overall pace or something....not super impressed with that so today I was going for a 8:15 pace.....
We started at 11am and the weather was just getting bad...we ran 7.5 out and 7.5 back.....the wind and rain was hard but atleast was on our back for the first 7.5 miles. At mile 6 I got a really bad side cramp -this has been happening lately and always leaves me walking home b/c I can hardly move. I was feeling really worried since we were 8 miles from our cars but after about 20min of it not going away I said a silent prayer, pleading with the Lord to take it away so I could finish and within about 2min it was gone. Praise God for answered prayers- " I will include you in my blog post" I promised Him as I said a silent thank you
Anyway when we turned around it was not pretty. hard gusts of wind, FREEZING cold (in my opinion) and rain blah!! BUT we just stuck it out and other than my fingers feeling like they were going to fall off it was an awesome run!
I thought to myself, If I can run 15miles in THAT, I can run anything
My time was 2:01:58 - an 8:08 pace- which is 1 sec faster than my last half marathon pace....
SOOOOOOOO.....Needless to say, I am feeling H.A.P.P.Y
I really think I could have just kept running..turns out I just might be cut out for this long distance stuff afterall.
I really felt a difference in my body today. Maybe it was the hills earlier this week that made my legs stronger, maybe it is just the increased mileage, maybe it's having someone who believes in you, but nonetheless, I feel confident and great.
Joel is going to try to help me find a marathon for spring. Wouldn't it be awesome if I could qualify for Boston on my first shot? ....
THAT would be so cool!!
anyway...off to tend to my 2 sweet daughters and get ready for school:)
For those who know me well, I can get a little sarcastic sometimes so keep that in mind while you're reading.
I am finding alot of humour in this running journey of mine....9wks ago when I met Joel in person for my first track work out, I thought I made it very clear that I had NO (meaning ZERO) desire to run a marathon. well maybe ONE just for good measure but not anytime soon. He actually rolled his eyes at me. lol. He obviously saw something I didn't. Anyway...it only took 1 long run where I actually ran it the RIGHT way to feel a twinge of desire for the marathon. That desire has slowly grown and after my run today, I can officially say that yes, I am going to do it ! ..and actually WANT to do it Thanks Joel for ignoring my idiocy and sending me on those long runs anyway
So, my 14 mile run 2wks ago was...Okay. I think I had a 8:29 overall pace or something....not super impressed with that so today I was going for a 8:15 pace.....
We started at 11am and the weather was just getting bad...we ran 7.5 out and 7.5 back.....the wind and rain was hard but atleast was on our back for the first 7.5 miles. At mile 6 I got a really bad side cramp -this has been happening lately and always leaves me walking home b/c I can hardly move. I was feeling really worried since we were 8 miles from our cars but after about 20min of it not going away I said a silent prayer, pleading with the Lord to take it away so I could finish and within about 2min it was gone. Praise God for answered prayers- " I will include you in my blog post" I promised Him as I said a silent thank you
Anyway when we turned around it was not pretty. hard gusts of wind, FREEZING cold (in my opinion) and rain blah!! BUT we just stuck it out and other than my fingers feeling like they were going to fall off it was an awesome run!
I thought to myself, If I can run 15miles in THAT, I can run anything
My time was 2:01:58 - an 8:08 pace- which is 1 sec faster than my last half marathon pace....
SOOOOOOOO.....Needless to say, I am feeling H.A.P.P.Y
I really think I could have just kept running..turns out I just might be cut out for this long distance stuff afterall.
I really felt a difference in my body today. Maybe it was the hills earlier this week that made my legs stronger, maybe it is just the increased mileage, maybe it's having someone who believes in you, but nonetheless, I feel confident and great.
Joel is going to try to help me find a marathon for spring. Wouldn't it be awesome if I could qualify for Boston on my first shot? ....
THAT would be so cool!!
anyway...off to tend to my 2 sweet daughters and get ready for school:)
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Hills!
So, I've been training with Coach Joel for about 9wks or so now...maybe more? i'm not sure...anyway...when I started out I told him HOW MUCH I hated Hills...mostly b/c I completely sucked at them....anytime a race had a hill, I fell behind..it just killed my legs because OBVIOUSLY I was not in shape enough to conquer them. ... I remember my FIRST hill workout with Joel about 7wks ago...it sucked! It was hard and I felt like dying....I think he actually cut it a bit short for me b/c there was no way I could do it all......
TODAY, however, after 9wks of training and doing what i've been taught, I showed up for our hill workout, ready to give it all I got. I even brought a little Kanye West with me (lol) so I could listen to "Stronger" every time I ran up those hills.
The words in the beginning of the song are great "That that don't kill me, only makes me stronger"... , and I tried to stay focussed on those words and knocking 1 minute off at a time.
The workout was hill sprints in minute increments of 1,2,3,4 min then jog back after each one and again 1,2,3,4. I told Joel had he not been there, I would have done the first set and called it good. This is where having a coach is so KEY to success!! I knew I didn't want to let him down and so I dug deep, stayed focussed and apparently (he was timing) I finished faster than I started.
It was a great feeling of accomplishment. The next time I come to a hill in a race, I am going to face it with confidence, not fear.
I DO feel stronger everyday and am starting to believe in MY abilities and the POSSIBILITIES that lay ahead. .
TODAY, however, after 9wks of training and doing what i've been taught, I showed up for our hill workout, ready to give it all I got. I even brought a little Kanye West with me (lol) so I could listen to "Stronger" every time I ran up those hills.
The words in the beginning of the song are great "That that don't kill me, only makes me stronger"... , and I tried to stay focussed on those words and knocking 1 minute off at a time.
The workout was hill sprints in minute increments of 1,2,3,4 min then jog back after each one and again 1,2,3,4. I told Joel had he not been there, I would have done the first set and called it good. This is where having a coach is so KEY to success!! I knew I didn't want to let him down and so I dug deep, stayed focussed and apparently (he was timing) I finished faster than I started.
It was a great feeling of accomplishment. The next time I come to a hill in a race, I am going to face it with confidence, not fear.
I DO feel stronger everyday and am starting to believe in MY abilities and the POSSIBILITIES that lay ahead. .
Friday, November 12, 2010
Goals
I suppose I should write a few of my goals as of late. I am at my goal weight of 120-125 depending on the day. It came off really quick after I had Camo because I worked out a lot while I was pregnant. I would recommend to keep working out while pregnant because it will be a whole lot easier to get back to your pre-baby body. I am still running 3-4 miles every day except Sunday. I have not pushed myself to go more miles because my knee and ankle have been hurting slightly. I just don't want to have problems down the road. I love doing strength training. I usually put together 2 full body circuits and do them each 3 times. I feel that my legs,arms, and abs are getting more toned. I guess this is kind of a weird goal, but I would like to be able to do 3 sets of 15 pull-ups with my body weight. I can do 3 sets of 8 right now. I will let you know if I can think of any more goals.. I basically need to maintain right now.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
2yrs ago....
so....I have been running now for the last 2yrs but more seriously this last year....I was curious to see how my measurements have changed..especially since I started training with Joel and stopped eating so much junk.....
So I pulled out the measuring tape and here we go:
Oct 7, 2008 versus Nov 11, 2010
Measurements:
Waist: 27.5" TODAY: 26"!!! (-1.5")
Biceps: 10" TODAY: 9.25" (-.75")
Hips around butt: 36.5" TODAY: 34.5" (-2", that is shocking to me)
Hips under butt: 36" TODAY: 33.75" (-2.25")
Thighs: 20" TODAY: 19.25" (-.75")
Bust: 32" TODAY: 31.5" (-.5" that part sucks! lol)
I feel so much leaner..I STILL want to get more toned and muscular but i'm so excited about the results so far. I think most of this has happened in the last 2 mos' though since I changed my diet and eating habits.
WHAT we eat is SO important ladies!!!
keep up the good work!!
xo
So I pulled out the measuring tape and here we go:
Oct 7, 2008 versus Nov 11, 2010
Measurements:
Waist: 27.5" TODAY: 26"!!! (-1.5")
Biceps: 10" TODAY: 9.25" (-.75")
Hips around butt: 36.5" TODAY: 34.5" (-2", that is shocking to me)
Hips under butt: 36" TODAY: 33.75" (-2.25")
Thighs: 20" TODAY: 19.25" (-.75")
Bust: 32" TODAY: 31.5" (-.5" that part sucks! lol)
I feel so much leaner..I STILL want to get more toned and muscular but i'm so excited about the results so far. I think most of this has happened in the last 2 mos' though since I changed my diet and eating habits.
WHAT we eat is SO important ladies!!!
keep up the good work!!
xo
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