Week 6

So I really rocked it that first week. My Fitness Pal kept me at 1200 calories/day, unless I worked out, so I worked out A LOT. I biked, I did the elliptical, and I ran about 16 miles that week. I lost 1.5 pounds. I was even drinking water.

And then I got sick.

Not real sick, but a nasty head cold. And as coincidence would have it, Jen went out of town at the same time. Jen, without meaning to, provides me with a lot of accountability and motivation. We meet at the Y a lot when we're not running. And since Trace was nursing an injury, I knew I was home free to be a slug. So I lay around my house, blowing my nose, whining, and eating. I have not had the guts to get back on the scale, but I think it's safe to say that the 1.5 has returned. Funny thing, when I am sick the only thing that makes me feel better is Zebra Cakes. You know, Little Debbie Zebra Cakes. They are crazy fattening. Therefore it is upsetting to count how many I eat---so I don't.

But the lazy, sick girl vacay has to come to an end, yet again.

I ran 3 miles Thursday night with Traci and Stephanie, and the cold seems to be kicked, so it's back in the saddle. I fell down (again), but I'm getting back up. 12 mile run in the morning.

Game back on.

Cori: Barely making it in Week 5

I have not written a running post in a very long time, but I am looking for some accountability. I have a confession:

I have been trying to half-ass train for a marathon.

I should be shot.

I KNOW better. This is NOT my first rodeo. But here I am, skipping cross-training, eating fast food and sugar on a daily basis, carrying 9 extra pounds on my 5'7" frame. And trying to run 2 min/mile faster.

How's that working for me? It's NOT.

I am hating the training, when I loved it last time. And I am hating it because it is kicking my lazy butt. We ran 14 miles Saturday morning, and I got sick once (because I am not well-conditioned), and walked a lot (due to muscle cramps causing knee problems---lack of stretching). I actually have started feeling like, "Can I do this? Can I run 26.2 miles again?" And I've been thinking, 'I don't know.'

That is pathetic. It's like, once my injuries went away, so did the motivation. Now that it could be easier, I'm not pushing as hard. I can barely forgive myself for that. I am angry at myself. So it's time for a do-over.

Doing MyFitnessPal again. 9 pounds have got to go---first order of business. It's a fact: the skinnier you are, the easier running is on your joints. With the weight loss will automatically come "improved nutrition"---another big obstacle facing me.

Oh, and water? Maybe I should drink some? Caffeine and I have never been tighter. Iced coffee and iced tea have become my vices this summer. I don't think I can totally break up. I can only hope to cut down.

On the upside, I have been averaging about one soda a week. Down from 20? Well, there's an atta girl. Starting next week, I will be checking in, reporting weight loss, and reporting training activity. It's the only way I am going to survive this.

And by the way, this heat wave bites.

Ingram out.

Traci - Week Of

6 more days until the 1/2. Am I ready? Well, I guess. Not as ready as I would like to be, but with an 8 week training schedule turning into 4 1/2 weeks, I guess I'm as ready as I can be. And that's all that matters. My endurance is nowhere near where I think it should be. My mind is also slacking. But today helped. Jen made me (forced and dragged me screaming and crying) to do our L10 on the TREADMILL. I despise the treadmill. The furthest I've ever gone on that stupid thing is 4. And 4 miles sucks on a treadmill. But, thankfully, with Jen talking my ear off, we did it. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but let's not make it a habit. However, we did keep our pace. We ran each mile at a 9:40 pace and walked through water breaks at each mile, which averaged out right at the 10 min pace we want to be at. I was completely drained all day, and will definitely feel it tomorrow. But luckily, this is our week off of vigorous training and Saturday it will all be over with. Now, if we can only get rid of this darn snow, we'll be good to go! Good luck Cori, Jen and Mark!

Cori - Living Life From the Slow Lane

I kind of hate updating this blog right now because it is MOCKING ME.

Here's my sick-girl activity for the week:

Monday: 3 miles (alternated walking 13 min/mi and running 8 min/mi)

Tuesday: 2 miles (ditto)

Wednesday: Emailed Rock the Parkway race director to concede defeat and transfer my registration to the 5K. Here's my thinking. A 10K would push me right now and I'd huff and puff through it. A 5K will let me try out my faster speed and be over in a flash. 5K it is. Hooray.

Tomorrow is 3 weeks post-op. Most of the pain is gone. I want to be back to normal so desperately that I am about lose my mind.

I can't wait to start marathon training again. Bring on June. (Translation: I can't wait to start eating anything I want and still lose weight. Gotta love those 30+ mile weeks.)

Week 5 Quick Update

Quick Update before my mommy brain forgets

Mon ran 3
Tues off
Weds Ran 4 should have been 8
Thur EFX 4 miles
Fri off
Sat 4 miles at a very slow pace it was wonderful
Sun swam 1200 yds

Had a great week of training minus the long run FrOm HELL! Looking forward to a long run with both of my partners yippee and a positive attitude!

“It takes but one positive thought when given a chance to survive and thrive to overpower an entire army of negative thoughts.”

Cori -- Recovering

Week #2 of laying around doing nothing. Kind of driving me crazy, but, it is what it is. My body can't heal if I don't take it down a few notches, and I get that.

I have been ordered to do no strenuous exercise until I see the surgeon next week, and then she'll decide.

I don't know if I have the stamina to run right now or not. I don't even care that much. That's how I know I'm not fully recovered. When I was injured and couldn't run, it used to tear my heart out! But when you don't feel that great, not running is no big deal.

I did stalk my running partners on Wednesday night, though. I was in the Kia. That was my entertainment for the week. You have to love Basehor. It's a small and quiet enough town that I actually unrolled my windows and drove beside them for over a mile chatting. Then they both climbed in my car and begged me to drive them home. I don't think they had recovered from their influenza and strep. They both hacked for 5 minutes. It was a 180 from the running girls of last summer, but we had just as much fun. My stitches hurt from laughing so hard.

Someday we are going to be healthy again. And the weather is going to be warm. And that will have to be enough for me right now.

In the words of Avery Spellman, "Peace out!"

The Gallbladder-less Cori!

We went into the Nike Store tonight and it was hard. All of the cool shoes, cute running clothes, and I felt soooo out of shape. That seems a little dramatic considering that I was running 2 weeks ago, but I feel like a sore old lady tonight.

I need to start eating right and get this train back on the tracks. I did walk quite a while tonight at Legends. Yea Old Lady Cori! (smile)

The good news is, I am feeling super motivated at present. Nothing like an illness to motivate you to work out. I am pretending that once I am healthy I will run every single day! And with warm weather coming, I just might....

Missing my running girls. Phone calls and texts are not as much laughs as face time. Can't wait for the summer!

Jen Week 4

Well the cloud is starting to lift and the spellmans are coming out of the dark, yeah! Now I just need my other two pals to get better and I will be a happy girl because running alone isnt as much fun, actually it wasnt fun at all this week. Praying I feel 100% next week!

Tues. Ran 3 at 31:00
Weds. p90x shoulders/back
Sat. 7 on the rat wheel ugh! 66:36

Week 3 Jen

Not a thing to report for Week 3 why?? The Spellmans have entered influenza/strep land and we cant seem to get out...help! So instead of working out I went to urgent care 3 times, 2 regular dr appointments and one 5.5 hr Children's Mercy visit, ugh! Next week will be better, right?

Cori - Taking a Break

I'm taking an exercise hiatus. I tried to run Monday and my gallbladder attacked me! Fever, pain, nausea.....not pretty. I don't need to rupture anything. I have people who need me. It wasn't a hard decision to get off of that treadmill.

So now my surgery is Friday morning. And the Half Marathon is 4 weeks from Saturday.

Hmm.

We shall see how this plays out.

Cori -- Who is this Speedy Girl? LOL

My memory is failing me.......I'll try to remember last week:

Sun---4 miles
Mon---Off
Tues---Off
Wed---3 miles Eliptical
Thurs--8 miles, 1:21 :)
Fri---Off (Could barely walk)
Sat---Off

It is kind of strange to me, not to have the intense training we had with the marathon. I wish I were doing more. But truthfully, I don't feel good enough to do much more. I think I'm maxed out. The 8 miles was painful! That night wasn't too bad, but the next day....OUCH! I could barely walk. This new pace is just foreign to my legs right now.

I had to reintroduce Gu last week. I have decided that anything over six miles calls for Gu. And Biofreeze. The two seem to go hand in hand. Just the taste of that thick, nasty stuff about made me vomit. Memories.... But it sure gives me the fuel for the last few miles.

Oh, and I saw a surgeon yesterday. She's taking out my gallbladder, after the race.

Priorities.

Week 2 Better late than never Jen

A little slow on the recap this week due to a bad attitude! Weight loss got me down this week even though I managed to lose another pound, I guess I wanted more :) Total weight loss from Jan 21st is 7 pounds and for fun this week I went back to our starting stats in June and was pleasantly surprised. Please remember that I was 6 weeks post Amelia so I had lots of water and baby fat to spare. The 2 biggest areas I lost where hips -4 inches and bust -3 inches..BOO! Overall, my fitness pal is working for me and its getting easier to go with out certain foods. Hoping
slimmer Jen = swift Jen. Got this song on I-Tunes this week and have played it about 100 times, Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9__9uyP470

M - Ran 3
T - off
W - P90X legs
Th - Swim 800
F - L5
S - P90X arms
S - off

Week 2 Better late than never Jen

Traci - Week 2

I've got a new obsession. My Fitness Pal app on my phone. It has made me WANT to work out... so I can eat. Eating is my thing. I'm never going to be a true dieter, I love food waaaay too much to give up the good stuff. But, if I want to splurge, I have to work out. Good trade off! This week my weight was all over the place. I started My Fitness Pal and I was 3 pounds up from where I have been hanging for the last year. That was Monday. On Friday, I was down 4.5 pounds from that. But, then the weekend happened, and after 1 week I am down 2 pounds total. That's good for me. I just hope it keeps going down. I still have 10 pounds to go for my ultimate goal.

M - circuit weights
T - SL4 39:57, and then walked on TM for 39 more minutes
W - off
Th - off
F - circuit weights
S - L6, 60:00
S - Tae Bo

I just have to note the L6, because it was a huge milestone for me. I don't run alone. I hate it. The main reason I run is to get out with my girls and talk. I've been running for 2 years, and the furthest I've ever gone by myself is 4 miles, and I've only done that twice. But I was bound and determined to prove to myself that I could do more than that by myself, that it was just a mental roadblock. And it was! Now I know it's possible... but still don't want to make it a habit.

Cori---Week 2

Mon---4 miles
Tues---Off
Wed---Off
Thurs---Swim
Fri---6 miles, 59:30
Sat---Off
Sun---4 miles, 39:10

I'm not trying to be obnoxious by putting times next to my runs, I just want to track progress.

It was a good week. I've learned that I can't stay away from the lap pool for 6 months, but I've never loved swimming anyway, so who cares if I almost drowned after one lap? :)

I'm thinking that I need to start fine-tuning my game. I have been lazy with the nutrition end of my training. I seem to have interpreted "gluten-free" as "I-feel-so-sorry-for-myself-that-I-can-eat-as-much-gluten-free-food-as-I-want". I keep thinking that gluten free and calorie free are interchangeable. Apparently not, says my scales. And one would think that cutting out most processed food and breads would be a healthy thing. However, I am resourceful. And an addict. Gluten free Chocolate Truffle brownies are currently stocking my freezer, and NO ONE CAN TOUCH MOMMY'S SPECIAL WHEAT FREE BROWNIES!!!! An excuse to hoard food. Just what I needed.

Oh, and the Coke Zero. Note to self, it may be calorie free, but it is not water.

What have I learned this week? Well, today while running I was listening to......Eye of the Tiger.....do NOT laugh at me. Anyway I was singing along to myself, shut up, yes I sing...."So many times, it happens too fast. You change your passion for glory." And then, since I was alone, I stopped singing to ponder those lyrics. (I am fully aware that I may never be allowed to run alone again because I sound like a crazy person.) Anywho.....is running my passion? Well, I like it, but I wouldn't call it a passion. My family is my passion. My faith is my passion. My running is.....my therapy. It saves my sanity in a way that nothing else can. Here's what I have learned about myself lately.....I am a hot head. I have a very quick and nasty temper. I have come to admit this to myself lately because I see it mirrored in my youngest. You are WELCOME, Coop. And it has been my proven over and over again, that when I am in a bad mood, running makes me happier. When I run with Traci and Jen, we usually talk it out, and then I feel better. But days like today, when I'm alone, I almost beat it out of myself. I was CRABBY tonight. Seriously irritated with my family for no real reason. I went out and ran 4 miles by myself. And for me, it was a fast and hard pace. The more I thought, the harder I pushed. My chest hurt. And the more my physical body wore out, the more my mind cleared. I felt good. When I came home, I was a better mommy and a better wife, and my family can attest to that. That's what running does for me. It's important. And also, just wanted to say Thank You God that I am finally training without an injury. It is a beautiful thing. Thank you.

Oh, and minus the Zen stuff, running keeps me from getting fat because I can't lay off of the Valentine candy.

Can't forget that.

Oh! And one more muy important thing----Gu is gluten free. Thank you, God again.

Traci - Week 1

I can't believe we are starting all over again. But this rodeo has different challenges. We are now running at a 10 minute mile pace. Lemme just say... NOT EASY. You don't use it, you lose it. And I have lost it. I can't believe I ran 27.2 miles just 4 months ago. Right now it is all I can do to run 3. Cori and Jen didn't want to run in the cold weather last Friday, so we ran 3 wide on the treadmills. What did I learn? I can be a huge slacker on the treadmill and not get left in the dust! NOT.GOOD. So, we need some nice(r) weather so we can get on the asphalt. I, too, fell victim to the snow days, and didn't do nearly what I had anticipated on my first week of official training.

M - Circuit weights
T - 78 min on the TM. 3 miles of running, the rest walking and sprints.
W - Shoveled a 3 foot snow drift out of my driveway, that counts!
Th - off
F - L5, in a slacker kind of way (a lot of walking), and 4 sprints
S - off
S - walked to and from the kitchen, looking for things to snack on

Today marks my first day of trying out Jen's My Fitness Pal. So far, I really like it. Hopefully I have as good of luck on it as she has!

Baaack In the Saddle Again Week 1 Jen

Mon--SL2.5, and 4 sets of "suicides"
Tues--Off
Wed--R2.5 & weights
Thur--Off
Fri--L5, and 4 sets of sprints

Goals are set, training has started and it feels oh so good! The week before our "official" training started I also started my healthy eating kick and slashed my pop and replaced with 6-10 16 oz cups of water a day. Thanks to my new smart phone I have been utilizing the my fitness pal app to counting my calories, 1250 to be exact. Not going to lie 1250 is a tough but happy to report that 5 lbs are gone and that feels awesome. My goal is to lose another 5-10 by April 2nd and 5-10 by summer. That will bring me to my pre-prego weight also my wedding weight..which is what I use for a guide as my "perfect weight for me". Week two, please say it's going to get warmer! Cori and I are cold :)

Cori - Week 1

I was a big old Week 1 Slacker---thanks to Snow Days.

Mon--SL2, and 4 sets of "suicides"
Tues--Off
Wed--Off
Thur--Off
Fri--L5, and 4 sets of sprints

The thing that I am most proud of, is not our distance, but our pace. When we first started training together in early 2009 we ran a 10.5 min/mile. My tri run time was around 32 min, and my 5 mile Tiblow Trot time was 52:30, I think. Then I got injured, and when I came back, I could not run faster than a 12 min/mile without pain. Jen and Traci, being the good friends that they are, slowed right down with me. That was our training pace for all of 2010. And it was fine----there's nothing wrong with running a little slower. But we have set some more challenging goals for 2011, and the first was to pick up our pace. Everybody is healthy so far, so no excuses. We have been running at least a 10 min/mile, a couple of times I've even kicked the treadmill up a notch or two just to get it over with. It is a whole new kind of hurt, but I am so proud of us for even trying.

The other thing I want to mention is the importance of running with others. I could never, and would never, push myself if I was alone. I don't know how people stay motivated without peer pressure. I will admit it, I was the first to send the punk out text Friday night:

I am in a really bad mood and I'm cold.

We either need to unanimously cancel,

or I need a verbal ass-kicking.

I promise to love either.

The mere thought of running on a dark Friday night when it was 25 degrees outside made me cranky. But Traci was ready to go, and Jen was cold too, so we compromised: 5 miles on the treadmills at the Y. We had the place to ourselves, and we discovered we can even talk louder than treadmill motors.

Good times. Thanks girls for all of the times that you won't let me stay home with a glass of wine and a Redbox. I love you for it.

Ready, Set, Go.....

Alright girls......ready to man up??? Training season 2011 is about to begin!!!

Can I get an AMEN?

Click here for inspiration.

We Can!

"She went out on a limb had it break off behind her and discovered she could fly"