Traci - Denial Week (Week 2)

So this past week has been pretty rough as far as training goes. I am not down any weight, nor measurements, but could I really expect to be? I have been eating like crap, not drinking 100 ounces of water a day (but still doing pretty good), not getting much sleep, not crosstraining, stressed at work, and oh yeah, through a holiday in there. I even missed the SL4. However, I have hopes that I am just getting this all out of my system now, while in week 2. Bring it week 3 and your 7 mile run tomorrow night!

Cori --- Week Two Summary

Two weeks down and I am still walking---woo hoo!

Weight: 144 - Down 1 pound.

Training Log:
Friday -- L6
Saturday -- Off
Sunday -- Off
Monday -- EFX for 4 miles (Had a run scheduled, but it got rained out. And I DESPISE the treadmill lately. Cannot even force myself to do it.) Also did Strength Training on upper body.
Tuesday -- R3
Wednesday -- Ride 'n' Run (Biked about 10.6 miles, then ran, then did some strength training. Could hardly walk 2 hours after class. Decided resting the legs was mandatory before Friday.)
Thursday -- Off

Thoughts: No real issues to report, praise God. Feeling good, IT Bands not bothering me right now, and still having fun.
I need to work a pair of new shoes into my budget in the next month. I did notice that on L6 my pinky toe was rubbing, and it will probably blister once I up my mileage. (That will not feel too good when the really long runs start!) When you start going long distances, your feet often swell, and your arch also starts to flatten. A lot of runners lose their toenails. (Gulp.) I think I either need a shoe a 1/2 size bigger, or just one with a wider toe. Or maybe more cushiony socks? Hmm. I may be consulting the professionals after L7. We'll see...

Cori --- New Toys

Last week my husband bought me a gadget. Unlike Nickie's last post, I am not a gadget girl at all. I like to be as unencumbered as possible. I barely like my iPod touching me. When Johnny approached me about getting a garmin watch, I was like, "No thanks, if I need to know how fast I'm going I'll just ask one of my friends. They all have watches." This really bugged him for some reason. I think he felt I was depriving myself, but I really and truly did not care.

Until I met my Garmin.

I am now in....not love......but serious, serious like.

I might love it if I could finish the instruction manual. The local running store offers a class on how to operate this watch, if that tells you anything.

My favorite part? I love to know my heart rate. I feel like the Garmin is my friend, watching out for me, telling me my heart rate, worrying about me.....it just makes me all warm and fuzzy thinking about it.

I think I will be naming it.

Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn't mention my other new gadget. (Didn't I just claim to hate gadgets? Yes. This was another husband purchase.)

I am a walking billboard for RoadID's Supernova.

You clip it onto your clothes when you run at night, and it flashes so brightly that it can cause seizures in passers-by. Not really, but it is obnoxiously bright. Apparently my true love is concerned that I am going to get hit by a car, and since I refused to wear his fluorescent trooper vest, he found a cute little alternative.

I bet my protective helmet is coming in the mail any day now.

Traci - Too Much Water?

So, my body has never had this much water. Ever. In an average week my body is used to getting about 30 ounces. Now I have bumped the intake to 80-100 ounces a day. Overload for this girl. I have been feeling lightheaded and dizzy all week and this is the only thing I can attibute it to. And what do you know? Dr. Google suggests water intoxication. Here's what I found: "The bottom line is this: it's possible to drink too much water, but unless you are running a marathon or an infant, water intoxication is a very uncommon condition." Well, I'm not an infant... but I am training for a marathon! So, the main suggestion I read is to make sure I'm not only drinking water, but also sports drinks. The bod needs some electolites. I can handle that!

Cori --- Visions of Grandeur

I have quickly discovered my very favorite thing about having such a large running group. No matter how crazy our schedules, someone can always meet up to run. I love this! I can run alone, excuse me, with my iPod, but I'd rather not. And the five of us have very odd schedules, and children that still require childcare, so we're also dependent on our spouses' schedules. I'm married to someone in law enforcement, Nic is married to a firefighter---no nine-to-fivers there. But so far, we have kept in touch through texting, email, phone, and facebook, and no one is getting left behind.
This morning I had to wake up at 4:45am to meet Nickie and Holly for our L6 (See codes at sidebar). This is a big deal. I do not get up at 4:45am. I have only done it when someone I gave birth to needed to nurse, and .......no, that's about it. Like all night owls, I have set my alarm many, many times, with good intentions, but I can find the snooze button without even opening my eyes.
Our run was nothing short of glorious. Seriously. We ran at a BEAUTIFUL lake, with trails, wildlife, and everything. We saw a little snake, a deer, a frog, and a rabbit. We got to watch the sun rise. And the temperature! It was so cool that I was chilly before we started moving. My knees behaved, too. It just doen't get any better than that.
Now here's my confession that will probably get me kicked out of my group. When I was running, and so blissfully happy, I started thinking things like, 'This will be our FIRST marathon.....the first of many.......maybe we'll run that Goofy marathon at DisneyWorld, 26.2 miles the first day, and 13.1 the second......or maybe we'll just try to run one or two marathons a year to start out.....". I am nothing if not enthusiastic.
When we were running over this very picturesque bridge, Nickie cut in and said, "Isn't God good?" Yes, He is. I felt so blessed this morning; for my health, for my friends, for my family, and just for this moment in time.
Now, we can all refer back to this "honeymoon" post in a few weeks when I'm crying and whining because our mileage has increased.
Love y'all.

Traci - Week #1

Week 1 really isn't over for me until I get through the 6-miler tomorrow night, but I'm going to do my updates on (roughly) Thursdays.

Monday: Ran 5 miles
Tuesday: Went to the gym with good intentions to crosstrain, and ended up laying by the pool.
Wednesday: Ran 3 miles
Thursday: Weights

I haven't lost any weight, but that doesn't suprise me too much. However, I can't figure out these stupid measurements. I tried to be detailed in my description of where I measured, but I can't seem to get the same places. I'm going to report my measurements I did today, only because maybe next week I'll measure in the same place?

Thigh (thickest part): 23 1/2 inches (up 1/4 inch)
Calf (thickest part): 14 3/4 inches
Butt: 39 inches (I missed keyed last week with the 33. I wish!)
Under my belly button: 33 (down 3/4 inch)
Waist: 30 1/2 inches (down 1/2 inch)
Bust: 36 inches
Bulging bicep: 11 1/4 inches

Now I know it's highly unlikely that I lost any inches this week, but I want a good starting point for next week and I'll try to measure in the same spot.

As for my diet this week, I think I have done pretty well. I have been drinking 80-115 oz of water a day. I have a Slimfast for breakfast and half a pita sandwich for lunch. I have been stuffing the pita with lettuce, avocado, cucumber, tomato... but no meat or cheese. And they are so good! For dinner I've been eating what is put in front of me. Dusty has been cooking this week so Monday we had tacos, Tuesday I had 2 corndogs (on the way to t-ball), Wednesday I had a homemade Philly Cheesteak, and tonight I had chicken breast and potatoes on the grill. I'm not going to change my "during the week" dinners too much. I figure eating at home instead of fastfood is good enough. I will have to change my weekend diet though.

Cori --- Week One, Check!

Log:

Friday----5 mile run

Saturday-Off.

Sunday---Off.

Monday---5 mile run. (This was supposed to be the SL4, but Trace needed a partner, and I figured it was only one more mile?)

Tuesday---Stationary Bike: 8.5miles/40 min.

Wednesday---3 mile run.

Thursday---Swam 30 min. at the Y. (And then spent the day at Schlitterbahn, but I don't think that counts.)

Thoughts: Week one felt good. My IT Bands have been testy, but not really troublesome. Ibuprofen and Ice are my best friends. I'm drinking between 2 and 3 liters of water a day. I still do diet soda, too, though. Nutrition is decent. I am taking a calcium supplement:

I am not taking in enough calcium with my diet, and I don't want to end up with a stress fracture, so I'm trying to up my calcium with Viactiv. I take 1000mg a day. I bought the chocolate flavor---not too bad. I hear the caramel is better, and WalMart was out of them, so I believe it.

During our 3 mile run yesterday, I kept thinking, 'Why am I doing this? This sucks.' 26 miles never sounds like a lot when I talk about it, but somewhere between mile 2 and 3 reality sets in. 26 miles is a lot. I'm nervous.

Things to Work On: Flexibility. I need to be stretching daily. Right now, I tend to only stretch before running and a quick stretch at bedtime, max 5 min. More would be better. This is also the first week in almost 3 months that I haven't done any strength-training. I couldn't figure out how to work it in. I'm getting back to that next week. I missed it.

Weight: Down one pound--145. When I started pre-training, I weighed 158. This is the highest my weight has been if I wasn't pregnant. I was not happy with it, but I am pretty muscular right now, and I have been working out for a good 18 months, so I didn't feel motivated to get it off. Then I read an article, (because I am the self-proclaimed Research Queen), and it talked about the extra pounding that your knees take with any extra body weight. That was all I needed to hear. I seriously fear/respect my knees. I made a pledge to get down to 148 by training day, and somehow I did it. My next goal is to be down to 135 before we're running our 20 mile long run in practice. Because.....20 miles? These knees need all of the help they can get.

Inspirational Quote for the Week: "The marathon's about being in contention over the last 10K. That's when it's about what you have in your core. You have run all the strength, all the superficial fitness out of yourself, and it really comes down to what's left inside you. To be able to draw deep and pull something out of yourself is one of the most tremendous things about the marathon."---Rob de Castella