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Ready for a snack attack
I’m not sure what’s been going on with me lately….I’ve been SERIOUSLY hungry. Maybe it’s the cold temp. Maybe it’s the increase in exercise. Maybe it’s really hunger. Not sure.
What I do know is that if I don’t have good things to eat on hand, we could have a situation – one that I won’t feel good about when it’s over.
So for the last few days I’ve been getting my house snack-ready and stockpiling goodies of all types.
I made veggie soup (my fav veggies, chicken stock, fresh herbs) I can eat when I want without guilt.
I prepped snack-size portions of good-for-me treats – fruits, veggies & hummus, nuts, and cheese – that I can grab when I’m hungry.
And, I picked up a few healthy indulgences to satisfy my sweet tooth.
Having done all this, I feel good about being able to handle my next snack attack responsibly.
Sometimes, a little planning and elbow grease can give you peace of mind – and a happy belly. 
Tearing Down the Excuses
I’d rather be outside than in a gym. I barely tolerate treadmills (interesting blog name considering, right?). The weather in New England has been brrr-tastic and has included sheets of ice on the walkways and streets.
Add these things up and you have the recipe for bailing out on workouts.
WRONG ANSWER. This lady is passing up on the excuses.
This last week, I focused on proving to myself that no matter what the conditions outside…..I could still get er done.
First, I had a 3-day indoor workout string – in my not so attractive basement and in the tiny gym at work. These sessions included running 12 miles, getting in free weights, and giving the elliptical a spin.
Then, this tanktop-wearing chick decided to pull together a medley of winter wear borrowed from Punky Brewster’s closet to take a pass at running outdoors in the cold and around the ice.
And you know what? I did it. And it wasn’t too bad. In fact, it was kind of nice. Plus, I got to entertain pedestrians and drivers who were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of my multi-colored outfit.
Now that I’ve removed this mental roadblock, there’s no stopping outdoor workouts this winter. How about you? What have you done to get out of your own way lately?
8 Hours
Yesterday, my husband and I were signed up to run the Hangover Classic in Salisbury, Ma – with the option to polar plunge after the race. He was doing the 5K. I was doing the 10K.
But life happened. The boys were up late. And, sadly we missed the event.
I could have so taken the easy way out without batting an eyelash and skipped a run altogether. But instead, I geared up and made a 6.31 mile date with my treadmill.
I think it’s my longest indoor run. But with beaucoup snow out in the neighborhood, it wasn’t happening anywhere but in my house.
So based on advice from my husband, I loaded up the iPad with season 1 of Breaking Bad..and distracted myself while I got my 10K in. Good news – it was over before I knew it and I felt great about it.
The lesson learned is that where there’s a will, there’s a way. And today my will got it done.
Now for the bit about the 8 hours. From the time I jumped on the treadmill at 11:30 to after 7:30 at night, I was sporting this mighty fine sweat band I got for Christmas (excuse the poor quality night pic). The old one that I loved disappeared last year and I was so glad to see a replacement from Santa this Christmas.
That’s it. I love it.
Down to the Wire
I was so close to throwing in the blogging towel the other day and walking away from this site.
I haven’t written a thing for 2 months, my WordPress domain was set to expire on the 28th, and it takes time to think up content. It seemed easier to just ride out the rest of the year and to let the treadmill diaries disappear into the sunset.
And then, at the last second, I realized that the reason I feel it takes too much time to keep up the site is that I started over thinking it. What do readers want to see? What should I write about this week? Do I have pictures that go with the post? And so on..
I started this site as a record of my progress against my goals ..and then I decided to take on more than that. No offense – but I don’t care if anyone but me reads these posts. The purpose is to write things down, to let them serve as lessons, and to use them to steer progress down new (and hopefully good) life paths.
So, basically, it’s an electronic journal. It’s as simple as that. And, if I keep to that, it won’t be hard. It’ll be quick and the posts can serve their intended purpose. If people want to read them, great. If not, that’s okay too.
So there, you have it. The treadmill diaries will move into 2013 and will serve to chronicle the happenings of my year.
Speaking of 2013, I’ve decided to make a few other commitments:
- I’m back to using the bodybugg and will until I reach my goal of fitting into all the clothes in my closet. It was off my arm for weeks because of a bad strap. If I kept it off any longer, I doubt it would have come back and I need it.
- I signed myself up for Weight Watchers – starting today. I’ve tried to exercise and eat right on my own and have been on a major plateau for months. It’s worked for me before so I’m guessing it can work for me again. I want to get back to my 2010 pre-pregnancy size and I will. I’m less concerned with the number I end up at.
- I want to focus on living a good life and being a good person. This means enjoying the family, the moments, making good memories, continuing to experience/learn new things and to do some good deeds (big and small).
And, of course, to be there for these guys:
Happy New Year!
Feeling Accomplished
Excited Before the Race
After working up to it for more than 2 years, I’m proud to say that I finished my first 13.1 mi road race this year at the Bay State Half Marathon out of Lowell, Ma. And, on top of that, this was also my longest run EVER… by almost 2 miles. Not bad, right?
I’m quite pleased with what my body was able to do that day. And now I know that it can handle whatever I decide to dish it.
But, back to the race…and some of what went down.
First, I have to say that this was the most organized event I’ve ever attended.
It started on time down to the second. Routes were clearly marked. There were plenty of volunteers. They spoiled us with runners’ services like bag check +a wide mix of post-race yummies. It might be because this marathon and half marathon are Boston qualifiers. Not exactly sure, but I was a fan of how it was managed.
As for the race, my goals were first and foremost to finish it. To run the entire distance. To come in between 11:30 – 12:00 average pace.
To make sure that happened, my strategy was to keep the pace at 11:30 the first 8 miles and then to use whatever was left in the tank to finish out the distance. So, did it go as planned?
NOPE.
I was afraid that this might happen and it totally did. I got so excited about being there and about being surround by other runners that I started off much faster than I had planned.
Here are my splits:
| Mile | Average Pace | Fastest Pace During Mile | Total Run Time |
| 1 | 0:10:41 | 0:10:03 | 0:10:41 |
| 2 | 0:10:45 | 0:09:37 | 0:21:26 |
| 3 | 0:10:39 | 0:09:25 | 0:32:06 |
| 4 | 0:10:22 | 0:08:24 | 0:42:28 |
| 5 | 0:10:52 | 0:09:46 | 0:53:20 |
| 6 | 0:10:14 | 0:07:59 | 1:03:34 |
| 7 | 0:10:50 | 0:08:49 | 1:14:24 |
| 8 | 0:11:24 | 0:09:06 | 1:25:48 |
| 9 | 0:11:43 | 0:10:17 | 1:37:31 |
| 10 | 0:11:38 | 0:08:54 | 1:49:09 |
| 11 | 0:11:57 | 0:10:30 | 2:01:07 |
| 12 | 0:12:25 | 0:09:32 | 2:13:32 |
| 13 | 0:12:00 | 0:09:31 | 2:25:31 |
| 13.25 | 0:10:15 | 0:09:34 | 2:28:07 |
Coming off the starting blocks a little faster than I wanted, I started feeling it and slowing down after mile 8. To make it to the end, I had to mentally keep myself psyched up and ignore my tired legs as much as possible.
Fortunately, I was able to hang in there and make it to the end with these results:
Let me tell you…I felt soooo accomplished going over that finish line. 13.1 miles. A distance I had never run before in my life. At a pace better than my training times.
Ok – so it’s not my fastest pace but it’s not bad considering I had a c-section 4.5 months earlier and I had only 3+ months of training for the year.
As my husband so logically put it when I complained about only beating out 150 people (1100 people were faster and some even walked parts), I had just beat Di’s best time and I beat everyone who didn’t and hasn’t run a half marathon. Damn, that guy is smart.
And here’s the moment of sweet success captured by my husband who was waiting for me with my boys at the finish line. <3
I’d like to close with a few memorable moments from this road race. Once again, I’m amazed by the sense of community among runners and how we’re there for each other.
- Thanks to the young lady who happened to cross my path at mile 4 while going uphill. She threw out a “you’re doing great” as she went by and then settled in front of me with a shirt that said Don’t Be Last. It’s like she knew that would bring the point and the finish home for me. I kept plugging for miles because of that.
- Props to a spectator at mile 3 who was holding up a sign that said “Keeping going …it’s all about spirit.” I used that after mile 8 when I started to get tired along with “your mind will quit long before your body ever will”.
- Love the young kids sprinkled throughout the 13 miles who threw out their hands for high 5′s. They made the run fun and threw me a boost of energy with every slap!
- And finally a HUGE CAN’T THANK YOU ENOUGH to a female runner who came across me at mile 12.5 where I started slowing down and was thinking about walking. She grabbed my arm just in time and said “Oh no! Keep going…you can’t do this when you’re less than a mile away from the end.” And, she was right. I would never have forgiven myself. She paced with me until we hit mile 13 – where she knew the excitement would carry me the rest of the way. I owe her a lot.
All in all, this was a fantastic experience and I’m so glad I decided to do it this year -whether I was ready or not. The good news is….I was ready! Learn from me..and do that thing you’ve been putting off for whatever reason. You’ll feel great about it after it’s done.
