Much like Becky's last post, I recently have also been struggling with training a little bit. Mostly the running part. It's my least favorite of the disciplines that comprise triathlons and I've also been having some ankle/shin splint pain. I'll be home in St. Louis for a wedding in a few weeks and I plan to go back to the orthotic specialist that cast my first set a few years ago--hope to get everything worked out so I can go for a pain-free jog. The tri will be only a little more than a month away by then, but that's alright. I'm going to be in Europe (with Becky!) for about 3 weeks during the peak of my training and I am certain I won't keep up with the program. I'm ok with that. I'm still looking forward to getting out there and enjoying race day!

That being said, I do anticipate a super active July prior to the Europe trip. Becky is going to come and hang out for a few weeks leading up to our trip and we are going to rock Chicago's lakefront.

70 miles on the bike this week, with some cross training mixed in:

Tues= 8 mile bike

Wed= soccer game + 10 mile bike

Thurs= 1 hr of tennis

Fri= 19 mile bike + beach volleyball

Sat= 22 mile bike

Sun= 11 mile bike

I love summer!

First off let me apologize for not posting during this very exciting time.  Let's start with what got the ball rolling: I signed up for a half marathon!  Ridiculous right?  It's taking place in Chicago during September and I have been training since April.  Actually I was training without even knowing.  A friend of mine signed up for an October race in San Fran (imagine running those hills!) and it hit me right away that this is something to strive for.  It's one of those goals that seems just beyond my reach so I'll have to give that last bit of stretch, the one in the movies where their arm seems to grow about 3 inches.  My longest run so far has been 5.74 miles and that was this past Sunday after a couple days off I'll blame on laziness.  Today I was scheduled for 3 and wound up running 3.5, and also 1 minute faster than my mile pace.  I'm planning on running the marathon with a 12:20 pace (the slowest one offered with a pace group) but I've been running some of my runs at 11 min/mile paces.  I figure this will all be a learning experience.

I'm also excited to say that I'm officially 200 lbs.  Somedays I'm 199, some I'm 202, but my consistent weight is 200.  This is good for me and I'm starting to continue losing weight.  I've been focusing on my running and not as much on eating...I'm pretty sure I can manage both.  The nice thing is that I'm able to fit into some of my old clothes and my tight jeans actually fit correctly and I don't look like I'm going to snap out of them at any moment.  

My confidence has grown and I'm finding I'm able to handle things in life better.  This whole blog started it all off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think my soccer team has about a month off in between sessions this time. Four Wednesdays without the soccer routine... sad. I really look forward to getting out there and kicking it around.

Triathlon training is underway. I'm still finalizing the full plan but I feel like I'm off to a good start. The past week I have gone on three bike rides--16, 20 and 18 miles, respectively. I'm waiting for Lake Michigan to warm up some more before I dive in.

The Big Ten softball tournament is being held at Northwestern and beginning tomorrow. I won't be able to make any of the games tomorrow, so I'm pulling for Michigan to win their first game so I can come cheer the team on this Friday and see Becky. Go Blue!

Just checking in mid-week for a little update.

I'd been to a cardiologist a few times in the past couple weeks to  have some blood work done and to wear a holter monitor for 24 hours. Got everything squared away yesterday, my doc called me, all good news--everything came back perfectly normal. So that was a bit of a relief; glad that's all over with. And I feel really good about ramping up my activity leading up to the Chicago Tri.

That being said, Tuesday I did 30 minutes of light cardio. Yesterday I played a soccer game (we're in playoffs again for this session). This morning I got up for a 16-mile bike ride along the lake before work. And best of all... this weekend I will be taking a little trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan to hang out with Becky and watch some college softball. Sweet!

Last time we were able to hang out, Becky came to Chicago last fall and we sat around and polished off a deep dish Chicago style pizza. This visit will be much different than that.

When I wanted to start running I only had my fitness in mind.  I could only see what was right in front of me: my growing waistline and increasing weight.  The big picture held so much more! 

Running has helped me deal with one of the hardest situations in my life: the crash and burn of my engagement.    During my runs I play my "Rockin' Christ" mix which is a medley of very upbeat and energizing Christian rock songs.  I run when I'm having a negative body image or when the world is crashing down.  I found out Brad was dating a very pretty young woman, I ran.  I'm not running away from problems, I'm running towards the Lord.  My runs are a time reserved solely for me and God.  I turn the music up loud and sing the words to Him, sometimes raising my hand in praise.  It's moving and at times I am so overcome with emotion I might cry.  I knew I didn't want to feel rejected by Brad, or feel bad about my body because someone else looks better.  I made the decision to do something about it when I feel this way: I run.

My overall health and energy level has increased too.  Taking off ten pounds thus far, my knees are able to go for longer distances and I've had very little pain afterwards.  It's easier to challenge myself because I'm up for the challenge, knowing how wonderful I'll feel at the end.  My skin has even cleared up (not sure if it's because of running, but I'll tack that one on).

Running has brought me a new wisdom that goes beyond worldly knowledge.  It has brought me peace and understanding, with myself, the world, and God.  No one can take that away from me.

Update: I only lost 1.5 lbs over spring break but I'm happy with that since my goal was to maintain my weight.  Being gone for a week on vacation makes it tough to eat right but it worked.

Now to the post...

This healthy lifestyle has made my self confidence grow.  I have limited my number of negative thoughts and am proud of my accomplishments, even the little ones.  The problem I have encountered is what to do when friends around me don't follow my same plan for health.  Doing this with Trish has been a blessing and it's great to know I have a friend I can share with.  River, another best friend of mine, does not have as healthy eating habits.

River eats every meal out, eats late, skips breakfast, and eats beyond the point of being full (think food eating contest here).  So when I go visit her it's hard to stay healthy.  I did have fries this weekend but it was planned.  Someone mentioned that depriving yourself of something creates a great chance for you to binge on it another time, thus I had a small planned serving.  With River it's pizza, pop, wings, fries, and dessert (although I still can't believe she's in such great shape).  I was noticing how different our habits are and how much happier I am with myself.  She feels guilty after meals and complains about how much she eats, as she's eating dessert.  So I finally told her that if you're not happy with something about yourself, change it.  It didn't go over well at first (I kind of snapped at her) but eventually she made a list of goals.

Goal 1: No late eating; Goal 2: Eat smaller portions; Goal 3: Drink more water; Goal 4: Workout.  They were pretty general so I filled in some specifics she can work on.  She said that having someone like her friend push her will help so she won't let me down.  Hm, seems like I've heard that before someplace...wink wink.  

When I was home grandma also gave me four loafs of banana bread which I LOVE.  I had a half loaf and gave one loaf to my other grandma.  If I don't give it away, I'll eat it all!  I'm taking it back up to school and distributing it to my friends.

Moral of the story, once I leave my protective healthy shell it's hard to keep it up.  But it's possible!

A little update since my last post... I've been taking advantage of the indoor bike trainer the past few days.  I hopped on my bike for a quick session on Thursday and Friday, each around 25 minutes.

One of my favorite times to get pedaling is during ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption" because it's broken into timed intervals that range from 30 seconds to 2 minutes that make it easy to set little goals to go harder, stand, etc. I love the show anyway, so cranking out the miles comes even easier when listening to the bits of sports banter.

I swam on Saturday morning and had an indoor soccer game Saturday afternoon. Sunday was a pretty lazy day, but I did go to the grocery store to restock healthy foods to prepare this week. I'm headed to Halas this evening to swim and/or go to a spin class.

So I've been watching what I'm eating only, not working out.  I weighed myself about two weeks ago and the scale said 221...AH!  But since focusing on eating smaller portions and fewer calorie options I'm down to 217.  Sure, I still have 37 pounds until my goal weight but 4 is a start!  I think this is the first time I've made the decision to lose weight and actually did.  Before when I would lose a few pounds I hadn't tried so I figured I can just keep doing what I'm doing...which meant, still eat a lot (and even eat more since I now had room to do so...terrible mind frame).

At our team meals I've been choosing options with fewer calories, not the lowest, but fewer.  The chicken platter was a great option and I'll get that over and over again.  At Moe's I had two chicken tacos but did splurge when they brought the chips and queso out.  I had a thin crust basil & roma tomato pizza at one restaurant and 1/4 white chicken with no skin, corn and splurged on mac & cheese.  So there is room for improvement but overall, I was happy. 

I've noticed little positive habits that I already have.  When I have pop I have a ton of ice with it so really I don't have that much pop.  It cuts about half the quantity.