One Step At A Time....

Flexibility

guest — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:27:53 GMT

Whenever I think I have things figured out....they change!!!

I had joined a fitness center and had worked up a training plan to do while my daughter is in pre-school. NOW.....I find out that I will be taking over for a teacher and substituting starting on Monday until the end of the year...May 26th.

Don't get me wrong...I am thrilled for the opportunity to teach and make some money.... I just have NO idea how I am going to fit in the training plans I made up. This is where I need to be flexible.

On Wed. I went to the fitness center and walked/jogged for 30 minutes (1.7miles), rode the stationary bike for 15 minutes (3.8 miles) and swam 1/4 miles (15:26). I am feeling more confident about the bike and swim portion of the sprint tri...but am still concerned about my endurance on the 5K.

I haven't joined the tri club and I still haven't signed up for the 5K on May 2nd. I looked up last year's race and there were only a handful of people with times of 45 minutes or longer. It looks like a fast crowd. If I did do it....I would definintely be in danger of coming in last (which has happened before). Maybe that would be enough motivation to really get out there and push myself!

I am going to either have to get up way early in the morning to run while my hubby is still home....or work out some times in the evenings. I have two days where I tutor until 5:30 and by the time I get home, fix dinner and get my kiddo to bed..it is dark. I need to check and see what time the fitness center closes. Hopefully it is open later than 9pm.....

I can tell I am going to have to become quite organized to get all my teaching duties and mommy/wife duties done and still have time to train.

NEW Shoes!!!

guest — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 00:33:44 GMT

I have been running in a pair of Asics that are probably about 6 or 7 years old. Since I haven't done much running until recently, they have been used mainly for walking, hiking, biking...etc. I bought a pair of Nike Airs about 4 years ago....when I thought I would start running (lol) BUT...they give me blisters and I won't wear them.

So...I spent a lot of time today trying on and running around the store in various pairs of shoes before I settled on another pair of Asics (GT-2150) I think Asics just fit my feet really well.

Tomorrow I am substituting for a HS English teacher for two class periods in the morning. Then, I am going to the fitness center. I am thinking about jogging/walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes, riding the stationary bike for 30 minutes and then jumping in the pool to swim 8 laps (25m pool)..... The key word is "thinking" I'm kind of making up my training as I go along..... I figure it can't hurt to see how I do endurance wise.

I am also "thinking" about signing up for a 5K on May 2nd. It isn't advertised as a walk/run...so I am a bit worried about finishing WAY last behind every one. I am going to look up last year's race results to see what it looks like.

I also googled and found a Tri club in my town. So I am "thinking" about joining it. I will email the organizer and see if at my current fitness level, I could actually participate in any of their training events...

Sounds like I have a lot of "thinking" to do.... I should probably just DO and not "think" so much!!!

Saturday morning

guest — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 14:01:18 GMT

We really enjoyed the concert at The Phil last night. We had the babysitter come early so we could have dinner out at Brio's before. I had the Lobster Bisque, Steak Salad and a mini caramel cheesecake. YUM! Because of my insulin resistant, carb sensitive, pre-diabetic body.... I shouldn't have had the dessert....but every once in a while........

I got up at 7am and went to the fitness center. I spent 30 minutes on the treadmill and 30 minutes on the bike. I did 1.8 miles on the treadmill, which is only .2 more than last time, but I was able to jog for 13 minutes without stopping. I was pretty excited! I paid more attention to where on my foot I was landing and that seemed to take care of the discomfort I was feeling last time. I am beginning to feel a lot more confident about being able to jog most of the 5K portion of the Sprint Tri in 2 months.

I went 6.7 mile on the bike, which is .2 less that what I did last time. I got kind of distracted by watching a trainer working with his client on some weight machines....before I realized I had slowed down quite a bit.

I need to go shower now.... my DH and DD and I are heading to the botanical gardens today. They are having a special event with animals from the zoo, mask making, story telling, puppets...etc. The high is supposed to be 82...so it should be a great day!!!

1/4 mile swim...

guest — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 01:45:18 GMT

I went to the aquatic center for the first time today. My husband wasn't sure why I needed to pay to swim there, when our condo has a pool. When I explained that navigating around the 'older' folks with noodles didn't make a great workout, he understood.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the pool is a salt water pool! I am not a big fan of chemicals and chlorine. I met some lovely ladies that swim there almost every day and they were thrilled to 'show me the ropes'.

The pool length is 25m, so I wanted to time myself swimming 8 laps. I did the 8 laps without stopping and did them in 17:37. I didn't try to swim too fast because I haven't swum that much recently and I didn't want to die halfway through. I can definitely improve that time. I actually swam the last 4 laps quicker than the first four, as I was feeling comfortable. I am looking forward to doing more swimming there and increasing my endurance and getting faster.

One thing that someone pointed out to me is that since my Sprint Tri is in reverse order....fatigue might be an issue during the swim. They encouraged me to also work on upper body strength, since my legs will be tired out from the run and bike.....something to think about adding to my training.

Another bonus today was pointed out to me by Jo Ann. For some reason, I thought the bike portion was 12 miles....and couldn't figure out how people were completing that portion in 30 minutes or less...! Turns out the bike portion is a 15K....9.3 miles. I feel much better about that now!!

My goal is to just finish the race......but I think it helps me figure out some time goals to shoot for.

Double bonus.... I just now found out I won a trivia question contest on Facebook and won two ticket to see Chita Rivera Friday night at The Phil!!! SCORE.....now just need to find a babysitter....

Spring Break

guest — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 02:34:06 GMT

My husband and daughter were out of school last week for Spring Break, so we headed up to VA to stay with his parents. We had a great time! We went to D.C., Williamsburg ...etc. I had planned to ride my in-laws stationary bike every day....

That didn't happen. I only rode it twice. I was active though....we did a lot of walking and my eating was good. I only had a few pieces of Easter Candy....

Today I went and signed up for a one month pass at a nearby county fitness center. I can go to any fitness center/aquatic center in the county with my pass for the next month!! After I paid for it, I was on the treadmill for 30 minutes....and went 1.6 miles. My shins were starting to hurt.....so I didn't push myself very much. Not sure what to do about that.

I then rode a stationary bike for 30 minutes and went 6.9 miles. I was thinking I could go 8 miles in 30 minutes....I really have no idea what a good pace is.

For the Sprint Triathlon (which is exactly 2 months from today!!!) I was thinking I wanted to do the 5K in 45 minutes or less, the 12mile bike ride in 45 minutes and then the 1/4 mile swim in the Gulf in 15-20 minutes, which would have me finishing the whole thing in under 2 hours. I need to find out if the 12 miles in 45 minutes is realistic for my fitness level...

Tomorrow, I am going to the aquatic center and time myself swimming 400m. It's a 25m pool...so, 8 laps. It will be interesting to see how I do. I have always been a good swimmer and am comfortable in the water...but not sure how my endurance is.

Still hoping to find a workout buddy!!!

Happy Birthday to me.....!

guest — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 02:37:54 GMT

I am now 41! Woot Woot!

My birthday started at 1am on Sat. morning.... my 4 yo daughter woke up vomiting...poor thing. I was up with her for a while then and then again at 4am. I had planned on going for a run that morning...but slept in instead.

I still got out the door, weighed in at PWLC (233 still) and went to the hair salon. I got an amazing cut and color and felt like a million bucks! I went home and checked in on hubby and munchkin. She had a fever, but hadn't thrown up anymore.

I then went to one of my favorite outdoor malls with a good friend and bought some new clothes at CJ Banks. 4 months ago I was wearing a size 22 pant...I bought a pair of size 18 capris!! We then had dinner at Stir Crazy and headed to church.

Sunday...I got up and wogged a mile in 16:58...sheesh! Baby girl was feeling much better, so we piled into the car and spent the day on Sanibel Island. It was great...until it started pouring rain in the afternoon.

Yesterday I substituted and then tutored until 5:30...LONG DAY!

Today I substitued, weighed in at PWLC (232....20 pounds with them in 4 months!), then came home ate dinner, sat for a while and then wogged 1 1/2 miles in 24:22. I could have pushed myself more...but was afraid it was too soon after dinner.

I am substituting the rest of the week and have some more tutoring as well. We are leaving at the crack of crazy Saturday morning to drive to VA for our spring break. I still have a lot of laundry and packing to do!!

We will be staying in Richmond with my in-laws and they have a stationary bike in their guest room! They also live in a secluded community with a nice long circular loop through the neighborhood. It should be good for my wogging...but here in FL, everything is flat.....their neighborhood is very hilly. Should be interesting!

I am hoping to go for a run Thursday after school and tutoring...but we will see......

I'm commited now....

guest — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 01:19:48 GMT

I did it!!!

I registered and paid for my entry into the 24th annual Naples Fitness Challenge!!! It is on June 6th.... so I have only 2 1/2 months to get ready!!

I feel like my mindset has changed....every day is important and counts! At dinner tonight (at Chili's), I found myself asking "What would an athlete eat.....?" I've not ever seen myself as an athlete, but now that I've signed up for this.... I am seeing my life a bit differently. I chose a salad with grilled shrimp, pineapple, mandarin oranges and napa cabbage with a "guiltless" dressing. ( I have to eat as an insulin resistant, carb sensitive, pre-diabetic athlete )

When I got home, it was getting late and I had a bag of excuses I could have used to not go for a run: I just ate dinner, I had a very long day teaching and tutoring, my 4 year old daughter needs to get to bed, it's getting dark, it's kind of chilly......you get the idea. But again, I asked "What would an athlete do.....?"

So, I threw on some leggings, a t-shirt and my shoes, grabbed my ipod shuffle and went out the door and walked/jogged a mile in 16:58. Not great time....but I am so glad I made the effort.

The fitness challenge is a sprint triathlon. It is a little different in that you run a 5K first, then bike 12 miles and then swim 1/4 mile in the Gulf (parallel to the shore). I am not too worried about the swim and bike....but it's the running I'm concerned about. I looked up the results from last year.... the winner finished in about 48 minutes!!! I can barely do a 5K in that amount of time!!! I also noticed the last people came in around 1:50:00..... So.....if I can run it in 40-45 minutes....bike in 45 minutes....swim in 20..... I might not be very last..but close to it. I don't even know how long it would take me to bike 12 miles.... or swim 1/4 mile!!!! I better get busy figuring that out!!!

I don't care so much if I'm last, I just want to finish....but I worry about being the last biker out on the course....will they still have the roads blocked, or will I be on my own? That really is my biggest concern. Maybe that's just silly.......

Anyway..... one step at a time!

Waylaid Plans

guest — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:28:29 GMT

I had my day all neatly planned out....and then....!

Get up at 6am, shower, pack lunch for daughter, get daughter up and ready for school, get to school by 7:45, drop her off at pre-school and then substitute until 3:15, then tutor from 3:30-5:30, go home, go for a run (W1D2), fix dinner, relax, get daughter to bed, watch Biggest Loser and then go to bed myself....*sigh*

Everything was going as planned. I had my protein shake with fat free milk for breakfast, grilled chicken salad for lunch...then instead of eating the banana I had...I ate 3 mini chocolate chip cookies that were sitting in the teacher work room...GRR! But I was still planning on a run and then a dinner of grouper, brown rice and broccoli.

On the way home at 5:45, my DH called and said could I stop by the store to get a few needed items and then when I got home HE was going for a run. I was a little ticked, because we had talked about me going for a run when I got home, but he said he would be quick.

I got home at 6:15 and fixed my daughter supper and I ate a salad I had picked up at the store...because I figured it would be too late to run and then fix dinner for everyone. By the time my DH got back from his run it was almost 7pm and I needed to start getting my daughter ready for bed. (he ended up eating leftover stuffed green peppers) My daughter was in bed by 7:45....and it was too dark for me to run by myself. I know some people run after dark...but I don't feel particularly safe.

I am now watching the Biggest Loser and feeling a bit guilty. I think when it is over, I will do some Wii Active so I can at least burn some calories (like those cookies!!)

Tomorrow will hold no chance of running either. I substitute until 3:15, but have to do a bunch of grading and entering grades, because it is the end of the quarter and the teacher I am subbing for will be out for at least another week. Once I finish that, I will probably end up eating dinner at church before the Wed. night service..then home to put kiddo to bed ...etc.

Looks like Thursday will be the next opportunity! I don't know how people can get in runs consistently... my life is a bit hectic right now!!!

The first step...

guest — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:10:57 GMT

My name is Sharyn and I am a 40 year old Stay-At-Home-Mom. I have a 4 year old daughter and a wonderful husband. Before I had my daughter, I was a Jr. High and High School math and science teacher. Now, I just substitute and tutor.

I never had a weight problem until after I was married almost 19 years ago. I struggled with infertility and finally was gifted with our miracle child. Before her birth, I was diagnosed as Hypo-glycemic and ended up developing Gestational Diabetes during my pregnancy.

Last October, I weighed in at 258lbs. (I'm 5 foot 9) and was feeling depressed, fatigued, hopeless.... I made an appointment with an Endocrinologist and started doing the Zone diet on my own. By the time my appointment rolled around on Nov. 9th, I had lost around 8 pounds. After lab work and a thyroid ultrasound, I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic, vitamin D deficient and having 6 nodules on my thyroid ( which a biopsy showed to be non-cancerous) on Dec. 1st. I was prescribed Metformin and to take vitamin D supplements.

On Dec. 2nd, I signed up with Physician's Weight Loss Center and started a low carb diet. 3 months later, I had follow up labs. My insulin was down from 28 to 10.5, my fasting blood sugar was down from 113 to 106 and my vitamin D levels were in the normal range. I am still taking the Metformin to continue to lower my blood sugar to below 100. My weight is now 233lbs!!

Before I got pregnant with my daughter, I started training with a few friends for a sprint triathlon. As I would have been 8 months pregnant at race time.... I didn't do it. I had told myself that I would do a sprint trialthon before I was 40. In 2008, I did three 5Ks...with my PR being 49:45. I went and watched a sprint triathlon...but that is as close as I got.

I am 40 and will be 41 next week (3/20)

About 5 weeks ago, I decided that I would register for a Spring Triathlon in my town that will take place on June 6th. Registration opens tomorrow... (3/15) Hopefully, I will have the nerve to go through with the registration.

5 weeks ago, I also started the C25K program with a friend. Two weeks into it, I started experiencing severe pain in my right foot. After x-rays and an ultrasound, I found out that I was experiencing a flare-up of arthritis in my right big toe joint. I was given a shot of cortisone and told to rest it for a week and then I could get back to training. So I did....

Yesterday (3/13) I completed a 5K. I am still trying to figure out what my official time was. I really wanted to beat my PR of 49:45... but I'm not sure that I did.

I did the first mile in 13:30 and completed the second mile a little under 30 minutes....right on track for a new PR. Then around 2.5 miles... I got naseous and chilled and had to slow down considerably. I think I went through the finish line around the end of minute 48 or the beginning of minute 49. A friend made me go to the medic tent, because she said my color wasn't good and I was cold and clammy with no sweat. The medic said heat exhaustion...but I am wondering if it wasn't due to blood sugar or meds. or just plain lack of training or dehydration... After a few bottles of water and some rest, I was ok.

I went out this afternoon, walked for 5 minutes and then jogged 1 minute, walked 1 1/2 minutes...etc for 20 minutes. Back to W1D1. I stretched a lot...but I am very stiff and sore.

I was planning on registering for a 5K on April 10th... but am wondering if 4 weeks will be enough time to train for it. I think I am just going to sign up and then walk/jog it the best I can.

Tomorrow: sign up for the Sprint Triathlon, do the Wii Fit upper body workout and HYDRATE!!! G doesn't have school tomorrow, I tutor in the morning for an hour, then we might go walk the 2.6 mile boardwalk at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Girl's Night Out at PF Chang's!!!