4 lbs

So in 4 weeks, I have lost 4 lbs.  Just as designed.  And that's good.
But its true that while it took a long time for it to go on.  You want it off as fast as possible.
But for now, I'm going to just keep truckin'.

I'm not crazy

Ok,
So as part of this new food plan with MyFitnessPal, I needed to measure my neck, waist, and hips.  So I also measured my body in the same spots I did a year ago and the results are, well, what they are.

So on the left is a year ago, and on the right this morning.
Biggest difference, my high waist.  It went from 36" to 43".  Thats an addition of 7 inches!

Can I get a WTF?

I know that my muscles along my rib cage are stronger, but this is going the wrong way.  My stomach is smaller, but I feel like my body which was curvy and lumpy is now going square or pear shape and lumpy.  Not the way I want it to be.  And what is with an extra 2" on my thighs.
Not cool.

But here is hoping that diet is the answer though it may take a genie or guru to find it.  boo!

Well...

That didn't work quite as I expected.
I totally meant to keep up with this blog but am failing horribly.  But I must admit that it has not been because I have not been running or working out.

So here is the schedule that is keeping me oh so sore:
Monday:       Run in the morning, Yoga at night
Tuesday:       Kickboxing at the Y
Wednesday:  Run in the morning, or if I'm as sore as my abs were today, walk to the store for yogurt.
Thursday:     Back to Kickboxing
Friday:          Try for one more run
Weekend:     Long run or bike ride or something totally different, like shopping

Now that I'm starting to get in a rhythm it's time to tackle the food aspect of all of this.  I love food!  And that can make this part hard.  I also work crazy hours and have a co-worker that likes to eat out and is rather picky.

So the plan is to start tracking calories again, using the MyFitnessPal program online and the app on my phone. But I have to find a way for it to become habit so I have to find a good, positive reinforcement instead of a feeling of guilt at that piece of pizza I just ate and the cookie I want to have.  If anyone has suggestions let me know.

Here we go!

2012 and onward!

I've done it.  I've fallen into that classic new blogger state, of thinking about posting that last big thing I did, but waiting on free time, or the pictures, or free time, and never getting around to it.  Well I make one resolution to this blog, I will wait for that stuff no more.  My goal is now to post about whatever is going on with this Fat Bottomed Runner, time or pictures or no!

So moving into 2012 this is what we got.

3 Resolutions:
1. Run 500 Miles this year
2. Run a 1/2 marathon at a 12 minute pace
3. Get under 200lbs and stay there!*

*This is a carry over from last year (and probably a few years before that) but try, try, and try again.

So here's the plan.

M+W+F of 3 miles + long training runs + 1/2 marathon build up + 1/2 marathon =(>) 500 miles

I'm also finally taking my cross training seriously (this should help with numbers 2 & 3 and those pesky shin splints) and I am starting a kick boxing class on T&TH.  And of course yoga with friends on M nights, and whenever I feel I need it and can sneak it in.

Well there you go!  I'm a scheduled and planned girl, but I got miles to go and curves and resolutions keep!

The Marathon

Its taken me over a month to get pictures to post, thus my writing of the marathon has been delayed.  But no more!  Here they are...

It was nearly light when the "W wave" crossed the start line at 7:30am.  We kicked off and headed down through China town, then back South towards the hospital, then North again towards the the start.  I had to pee so bad, that my sister and I stopped just after the first mile.  There were bands and groups every couple of miles to cheer us on.  We passed my mom at mile 5, and then headed out along the water front.  The four of us kept playing an odd game of leap frog, with us catching up and then passing each other as we all kept our own run/walk tempos.  But the youngest among us was not seen (until the finish) after mile 8.  At mile 10 I had to pee yet again!  Mile 11 found the marathoners headed out to the rest of the course and the 1/2 marathoners headed to the finish line.  Mile 11 was also the last time I saw my 3rd sister as she sprinted out in front.  I felt great after I peed and was really feeling strong miles 12, 13, 14, and 15.  Mile 16 is the most challenging part of the course with a mile long uphill trek, but I was still feeling good.  I was making really good time, maintaining a 14 minute mile.  As a jogged across the market in the middle of the St. John's bridge for mile 17, I felt the un mistakable pain of shin splints in my right leg.  My sister and I sorta walk ran for the next mile, but at 18 I knew I would be walking the rest of the way (as fast as I could) and thus my sister went on jogging ahead.  I was walking hard, but every change in terrain had me balling my fists.  Mile 21 was meant to be a relief for runners with a nice downhill stretch, but my shins were just in more pain.  From mile 22 on down I was just chanting the distance left to go.  4.2 to go, 4.2  to go, 4.2 to go...  Mile 24 finally found me crossing back across the water and to the finish line side of things.  But just before mile 25, I found myself, and many other runners, stuck at a railroad crossing as a freight train, slooooowly passed.  I wouldn't let myself sit down for those 10 or 15 minutes for fear of not getting up again.  Once the train was gone and the guardrails raised, we continued on.

Here I am with tears in my eyes at mile 26 or so, hobbling towards the finish line.  I'm wearing a shin splints sleeve on my right leg and it did help, just enough.   I'm sad to say that I didn't even celebrate crossing the finish line.  The professional pictures taken along the course only show me grimacing in pain, so needless to say I did not purchase any of them.  

Our reward for completing the 40th Portland Marathon: a coin, medal, race shirt, finisher shirt, heat blanket, and a chance to sit down.

 Wrapped in a heat blanket, with my leg laid out and my fat butt on the curb.  It felt so good not to have to be moving anymore.  My sister got this cool shot of her feet and my body in the background.

We all made it.  With the medals to prove it!  We were all so tired and after a shower and a bit of food, totally sacked out, sleeping from 10-12 hours a piece.  The drive back to California felt so long and our muscles were so sore.  All I know is that next time there will be more training.

And by next time, I mean, an 1/2 marathon.

I'm just not crazy enough to do the whole thing again!

Up to the start

On Sunday October 9th, 2011, I completed a full marathon!

I've been needing to tell you all about it, but have been waiting on picture, but I'll just add them in later.

So, here is what happened up to the start line.

My sisters, mother and I drove from California, up to Portland on Friday and Saturday (race on Sunday).  We hit the outlet mall just south of Portland and arrived in the city at 2:30, just in time to check into our hotel, and head to the race expo.

The expo was simply crazy!
People were everywhere, booths on three underground levels of the Hilton (I think it was the Hilton) Hotel.  Booths selling: shoes, clothes, food, Gu, water, logo wear, pins, maps, jewelry, exercise equipment, massages, sign-ups for other races, and I'm pretty sure I saw one selling tutus.  We walk around and hit what was interesting.  Finding a running pouch for two of my sisters.  I found some humorous stickers with great sayings like "26.2 Because I'm the full Crazy!", and "If it wasn't for me, you'd have no one to pass" and "I thought they said 'Rum'!".

From the expo, we headed to a family friend's across town where she made her parent's stolen and secret pasta sauce for us.  So yummy.  It was great to try and relax with friends, but I was feeling incredibly anxious.  And very full and roll-polly.  Tappering and carb-loading, I now know, have that effect on me.

We headed back to the hotel, laid everything out.  Pinned numbers on shirts, tagged our shoes, filled our hydro belts, and rationed out our Gu.  My sister took a Tylenol PM and now will forever do so before a big race.  I hopped in the shower, headed to bed and had a restless nights sleep.



the marathon.  The whole kit and caboodle!  The big enchilada! All 26.2 miles of it!

Tapering

Well the marathon is on Sunday, three short days from today.

So my last two weeks have been spent tapering (running less), and resting.   And now it is all for carb loading.  Carbs should be 65-70% of my diet from now until the race.  The last three days I have been having carbs as 50-60% of my diet.  Last night also involved streaking my hair with pink to get pumped for the race. (Though I may have to do it again tonight to get some more pop!)

One of the things about tapering is that it can drive you crazy.  And while I've been trying to embrace the crazy this year, this type of crazy was not what I was talking about.  Tapering madness is were you feel every ache and pain, get into your head way to much, and generally freak out that you are not prepared for the 26.2 miles ahead.  I can feel the anxiety creep into my fingers as I am typing this...

But this is normal.  So they say.

So now it is time to take a deep breath, look back at old posts, pictures, and have faith.  

In 3 days I will be ready to watch the miles move below my feet.

:)

5K

Saturday, my sisters and I had a 5K fund raiser run.  No sweat we thought, we do that on any given Monday.

All would be well if my shin splints didn't hurt too bad.  My sister taped me up and that should do it.  I'm a strong mamma jamma, I figured I could give my shins a short test.

Plus we were going to have a bit of fun and run in crazy socks!

But it sucked!  It sucked, big time!

The weather was hot and humid and we had a sucky run.  While the organization, had put on this fund raiser for the last three years, the course was bad, and the planning poor.

The best part of the run was being done.  And the shirts weren't too bad.

Next time I'll just hang out with my sister, wear crazy socks and eat ice cream.  A much better and cheaper plan!

Shin splints

Pain! Pain! Pain!
What I thought were shin splints before were nothing compared to this.
This is pain!

Twenty (18.8 really) Miles

My sister before

 So after the 1/2 marathon was complete and I finally pulled myself out of bed, my sister and I realized that it was time to get back on our training schedule and start running again.

But way too early came our next long run: 20 miles!

We decided that the best way for us to do it was drive, 20 miles east, and run home along the lower 20 miles of a 50 mile bike trail that  goes by our house.

We figured we would always be headed home to warm showers and that would be all the motivation that we would need.

Me before

It also helped that it was the first day of below 90 degree temperatures.

We started off the morning in good spirits, though a little behind schedule.

The first few miles were spent waking up and learning what side of the trail to be on.  (Walkers/runners go on the far left, while bikers have the standard right side of the path)

The next few miles went fine, with us walking quite a bit and running some.  We were keeping hydrated with accelorade and water, and taking in gu and energy beans.

Us after

My sister was upset that she forgot to put sunscreen on her face.  But as it wasn't very sunny I thought she would be ok.

We stopped once or twice to get a rock out of our shoes or to get more water from one of the drinking fountains.

All was going well at mile 10, in fact we were quite enjoying ourselves.  We were walking more than running because the day was more about the distance than the speed.

Somehow I miscalculated when we were at mile 13.1 (the halfway point for a full marathon) so it seemed we walked that mile twice.

At mile 16, all was not well.  In fact I started to feel a lot of pain in my right shin.  I was glad I had gone further that ever before, but I was still 10.2 miles from a full marathon, and still about 3 miles from home.

The last 3 miles were horrible.  I was limping, we were low on water and out of Gu.  And the sun had gotten really strong and hot.  I was out of adrenaline and had to sit at least twice.  One time because I thought I was going to throw up.  Somehow I was over heating.  Remember that comment about forgetting sunscreen, yeah the whole left side of my body and my chest looked like a tomato and I am still peeling.

We made it to the park, where I sat down on a bench and my sister did the extra 1.2 miles to make it a full 20 mile run.

I then hobbled home.  Promptly got water, aspirin, and frozen blueberries.  Shin splints suck.  And now I'm not to run, and the full marathon is only 4 weeks away!