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May 25, 2012

I’ve Got To Keep On Movin’

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Up and down, up and down. My weight makes me feel like I’m on a see-saw sometimes.

After the epic win of seeing my weight dip ever-so-slightly under 160, it’s now inched back up to 161. I’d like to call it water weight, but I’m not sure that would be completely accurate.

Last week Aaron found out he was being laid off at the end of the month. After that news came crashing down on us, let’s just say there was more than a little self-medicating with food for both of us. And pretty much no exercising at all.

We’ve spent most of the last week and a half numb from disbelief, sitting on the couch each night watching TV and occasionally finding a pint of ice cream or a bag of chips in our hands. It wasn’t pretty.

But eating away my feelings won’t change anything, other than hurting myself. It can’t make a job appear for him, and it can’t pay the bills, so better to stop it entirely and focus on activities that CAN improve any area of our lives.

It was that mindset that sent me out for a run yesterday. I want to run a 5K again, so I pulled out my trusty Couch-to-5K app and laced up my running shoes. A few weeks ago I had tried week 4 again and found it was too much for me. So I went back to week 3 this time. It was still hard, but I did it, even though I felt lousy for having to go all the way back to week 3 when I had once run an entire 5K.

Our gym membership is up at the end of this month, which means I’ll no longer have access to the treadmill. Sucky timing, too, since I hate running in the heat and humidity. Yesterday was a reminder of that. How do you deal with the heat and humidity? Maybe I’ll go back to running at night, like I did two years ago.

I can’t let bad news and setbacks take me down. The BlogHer ’12 5K is in August and I want to run it. We’re also planning to visit a water park at some point this summer and I want to rock a bathing suit.

So I’ll continue on. Ain’t nothing gonna break my stride.

Filed Under: c25k, running · Tagged:


Mar 21, 2012

Slim-Fast Plan Day (& Giveaway!)

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I started couch-to-5K again a little over a week ago, starting with week two but then jumping to week three on Wednesday. I’m proud to say I’ve kept going with it, and if this raging sore throat I have today doesn’t stop me, I’ll start week four today.

Exercise goes hand-in-hand with good nutrition, and I credit a lot of that to starting the Slim-Fast plan. The shakes and meal bars are full of vitamins and minerals and have the right balance of nutrients to keep me going, which is more than I can say for my previous breakfast of toast. Or nothing, which is a breakfast I don’t recommend at all.

Today just happens to be 3/21, which Slim-Fast has declared the Slim-Fast Plan Day. (Get it? 3/21 = the Slim-Fast 3-2-1 plan. It’s like Pi day, but with a guilt-free chocolate shake instead of pie.) To celebrate, I’ve got a few goodies to pass along to some of you!

First, I’ve got two coupons for free Slim-Fast products. You can either use the coupon on a free four pack of shakes or a box of meal bars – your choice! Two winners will receive one coupon each.

And the grand prize: a gorgeous scarf to accessorize for Spring! While I was at Studio Wow! in New York, I met with Jacqui Stafford for some fashion tips. I told her accessories were one thing I didn’t feel comfortable with, so Jacqui turned to a wall of Bindya NY scarves and plucked one off the wall to drape around my neck.

The wall of scarves – beautiful!

She showed me how easy it was to dress up an outfit with a scarf as well as several ways to wear it. After her instruction, I tried out this look at Blissdom and I think I did a good job at making it work!

It’s a fuzzy pic, but you get the idea.

One winner will be selected to win a scarf from Jacqui’s collection to help you look fantastic for your moment of Wow! (Pattern of scarf will vary but I guarantee it’ll look great.)

So that’s three winners total for Slim-Fast Plan Day: two getting a coupon for free Slim-Fast products, one getting a fantastic Bindya scarf. (And yes, it’s possible to win both the scarf and a coupon if Random.org declares you to be very lucky!)

To enter: leave a comment below telling me your favorite accessory. (This entry method is mandatory.) Be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you’re the winner.

For additional entries – optional, of course (1 per method – leave a separate comment for each):

– Follow Slim-Fast on Twitter and leave a separate comment with your Twitter username.
– Like Slim-Fast on Facebook
– Leave a comment on one of my Women of Wow posts on the Slim-Fast Facebook page (leave a comment here with your FB name)
– Write on the Slim-Fast Facebook Wall that you entered the Slim-Fast Plan Day Giveaway at Losing My Hind with a link back to this post.

Entries will be accepted until Wednesday, March 28 at 11:59pm EDT. One entry per method, for up to five entries total, US residents only. After that date, three winners will be selected at random to receive each of the prizes. Winners will be contacted by email and each will have 48 hours to respond or an alternate winner will be selected.

Full disclosure: This post was created in connection with my appointment as an Ambassador in the Slim-Fast Women of WOW! Program. Visit www.facebook.com/slimfast to join the conversation.

Filed Under: c25k, sponsored, success · Tagged: , , ,


Mar 14, 2012

Running For The Finish Line

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On Monday I started running again. It’s been…awhile…since I last tried running. But with just four or five pounds (depending on how much salt I had the night before) between me and my goal weight, it’s time to turn up the heat. Or generate some heat – by working out.

I had no idea where to start. I felt tired as I walked into the gym, so I set my couch-to-5k app to week one. I began the five minute warm up walk, and realized that I needed to increase the speed on the treadmill, because I wanted to go faster. That was a good first sign.

Then when the first run came, I turned up the music, increased my speed, and just ran. But just as I started to get in the groove, the app alerted me that it was time to walk again. Thirty seconds was far too short – I was actually angry at being told to stop!

So I quickly switched programs to week two, skipping the warm up walk and getting right into the first run. Again, the run seemed short, but I decided to get through the entire set. I was still sweating plenty near the end of the set, yet had enough energy to walk an additional five minutes at a fast pace after the app announced I was done. Total distance? 2.6 miles in 45 minutes. Not bad at all.

I’m planning to run again today, but I’m not sure if I want to continue with week two or jump straight to week three. Week two was enough to make me sore the next day, but didn’t feel like a strong challenge. But maybe easing myself into running again will keep me from being frustrated at it getting too hard too fast and quitting?

I’m still not sure what I’ll do when I get there this morning. Will report back on how it goes!

Edited to add: 
I did week three this morning instead of week two. And I still had no trouble! Woo-hoo!

Filed Under: c25k, running ·


Sep 20, 2010

March of Dimes Night Moves 5K Results

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After the BlogHer 5K, I knew I needed to sign up for another 5K to keep me motivated or I’d simply stop exercising like I did a year ago.

I signed up for the March of Dimes Night Moves 5K for a few reasons. First, it benefits March of Dimes, a charity I have always supported. Second, it was at night, and since I work third shift I tend to do better running on a nocturnal schedule.

A few weeks ago I suffered a back injury that made it difficult to run for a little while. My training slowed as a result and I continued to be stuck at 25 minutes of running max. Last week I did manage one 28 minute run, but only to avoid social interactions. So I knew going into this race that it was nearly certain I’d be walking for part of it. My motto was “Just don’t finish last.”

Friday night the area around Front Street was packed with people, and I immediately felt excited when I walked into the plaza and saw the crowd. After I picked up my shirt and goody bag, I changed into my shirt and began stretching for the race.

Pre-race posing

Shortly after that, Brooke found me. She left a comment here last week saying she would be running this 5K as well, and I told her I hoped she would come find me. Thankfully she did and I quickly made a new blog pal! We talked about how neither of us had run a full 5K, and decided we’d run together. I warned her I was slow and gave her full permission to leave me in the dust if I started walking. (To be fair, she gave me the same permission, but I thought it doubtful that she would be slower than me.)

We cheered on the 5-mile racers as they started before the 5K runners, and then took our place in the pack. The run started on a hill – going up, of course – but the crowd was buzzing with excitement and as we started running I watched as other people darted around us. I was determined to keep it slow and steady, though, and not overdo it at the beginning. Brooke was kind enough to slow down and stay with me.

Everything felt great for the first mile or so. I fell into a good breathing pattern, and even managed to pass a few people who were already walking.

The second mile was harder, though. I started to reach the threshold of my running limits, and felt that sharp ache in my side. I tried altering my breathing to force it to go away, and it would help for awhile, but then it came back again. I could now start to hear my breathing over my music. My right shoulder started to hurt, too. The urge to walk was becoming stronger, but Brooke was still running, so I was determined to stay with her.

The last mile – especially the last half mile – was pain, pure and simple. My side hurt, my shoulder hurt, my lungs burned, and I felt like I was going to throw up. When we made the final turn towards the finish line, I wondered if I could make it or not. On one hand, I could see the finish line way up ahead, so it seemed silly to stop running now when I was so close. On the other hand, panic was beginning to set in and I wondered if I’d black out before I made it to the finish line. I could easily hear my breathing over the music now, which meant people a quarter mile away could likely hear it as well. I sounded like I was drowning in my own mucous.

With the finish line only a few blocks away, I made my mind up to finish this damn race running. Of course, that then meant I had to convince my body to go along with what my mind decided. I’m sure I was grunting at this point as I had to mentally force my feet to keep moving, force my arms to keep swinging, and force my body to move forward. I know I was swearing at myself to keep going.

And then at 41 minutes and 4 seconds, I crossed the finish line. Running. I didn’t plan this accomplishment – I thought myself several weeks away from graduating from the couch to 5K program. Yet there it was: I ran an entire 5K.

How did I feel after the run? Mostly happy that it was over, honestly. I had to sit down and suck in some air for a little while to feel OK again, and my legs still felt wobbly for the rest of the night.

Me & Brooke, post-race. I’m impressed I’m standing.

I woke up the next day feeling like I’d been hit by a car. Everything hurt – especially my back and sides. I guess my next goal will be to work on relaxing while running so I’m not so tense.

Big thanks to Brooke for running with me – I strongly doubt I would’ve kept running without seeing her still running beside me.

Up next? Well, I want to keep working on my distance, as I doubt I’ll be able to repeat that 5K in my own neighborhood with no one running next to me and no race to participate in. So I’ll go back to C25K and keep slowly working up my time. I might start working some intervals back in as well, trying to increase my speed just a wee bit.

And I’ve already selected my next 5K – the Fright Night 5K in October. Nothing like running through a haunted graveyard and woods at night to keep you moving! 

Believe me, folks – if I can do this, you can, too. I used to be the lump on the couch, the woman circling the parking lot for 10 minutes to get the slightly closer parking spot. It’s not easy, but it is possible.

Filed Under: c25k, running, success · Tagged: ,


Sep 15, 2010

The 5K Looming Ahead of Me

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I’ve been having a lot of trouble with the 25 minute mark in running. Ever since BlogHer I’ve managed to run a full 25 minutes straight only a couple of times, and other times my legs have given out at the 22 or 23 minute instead. It’s been frustrating.

But Monday night, I set out to do a 25 minute run again, and a funny thing happened: I ran for 28 minutes – the next step on Couch to 5K. I’d like to say I did it due to great stamina and mental conditioning, but the truth is far more humble and a little funny.

As I looked at my iPhone and realized I had less than a minute left to run, I noticed two of my neighbors walking up ahead of me, going the same direction I was. At 20 seconds left, a quick calculation in my head made me realize that if I went into my cool down walk right at 25 minutes, I’d be stopping roughly at the same spot they were at. Which would mean I’d likely have to talk to them. We don’t get along all that well, and I really wasn’t in the mood to talk, anyway.

So I kept running. I ran right past them, my huffing and puffing a perfectly good excuse to not say hello or even acknowledge them as I focused on putting one foot in front of the other. I had to make sure I got far enough away before slowing to a walk – to keep it from looking obvious – so I gritted my teeth through the pain in my side and finished 28 minutes of running.

Social awkwardness: who knew it was such a great motivator?

This Friday I’ll be running in the March of Dimes Night Moves 5K. My hope was to run this one entirely, but I know I’m not quite ready for that yet, so I plan to run as much as possible and be proud just to finish. Well, that’s the plan, but I’m worried that I’ll come away disappointed if I don’t put in a certain level of performance, too.

As much as I want to run an entire 5K, I know that my body is still adjusting to the idea of being a runner. It will happen, though, and I’m hoping that the excitement of being at a 5K race again will push me to go a little further without walking.

Hey, I did 28 minutes straight, right? Maybe I just need to imagine the people in front of me are my neighbors who might want to have an awkward talk?

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