C25K: Week 1 in review

I had originally planned a M-W-F running schedule but it was Wednesday before we got a chance to run and I wanted to stay on task with my sister who is also doing it and is planning a M-W-F schedule. This all works out excellently because I will be riding Tuesday/Thursday/possibly Friday/and then one other day on the weekend. I am going to have legs of steel by the time this is all over with!

So... quick recap of the workouts:

Day 1
Day 1 was a late Wednesday night run. We planned to run for 9pm (once it's cooled off some) but my boyfriend, G, got held up and didn't get home until about 9:40. Of course I didn't want to run then, but such is our relationship that one usually has the gumption to needle the other into something (the roles were reversed last night, don't worry!) I was glad, once we got out. My sister asked later how it felt and I asked if she would be upset if I said it was easier than I expected.

Day 2
Saturday morning, 9am-ish. My sister came in to town to run with G and I and brought her border collie, Psyche, so Morrie (my dog) had a running buddy too! I did not eat breakfast prior as I was afraid of chucking it but it was pretty obvious that I need to fuel up pre-run from now on. I was dragging serious butt. I spent a good part of the run 10-15 feet behind G and sis - just barely keeping my feet moving. Very, very low energy. I learned my lesson there!

Day 3
Sunday night, 9:45ish. We had a late dinner and needed time for it to settle before we could run... didn't wait long enough. I had a banana split from DQ and I was burping banana the entire run. I also started out the run with a violent case of hiccups, which consequently messed up my breathing technique which is pretty much the only thing that keeps me running. I have to say it was a real battle, pretty much the whole run. Until the last run section... I seemed to catch a second wind and the last run section felt strong... it felt good, after struggling through the whole run. I could have kept going!

I am currently 6lbs higher than my lowest weight ever, and am slowly working away at it. I have lost 15lbs since March but have now added the running and more consistent riding to my schedule, I think it will begin to move off fast. The funny thing is that I felt pretty small when I weighed under 250 last time... this time, I still feel like I am big... I had gained back 22lbs, and now that I am within range of the "lowest I've been in a long time", I still feel big. My mind is clearly playing with me. They never tell you how much of a mental battle this is in addition to physical!

Day 6: Another day of rest

I don't have any data for today either - I ended up spending most of the day putting together lunches for the next thirty days.

I cooked a large pot of rice and a large pot of whole wheat noodles, about 20lbs of veggies and 4lbs of chicken, and a large pot of spaghetti sauce. I then put it all together in a variety of different combinations and stuck them in freezer bags in two-meal portions (to share with my mother who works in the office with me) - which helps with portion control and not buying something filled with sodium and other crap from the cafeteria. I was so sore from standing at the counter for hours chopping and stirring that I didn't get any real mileage in, and I didn't track my food because I was just sticking a little something from everything in there - but still think I stayed within my calories for today.

Tomorrow, I am back at it!

Day 5: Day of rest

Today, I decided to take a break. I had a bunch of stuff to do that mostly involved sitting in a car, driving around. I didn't track my calories either. I was doing alright until after the "movie theatre popcorn in place of super" when my body wanted supper, and my dad wanted a McDonald's drive-thru. Five chicken nuggets came to rest in my belly. No fries, though - it could have been six nuggets, a large fry and another litre of Diet Coke. I will be back at it tomorrow. We stocked up on a ton of fresh vegetables and whole grains to put together some personal sized meat/sauce/veggies type of meals to keep at work so we're not constantly going downstairs to the cafeteria to get things that aren't good for us.

I didn't have any time for a workout today, either, but I will definitely be getting in at least my 3 miles on foot, maybe some more on horseback if things work out the right way. :)

Calorie Budget: 1,938
Calories In: No idea!
Calories Burnt: None, officially.
Balance: Not sure.

14.61 miles into 90 Mile November.

Day 4: Hungry day...

I'm feeling hungry. I don't know why but some days, I just feel like I can't be sated. Today is the first day since I started this that I went over my calories. I could have made some smarter choices and got more bang for my buck, pretty much.

I had a big morning in the gym - I "only" did three miles but they were hard come by on the treadmill and the elliptical. I also did some weight training which I haven't done in a while. I am sure I will feel this tomorrow!

I am still working on getting an accurate "first day" weight. Little late, huh? After I get that reading, I will be off the scale until December 1st!

Calorie Budget: 1,938
Calories In: 2,679
Calories Burnt: -694
Balance: -28

14.61 miles into 90 Mile November.

Day 3: Indulging a little bit

Overall, I felt good about the day. I am getting better at controlling my snacking during the day and after supper. G did bring me the most delicious mint chocolate latte ever... and I had a mini O'Henry bar - I will be glad when these Halloween treats are gone! I decided that the mini bar was COMPLETELY NOT WORTH 120 calories. Too "expensive", as I call it. I would have been satisfied with just the latte at the end of the day.

I also have taken up eating vegetables WITHOUT putting butter on them. Brussel sprouts and carrots are actually really interesting and yummy flavours on their own without being drowned in salt, butter or cheese. It tastes different, sure, but not worse, not in the least bit! I'm feeling strong.

Calorie Budget: 1,938
Calories In: 2,126
Calories Burnt: -297
Balance: 128

11.61 miles into 90 Mile November.

Day 2: Making Better Choices

Yesterday, I said "no" to a pumpkin cookie (I love ANY baking good with pumpkin in it!) and today, I perused a bowl of mini chocolate bars before deciding not to take any at all and eating a fat-free yogurt instead. THEN, when presented with a chocolate covered peanut butter ball, I gave it to my neighbour. I just have to do this for 28 more days!

Calorie Budget: 1,938
Calories In: 1,928
Calories Burnt: 416
Balance: 426

6.11 miles into 90 Mile November.

Hopefully tomorrow or the day after, I will have a chance to get a little more in-depth about my plan, but tonight, G came along with me for my 3.28 miles worth of walking and my pace increased and I shaved about 20 seconds off of my per-mile time, which was pretty good. My calves and my hips are pretty tight and a little sore from this (and riding my horse on Saturday which was the first occurrence of that in some time!), but I am feeling good, already feeling lighter!

I had one of my favourites tonight for supper, too - Teriyaki Experience but realized it is FULL of sodium, so... *sigh*

Day One - Getting Moving Again...

I've made a decision about November. That decision is pretty easy. Get it right. Finish the job. The last two weeks, I have been far too indulgent. I don't have a lot of time before my imposed bedtime to outline the whole plan, but I want to report on today at the very least.

Calorie Budget: 1,938
Calories In: 2,252
Calories Burnt: 375
Balance: 61

2.83 miles into 90 Mile November.

Loose thoughts:

- If you can't count it out, don't put it in your mouth.