Day 59: 4.20 miles logged, 558.64 to go… Chilly SUN 6am challenge with Debbie. We opted for only 4 miles (vs. 6) due to the weather and my photography schedule for the rest of the day. Productive and fun Team Blonde football practice… ready for WED’s practice scrimmage, and think we are almost ready for next SUN’s big Blondes vs. Brunettes (Alzheimer’s Association charity footb…all) game. I had to stop myself from squeezing in more evening miles. No sense in pushing myself too hard between now and SAT if I plan to go all out on SAT. Planning on around 4 miles a day between now and then. My legs were definitely a bit tight, but totally manageable. I was concerned that next SUN would involve minimal involvement for the game based on the marathon the day before, but after seeing what I still had in me at practice, I think I’ll be OK!
Day 37: May 4, 2013- Cold and wet
Day 37: 1.03 miles today, Miles to go: 730.62- cold, wet, dreary day. Squeezed in a quick late night walk. Still drizzling. Laying out layers for tomorrow then heading to bed. Have to be up early for my SUN 6am Challenge…
Day 29: April 26, 2013- Oh, my toe!!!
Day 29: 2.03 miles today, Miles to go: 795.04… OK, so I know that 2 miles is a pretty low number for me, but in lieu of taking the day completely off, I wanted to at least get in something, so I just did a quick 2 mile walk on the north side by Bobby’s office. After 27 days, and a killer two weeks, I wanted to give myself a day to rest and recuperate. Particularly my toe… I will be up front, this is the same toe that had the nail fall off last year from all of the running that I did. While I know that that sounds super gross, it’s really not that big of a deal! Anyway, it’s been bothering me the last two days, and after last night’s 8 mile run, I thought maybe I had snagged it on my sock. That’s not exactly the case, though… I have a blister under the nail bed. Ouch! Ouch! And Triple Ouch!!!! I drained the blister last night before bed, but it was so painful at 2am that I had to get up and take some Tylenol AND ice it. I am grateful to Angie Peters for talking me through what I can do to push through it and heal it up. Hopefully, I should see some improvement by tomorrow, but in the meantime, I am going to enjoy my night off with the girls. We are heading to Hacienda and to catch a movie! I think I am going to go with the Fry-yi-yi (waffle fries and cheese). I thought the burrito bowl would be way fewer calories…. It’s not, and it doesn’t taste half as good as the fries. So I will own those extra 100 calories and enjoy my reward for hitting 100 miles in two weeks. In case you were interested, though, you can find their entire nutritional listings at: http://haciendafiesta.com/images/downloads/nutrition-2012.pdf. So yeah to FRI! Yeah to hitting goals! And yeah to the upcoming weekend! Have a great one, and more to come tomorrow…
Day 27: April 24, 2013- I’m lovin’ it!!!
Day 27: 6.03 miles today, Miles to go: 805.22… Not a ton of miles, but inching closer to my 200 milestone as well as my 100 mile in two week mini-goal (that one has 8 miles to go and is running ahead of schedule). Chilly afternoon, and even colder evening. With that being said, I thought I would share some cold weather walking tips that I looked up. I bring up this topic because of an injury I sustained a few years ago. After a few years away from running, I decided to try and train for the spring half marathon. I started JAN 1 that year with walking a few miles and worked up eventually to six mile morning runs by APR of that year. What I didn’t realize that because I was not stretching well enough for the cold weather, I was actually damaging my right hip. Eight months, one surgery, and a lot of physical therapy later, we finally had an answer to what was causing all of my pelvic/abdominal area pain. So this topic is near and dear to my heart, and with the flux of cold weather still peppered into the warmer temps we are experiencing, I just want to make sure anyone attempting to reach their spring fitness goals is “walking into” their exercise routines with both eyes open!!! So here is what I found that I hope might help all of us…
“• Allow at least 10 minutes to warm up. When it’s cold, your heart and muscles need more time to get ready.
• Wear a scarf or mask loosely over your nose and mouth to prevent the sting of icy cold air when you inhale. This is especially important if you have asthma or heart problems.
• Choose shoes with lugged soles for traction, and buy an inexpensive pair of ski or walking poles to help keep your balance. (The poles will also help you burn extra calories because your upper body is getting a workout too.)
• Take your workout indoors if you’d be risking frostbite (temperatures around -20 degrees F, including any windchill), if it’s icy, or if you’d encounter dangerous traffic.
Dress for success When you step outside, you should feel slightly chilled but not cold. During your workout, you want to feel warm, not hot and sweaty. That means you need to dress in layers so that you can take them off or put more on as needed. Here are the basics of layering: An inner layer made of synthetic fabric such as CoolMax to wick sweat away so you stay dry A middle, or insulating, layer (or two) of light-weight fleece fabric such as Polartec to keep you warm An outer layer of waterproof, breathable fabric such as Gore-Tex to buffer you from the elements and let sweat escape; and Don’t forget a hat, gloves, and sunscreen!”
From: http://www.prevention.com/term/cold-weather-and-winter-walking
You can also find cold weather stretching tips at: http://www.runningincoldweather.com/stretching-for-cold-weather-running
On a different note, last night’s run left me famished this morning, but I knew that I had a BNI 1-to-1 at 11:30 at Panera, so I was determined to hold off until then. In the meantime, it was apples and and almonds and a great big Diet Coke from McDonalds. With that being said, walking into McDonalds with its yummy smells this morning was challenging. So in lieu of ordering the biscuits and gravy that I was coveting, I thought I would share what you can get at McDonalds for under 400 calories… my favorite of which is the two apple packets for $1. At 15 calories a packet, you can’t go wrong!!!
http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/food/meal_bundles/favoritesunder400.html
p.s. Kudos to McDonalds for adding their calorie count to their menu board!!! As they say, “I’m lovin’ it!”
Day 22: April 19, 2013- packed day, super tired
Day 22: 5.98 miles today, Miles to go: 859.77… Super tired. Wore out from the Cooper birthday party thing with wrangling 7 kiddos on top of an overly busy day! It’s already past 11, and I have another packed day tomorrow. Will have lots more to report after the super exciting Rockin River City Ride, so will write more then… we’ll see if the kids and I can last the whole 25K bike ride or if we’ll have to cut off early. Either way, I need to get my walking (there will be no running for a bit with my quad injury and now my knee bothering me again from MON’s fall) in as well, so it will be quite a calorie burning day! Can’t wait for tomorrow!!!
Day 14: April 11, 2013- rainy day + migraine could not slow me down
Day 14: 3 mile walk with Bobby (2+ miles done with hand weights), Miles to go: 925.31… Rainy day with BNI and some time spent up at the hospital with a friend, so wasn’t able to get out midday like I have been doing. Rainy day also equaled a raging migraine that I am trying fight through with the help of a Maxalt. Three miles are better than no miles, though, so will shoot to make up the difference over the next few days. Productive day otherwise. Got my Chef Spotlight done for News4U’s May issue, took the kids to the dentist, wrapped up a SMILE grant document, and am midway through a State Farm project for the office. Next up is a quick dinner (100 calorie baked salmon) and about an hour’s worth of work on my new art room in progress…
On a different note, I have been having a number of conversations with Bobby about healthier eating. I have come to the conclusion that migraines and lack of sleep can often be my undoing. Carbs and sugars for me have always been a crutch to fuel a late night of work or to take my mind off of the pain of a headache. Candy for me is a very slippery slope. I looked at the calories in a Twizzler the other day (30), and part of me could reason that 30 calories would not blow my whole calorie count for the day, but 1 Twizzler can turn into 2, which can turn into 10 very easily (same with Starbursts, Lemonheads, Jelly Bellies, etc. I love the fruit candies and also have an affinity for Reeses Peanut Butter Cups). So I have been trying to avoid candy and sweets altogether. The Easter candy still lingering on the counter is a daily reminder how hard I am trying to not eat it, though.
So what do I eat and drink? My morning usually starts with a large diet Coke (generally my only one of the day). Then for the rest of the day I try and only drink diet green tea and water. Given enough of any of those three drinks, I can feel pretty full for the majority of the day. I snack on almonds every few hours and occasionally throw in an apple or two throughout the day. For dinner I eat 1- 100 calorie salmon, which gives me a very lean protein that is high in omega-3 (for other health benefits of salmon, check out: http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/6-health-benefits-of-salmon.html). If I’m hungry while dinner cooks or mid-evening, I have been eating a small (equivalent of 100-150 calories) piece of Colby jack cheese. I try not to eat past 8 or 9 at night unless we get home late and that’s the earliest I can eat supper. The salmon can taste a little spicy, so I sometimes end my meal with a small glass of diet (no calorie) Root Beer, just for a little bit of a sweet taste to end the night. Beyond that, it’s water for the rest of the evening.
As I begin to up my miles (next week’s mini-goal is 50 miles in 7 days starting on SUN), I’ll have to watch my calorie intake in relation to what I burn. I anticipate dropping weight throughout this process, which will put me closer to my overall goal. In the meantime, the changes that I am already seeing in my body (legs and abs noticeably firming up) make me happy!
Day 7- April 4, 2013- lesson learned
Day 7: 2.01 early morning run from the house, Miles to go: 963.86… Wish I could have went farther today, but learned my lesson that if I don’t eat enough protein throughout the day, my energy is zapped by evening. Had good intentions to run after my wedding group meeting, but lesson learned- a too low of a protein day will yield a tired Nikki by the end of the day. First stop tomorrow… Target for almonds and diet green tea!
Day 5, April 2, 2013- busy day, but still squeezed in some miles
Day 5: 2.55 cumulative miles walked, Starting points: my house and Bob’s office, Miles to go: 970.91… Chilly morning walk, but the afternoon one was much warmer. Busy evening then with a Junior League board meeting. Just got home and have to work on cleaning out the upstairs playroom in preparation for SAT’s estate/rummage sale… and so that this momma can repurpose the room into a functional art room for the kids and me!!! Definitely excited about the room makeover and the drafting table I am purchasing from a friend!!!
Day 4- April 1, 2013- Chilly walking day
Day 4: 5.52 cumulative miles walked, Starting points: my house and Bob’s office, Miles to go: 973.46… Much chillier out than it looked, but all of this walking and running will be great for Team Blonde practice for the upcoming Blondes vs. Brunettes Alzheimer’s Association charity football game this summer. Practices start this week… super excited!!!! Also have the upcoming Rockin River City Ride to look forward to in a few weeks and fingers crossed a June marathon.
Have to keep my notes short tonight, though. Off to see Kid Rock with some good friends!
1000 Mile Mom 