Day 28: April 25, 2013- What’s your carrot?!?

Day 28: 8.15 miles today, Miles to go: 797.07… An 8+ mile run tonight put me past 200 miles run in total, and it helped me hit my 100 miles/2 week goal two days early : ) With that being said, tonight I wanted to talk about having a carrot… what is that one thing you work towards when you work out? I use having a carrot for my large and my small goals, and for this latest milestone, if I could hit my 100/2 weeks goal early, I told myself I could order whatever I’d like off the menu at our Girls’ Night Out tomorrow. When I hit my big goal, I have something super exciting as well. Can’t share just yet, but details should surface around 700 or 800 miles. In the meantime, I encourage you to work towards your carrot… be it a little edible treat (for me, good days often= a small Frosty from Wendy’s), or if you prefer not to go with food, maybe treat yourself to a new book at Barnes & Noble or that shirt you’ve been eyeing at the department store. Whatever it is, pick those little rewards to give you motivation to keep putting one foot in front of the other!!! Now, I must bid you adieu… it is the first time that Scandal has been on in three weeks, and I have a Grey’s Anatomy/Scandal date night with the hubby!!! Later!

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 26: April 23, 2013- Half Marathon Run

Day 26: 18.49 miles today, Miles to go: 811.25… A-MA-ZING day!!! Weather and mood-wise, it started out kind of rocky. Spotty storms always put me in a crummy mood, but it was clear when I got out at 6:30am for 1 mile, and I did 4 miles mid-day in the middle of a small drizzle that eventually cleared up. I ended my evening with a half-marathon distance all over the east side of Evansville.

 

Also during that run I logged my fastest 5k and 10k distance according to my sport watch. A few things of note from that last run…A) always start out with your shoes tied well, preferably double knotted. I have been interrupting walks and runs lately to tie my shoes, but the simple step of checking to make sure that I had them double knotted gave me an interruption free run tonight. B) always be aware of your surroundings. One part of my run was on the backside of Wesselman Woods, where there was a man walking by himself and a separate car with a guy by himself. Do I really think either of them would harm me… no, but it never hurts to be too careful. So make sure that you carry a phone, your keys, or pepper spray (or all of the above) when you go out by yourself, or better yet, grab a friend to go with you! Same scenario towards the end of my run. It had already turned dark when I got back to the State Hospital grounds, and I ran the last two miles around the park by myself in the dark. In these situations, I prefer not to run with headphones, so that I can not only see what is going on around me, but so that I can hear as well. Aside from that, I think it’s about time to call it a night. Way ahead of schedule to hit 100 miles in 2 weeks, and already very close to my 200 mile milestone. I hope that you all had a wonderful day, and I look forward to sharing what I am up to tomorrow!

Day 20: April 17, 2013- damn that quad!!!

Day 20: 13.25  miles today, Miles to go: 868.85… A lot of smaller walks yielded a big distance for the day. Started out walking two miles with Dante and Maggie (well… Maggie only did a fraction of that, and I had to carry her most of the way) while we waited up at the vet office to open. Another almost two miles from the office in the a.m., and then a hot 4 mile walk mid-day. Nice that the weather has finally made a turn for the warm. I actually broke a sweat. Then ran 1+ miles before football practice, and finished out the night with a 3 mile walk, one mile of that with Bobby.

Football practice is always such a fun time, but I tweaked my left quad again… grr!  Natalie, who is our unofficial trainer person, gave me a great analogy to describe what I have done to my quad when I injured it on SUN and again tonight. I started out the practice well, but midway through a play, the sprint motion quick burst basically pulled apart what is like the equivalent of an internal scab on the inside of my leg that has been trying to heal the last few days. Disappointing that I can’t get in more practice of the plays, but this injury will dictate how fast I can get back into actually practicing. In the meantime, the goal is more stretching, more bananas for the potassium, and more water to stay hydrated.

Aside from that, I am really looking forward to the Junior League of Evansville/Evansville Morning Rotary Rockin River City Ride on SAT (www.RockinRiverCityRide.org). Need to get the bike out and dusted off, but think that the change of pace will be nice for my muscles, and the change of scenery will be good for the soul as well. The event has a variety of run/walk and biking options along Evansville’s beautiful Greenway, so the kids and I are going to try the 25K with a fellow Team Blonde teammate. I have some other people who joined my “team,” but they are doing different distances walking. The event is a Lets Move! event. Let’s Move! is a comprehensive initiative, launched by the First Lady, dedicated to solving the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation, so that children born today will grow up healthier and able to pursue their dreams. The event is also a great way to make an Upgrade commitment to yourself. For more information on the Upgrade campaign, visit: http://upgradenow.org/ For additional information on Lets Move! visit: http://www.letsmove.gov/

Now if ya’ll will excuse me. I need to ice my quad, then take a rolling pin to it (it was recommended?!?! I will be the first to admit that it looks really funny!), then shower and head to bed. Early day with BNI tomorrow!!! Later folks!

Day 18: April 15, 2013- Back on the saddle- part 2

Day 18: 10.53 miles today, Miles to go: 886.41… So apparently my quad isn’t near as angry with me today as it was last evening- thank goodness!!! I would totally cry if I had a repeat of last night’s football practice tightness and pain. Thankfully, instead, I was able to do a 4+ mile walk this afternoon, a 3+ mile walk with the wonderful Dr. Christine Verbeck out at the USI/Burdette trails, AND a three mile run tonight. The running is what I feel like is the biggest accomplishment of the day. I was going to be disappointed if my quad “tweak” as Bob called it (he said if it was a pull, there would be bruising) hindered my running. I can cut my times considerably and rack up more miles when I am able to run vs. walk, and tonight’s run actually had 11’27” pace that is a good early season time for me. But aside from all of that, today I have quite a bit more to talk about other than myself…

First off, I am super excited that Facebook friend and old high school colleague Beth has decided to try my 1000 mile challenge! I wish her the best of luck as she begins this journey!!! For anyone else interested, I encourage you to read my earlier blog posts for more details about the highs and lows of trying to walk/run 1000 miles in a given time frame (for me, as mentioned in previous posts, I am shooting for 6 months in what is my second time at this milestone goal- the first time I did it back in ’07, it was a goal time of 1 year, and I did it in a little over 8 months). Any questions or if you need any additional information, just let me know via email at: nikki@davisdigitalphotography.com!!!

Next, for the sake of capturing a moment in time, I was out walking my first 4 miles of the day when I got an email on my phone from my Aunt Sandy about the tragedy today at the Boston Marathon. My cousin Anna’s two friends were doing the race today, but they are OK. So I rushed back to turn on the news. What senseless violence!!! What is this world coming to that someone would as the reporter noted today perform such an act of violence at a time of the race that would cause “maximum damage”??? These families were waiting for their loved one to cross the race finish line. The runners were experiencing a bucket list item many of us could only dream of doing…. The big question is why? Why would someone or group of someones aim to cause such violence? We may never know, but I think it goes without saying that the nation will rally around Boston, and they are all in our thoughts and prayers tonight!

For more information on today’s events, visit: http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/15/us/boston-marathon-explosions/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Lastly, I wanted to report this touching bit of news reported by the NBC Sports Network via Twitter:

“Reports of Marathon Runners that crossed finish line and continued to run to Mass General Hospital to give blood to victims #PrayforBoston”

Whether or not this is true, I think we can all agree tonight we should all #PrayforBoston!!!

Day 17: April 14, 2013- The good news and the bad news

Day 17: 9.83 miles today, Miles to go: 897.14… The good news? I logged my first 100 miles today, which equals 1/10th of my goal already done- woo hoo! I didn’t think doing it in 16 days was too shabby- Yeah!!!… The bad news? I pulled my quad at Team Blonde football practice tonight! Icing my leg now, but can’t stress how important stretching is!!! Had a great 8 mile walk this morning with Debbie (no Cate today : ( She is still up at St. Mary’s with Jacob post-surgery), but I could tell as soon as we started doing sprints at the start of practice that something wasn’t quite right in my left thigh. Apparently that muscle is called your quad, and apparently according to my husband, while I am athletic and go long distances, I am not athletic in the football sense (short bursts of speed)… So what I am taking away from all this is that it sounds like I will have to work more sprint rotations into the mix once I get a good range of motion back in this leg.

Sitting in bed icing it now (speaking of which, I used to HATE the thought of icing an injury, now I welcome it… vey ironic!!!) and posting pics from practice. Since I wasn’t much use on the field, I tried to snap some great pics from the sidelines to help share what we go through to prepare for the event.

Most of you know that I have lost now over 60lbs since last year, and I was half tempted to show you a before and after pic, but for tonight I think I will just stick to sharing a fun photograph from this evening’s practice, which for me is a place where we not only get to learn the ropes of football, but we also get to support a great cause AND make some wonderful new friends (photographed with Crystal Elliott and Rose Lansink)!!!

With that being said, I still have wedding pics to put into an album, so I need to sign off to shower and work on those. Thank you to everyone who has started following my blog, and I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend!!!

Day 16: April 13, 2013- back on the saddle

Day 16: 11.4 miles today, Miles to go: 906.97… Long day, but  overall a good one. Started the day with a ten mile walk this morning to get me back on the saddle after last night’s fall. My knee was still a bit sore, but I think it’s more from the abrasion than an injury. Weeded the front yard, then prepared for an afternoon out and about town running kids and getting in another over a mile walk in. Ended the evening photographing the Alzheimer’s Association Making Memories Gala.

So you may wonder how I track my walks and runs… I use the Nike+ GPS Watch that Bobby gave me Mothers’ Day last year, and it has made all the difference!!!

Why do I like it about it?

• I can track my mileage down to the 1/100th of a mile
• It can track my calories burned as well as my elapsed time and pace.
• It also works as a watch, so I can check what time it is to make sure I get home in time.
• For my evening runs and walks, all I have to do is tap it once, and it is backlit- perfect to check out what I am doing (when I am not tripping all over myself like last night!).
• It makes sure that I am not cheating myself by cutting corners. My mile walks are not .90 or .95. They are full miles!!!
• Once I am done with a walk, I plug the watch into my computer and download it to my Nike+ account, which tracks my distances for that walk or run as well as my cumulative distance.
• Lastly, the Nike+ website and the watch give encouraging messages. When I finish a long run or milestone, the watch generally gives me a message right away. Other cumulative milestones or goals hit are recognized when you log into the website.

This GPS tracking watch has made all the difference in my goals since last year, and I highly recommend it!!!

So, with that being said, keep on keepin’ on, and have a great night! I myself am getting out of my high heel boots as soon as humanly possible (that I sported for the Alzheimer’s Association Making Memories Gala) so that I can ice both ankles and my knee, all three still sore from last night’s tumble!

Day 13: April 10, 2013- wish the dog would quit licking my leg!

Day 13: 5.36 miles today, Miles to go: 928.31… Was hoping for more distance today, but got caught up in a home quote at Bob’s office around 4:50, which had me late to football practice (we started learning plays tonight= super fun!!), which also ran over. That’s OK, though. I hit my 5 for the day after a 2 mile run once we got home, so I’m happy! Need to shower up, though, so Ozzie quits licking my leg- yuck! LOL!!! After that, going to work on the new art room till Bob gets home from umpiring. Aside from the day going by really fast, not too much new or exciting happened. Looking forward to the Alzheimer’s Association gala this SAT, but have a bunch of SMILE, school, League and other stuff to tackle in the meantime. Makes me grateful for the time to get out and exercise…. sometimes silence is not only golden, it lets you strategize how you plan to tackle your day (or in my case evening)!

Day 11- April 8, 2013- need to get my butt in gear

Day 11: 5.12 miles walked, Miles to go: 941.01… Two miles walked with Cooper by West Terrace while we waited for Mia to get done with Student Leadership, two miles walked by myself when I got home from ART SMART, and then got to walk the last mile with my fabulous hubby! Great way to end the day spending some quality time with Bob. On a fun note, ART SMART went awesome, the kids and I got to visit Jacob Sisco up at the hospital, and I won Jonas Brothers tickets from my friends at KISS 106.1- Cooper is super excited for what will be his first concert ever (Mia has already been to Hannah Montana and Papa Roach- LOL on her eclectic taste!). So blessed to have such an amazing, crazy, busy, super fun family!!!

What I do need to work on is getting up early in the mornings to walk… is it that it’s not quite light out yet? Is it the temp? Need to figure out what the hang-up is…. I think part of the issue is not quite getting enough sleep still. Need to work on that, and need to get into the habit of getting up early, but it is oh so hard!!! Subgoal- by the end of next week, I want to consistently be up early daily. Let’s see if I can do it! Wish me luck ; )

Day 10- April 7, 2013- What a better day!!!! Walking + Football= YEAH!

Day 10: 5.02 miles walked, Miles to go: 946.13… SUN 6am challenge with Cate Sisco this morning out at the USI-Burdette trail. Also had football practice tonight. Wow! Are my arms sore?!?! Legs feel great, thanks to the pre-conditioning. I have to comment, though, that tonight I feel like I have come full circle. It was last year at this time that Holly Dunn Pendleton asked me to play on Team Blonde for the Blondes vs. Brunettes charity football game for the Alzheimer’s Association. That was the start of my 60lb weight loss when I started conditioning to play for the team last year. So thank you Holly for being my spark! The last year has yielded an amazing change in my life, and I look forward to this latest physical challenge and this year’s BvB game!!! GO TEAM BLONDE!!!