Drop the Donut! My Troubles With Weight.

If you recall, one of my main reasons for starting to run was weight. It wasn't my top reason but it's still something rather important for me. I will start off by saying I realize I'm not obese, and I'm probably only just barely overweight by the BMI chart. However, I do have some jiggle and squishie bits, and I sure would love to fit back into some of those clothes still waiting patiently in my closet.

When did this battle start? Like most people I can probably blame college for that. Back when I met my husband Aaron in 2009, I weighed about 135. That's why it's always my "get back to" weight. I considered myself an adult then, I don't aim for a teenage body and I still had enough curves that I was pleased.

Me in summer of 2009. Aw look the pasty girl got a sunburn at the beach... imagine.

After this picture was taken I still had two years of graphic design program to get through. If any of you know art school in general, you know this means late nights, no sleep, terrible food, no time for anything but art...

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Why yes, I did just spend 2 hours going thru Art Student Owl Tumbr. That owl kicks butt. Anyway, not the healthiest life choices made in that time. I did try to be healthy at some point by eating whole bags of Dole Salad Kits for lunches... Mmm hmm. Well needless to say during my time in the graphic design program my 135 lbs eventually became 164 lbs. I don't think I even really realized it until first, I could find no fancy clothes to wear to our mock portfolio reviews. Second, when I saw this picture.

That's me on the left, spring 2011.

The sad thing is, I suppose, that when I left the house that morning I remember I thought I looked really cute. Not after I saw this picture. The picture was taken at my friends bridal shower. She got married in April that year and my wedding was to be in August. After that picture was posted I knew I had to do something, and quick!

I believe I tried working out first. Joined a gym but that was short lived. I fell back on a soup diet. All canned soup all the time, and when my stomach protested too much I would snack on 100 calories worth of sourdough pretzel nuggets. I was not a happy camper but I got down to 151 before the wedding.

Defend the dress! Photo by The Wiebners

It wasn't perfect but I was happy I'd dropped 13 lbs. I was able to maintain that weight for a good two years until my husband and I moved into our own house. I went up to 157. I decided that wasn't good and got an app called MyFitnessPal. I really like this app. I counted calories very diligently for a while and was able to get down to about 146 before Halloween last year. Yay! ... Then I guess the holidays happened and before I knew it I was right back to 157. That's when Billie asked me to run with her and as I was pretty tired of calorie counting I figured that would be a good method to lose weight.

Nope. Lost nothing. In fact I went up. 157. 158. 159.... I was like no no no I know I could be gaining muscle but no! Nothing fits better! I tried to eat healthier. Veggies, fruits, smoothies made of almond milk, frozen fruit, greek yogurt and spinach... 160, 161, 162... No no no! I felt like a toddler most mornings yelling at my scale.

Finally I thought I'd give Focus T25 a try. I actually enjoyed it. I got some muscles sore, I got my heart rate up, I felt like I was doing good for my body... but after 3 weeks I saw no results at all scale and clothing wise and was just plain EXHAUSTED all the time. I decided to quit the T25 until I was finished training for the half marathon. I feel like running out in the heat and then coming home to push myself with T25 was just draining all the energy I had.

Around the beginning of June I hit 164 again. I was not ok with that. Billie suggested a diet to me which is basically healthy eating. Eat veggies, fruits, nuts for snacks. Don't eat much/any wheat products. Eat lean meat such as fish and chicken with a fibrous carb... like rice? Or beans? I am not sure what counts as what, but I know I had a lot of chicken and rice at first. I completely cut out Diet Coke from my diet which makes me a very sad panda. It's been my drink of choice since I can remember. Just talking about it now makes me want some of its caffeinated goodness. Sigh. First week, no loss. Then second week, suddenly I was 158.9. Oh gosh, yay, under 160! ... I stayed at exactly 158.9 for a week. How can I be EXACTLY .9 for a week?? Lies. That scale lies. After the second week I cheated on a Friday. I ate a cheese steak wrap and fries, and a hot dog and a cookie. Not all at once mind you, but all in one day. So much diet cheating. Saturday I was still 158.9 but then Sunday? 157.8! WOO HOO! .... And stayed exactly there for 2 weeks. So much eating good food. Such lame. Much sad. By the end of the 4th week of eating really well I was getting pretty annoyed by the slowwwww loss and decided to get a bag of Doritos. I had maybe 20? The scale went back up to 159.2. What the.... Dude. Eating 20 chips does not equal over a lb of weight. Well the day after that I was 160 again. AUGH. What?

So that's where I am currently. Cheat one time, lose almost 2 lbs. Cheat a second time, gain 3 lbs. Don't quote me on that math, I'm very math deficient. I've been 159 the past 2 days and I'm hoping that now that I'm more or less injury free (knock on wood!) and able to really train for this half marathon, I'll start losing again. Good diet and exercise, that should lose me some weight, right? .... Right?

Anyway I leave you with more Art Student Owl because he's awesome.

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Running in Intervals: A Trial

It has been a week and a day since my last attempt at running. My blisters are healed up to annoying calluses, my hip/thigh/'whatever the doctor has decided is giving me pain' hasn't hurt or even irritated me since Monday's doctor appointment and I've been dying to try out a true run with intervals.

I was reading over at Sparkly Runner all about how she's been training the Jeff Galloway method. I believe at the time of the post I read she was running a 30:30 interval - running 30 seconds and walking 30 seconds.

I've already learned that at least for now, there's no way I'm running a race straight through. I have to take walk breaks anyway, so I may as well try 30:30, right? What do I have to lose? We shouldn't feel bad walking, according to Galloway. A couple of the draws for me, which he lists on his website, include "less stress on 'weak links'" and heaven knows I have plenty of those, and "reduce core body temperature" which seems like a good thing in this summer heat. Walk breaks "speed you up an average of 7 minutes faster in a 13.1 mile race." They "erase fatigue" and "push back your wall of exhaustion." They "reduce the chance of aches, pain and injury" and "speed recovery." None of this sounds bad to me!

I got myself home after work tonight and laced up the shoes. There wasn't going to be much daylight left so I decided on my 3.1 mile route. I opened up my intervals app, so creatively named "Intervals" and set it for 30:30. I then set up my music and started walking to sync my GPS watch.

And there were no pings or dings alerting me to switch. I believe my phone had been buzzing to alert me when it hit 30 seconds, but I never felt it at a slow walk, I'd certainly never feel it at a run. The app is SO SIMPLE that I don't think I missed how to make it alert me while it's not the active program but given the amount of daylight I had left, I decided just to count it out in my head. For the next 46 minutes all I thought about was 1, 2, 3, 4.....

It's possible I could have sped up and slowed down how quickly I was counting, I'm not really certain. And a couple of times I got so distracted also trying to think other things that I found myself into the 40's before I remembered to switch. But overall I kept to the 30:30 schedule.

My verdict? I'm a bit disappointed. Now, it could be because I haven't run in a week. It could be because 3.1 isn't that much to judge by. It could be because I was counting it all out in my head - but my time didn't impress me. It was much better than other runs this month but overall I'm not proud to say it took me 46:50 to go 3.1 miles. My average pace was 15'04". I did have a negative split for the second mile which was cool, but the last mile was back into the 15 minute mile range. Blast!

In addition to the time, I'm also discouraged over my hip/thigh. Once again it started to bother me about half way through my run, though I haven't had a chance tonight to take the Mobic the doctor prescribed me. Perhaps next time, but I didn't want to take it on an empty stomach and I certainly didn't want to eat prior to running.

So the app let me down, I didn't like the time I made, and my hip started hurting. BUT! I did like this method. I felt less wiped out, I didn't get nearly as out of breath as usual and my calves didn't tighten up the way they're prone to. And! I even ran up some hills! Oh my! So I will definitely be attempting this method again.

Less stress on the “weak links”

Principles behind Run Walk Run:

• Continuous use of a muscle will result in quicker fatigue
• The longer the run segment, the more fatigue
• Run Walk Run is a form of interval training
• Conservation of resources
• Quicker recovery
• Less stress on the “weak links”
• Ability to enjoy endorphins
• Reduce core body temperature
- See more at: http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/run-walk/#sthash.ziXh1v8x.dpuf

• Speed you up: an average of 7 minutes faster in a 13.1 mile race when non-stop runners
shift to the correct Run Walk Run ratio – and more than 13 minutes faster in the marathon
• Give you control over the way you feel during and after
• Erase fatigue
• Push back your wall of exhaustion or soreness
• Allow for endorphins to collect during each walk break
• Break up the distance into manageable units
• Speed recovery
• Reduce the chance of aches, pains and injury
• Allow older or heavier runners to recover fast, and feel as good as in the younger (slimmer) days
• Activate the frontal lobe – maintaining your control over attitude and motivation
- See more at: http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/run-walk/#sthash.bG9wiOlY.dpuf

• Speed you up: an average of 7 minutes faster in a 13.1 mile race when non-stop runners
shift to the correct Run Walk Run ratio – and more than 13 minutes faster in the marathon
• Give you control over the way you feel during and after
• Erase fatigue
• Push back your wall of exhaustion or soreness
• Allow for endorphins to collect during each walk break
• Break up the distance into manageable units
• Speed recovery
• Reduce the chance of aches, pains and injury
• Allow older or heavier runners to recover fast, and feel as good as in the younger (slimmer) days
• Activate the frontal lobe – maintaining your control over attitude and motivation
- See more at: http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/run-walk/#sthash.bG9wiOlY.dpuf

We're Off To See The Doctor!

So after a spring and early summer filled with ooches and ouches, I finally went for a visit with the doctor today. My original reason was to get a referral for physical therapy, but I was hopeful that this doctor could tell me what I'm doing wrong without making more visits.

The short answer? Nope.

My mom accompanied me on this visit. I prefer to have company. Someone to talk to while I wait, ask questions I don't think of, and remember what they tell me. She's never objected so I keep asking her along.

The nurse who checked us in added an inch to my height. I've been 5'4" for as long as I can remember - where'd that extra inch come from? Must be all the chiropractor visits. She asked me a bunch of questions and took my pulse (84) and blood pressure (124/74). They also calculated my BMI (Body Mass Index) to be 26.63. In case you aren't too familiar (and I had to look it up myself) that puts me in the overweight range. Peachy. I've been there for a while now but every time I hear it I get a bit angry with it. One day I'll be back in their normal range! Here is a handy dandy BMI calculator if you're interested in that, but I warn you, just like a number on a scale you can become obsessed with your BMI. Are you active? Are you healthy? Then keep working towards your goal and don't look at the number.

When the doctor came in she asked if I was having trouble with my knee. Nope, that was March. I explained that I was there mostly for a referral but hoped she could give me some answers. I told her my most recent pain was the thigh/groin so she focused her attention on that. She asked me when it hurts most (Getting out of the car, and mornings, it's like I walk into work like Frankenstein!), if it stops hurting after it's had a good warm up (more or less, except for last Saturday when it felt like grinding), she asked if I stretch good before my runs (I do). She also asked how often/far I run. I tried to give a good estimate but with the injuries it's hard to do. Eventually we settled on "I run 3 miles Saturday and 6 miles Sunday" - she told me to spread out the runs a little better. Maybe take 3 days in between each run, and add only 10% distance each time. She said, "That means if you usually run 5 blocks, run 6 blocks the next time."

She had me push against her with either leg, she moved my leg around and asked, "Does this hurt?" No. "Does this hurt?" Nope.... My injuries come and go and currently, while I can notice a discomfort in my thigh it's really not a pain at all. I did my best to describe this and added that most of my trouble had been lifting the leg/getting it to move out of the car.

My mom pointed out the healing blisters on my feet. Oops, I'd forgotten about those! The doctor asked about my shoes which I had thoughtfully brought along. I attempted to explain that I have two pairs and switch off between them but she was busy telling me that my pink Transcendence, the pair she picked up first, are probably worn out. I've been running since February, yes, but not that much a week, and not always in the same shoe. For the first few weeks I had New Balance shoes that I'd dug out of the closet... I think the Transcendence are ok for a little while. I don't believe Nike has them tallied to even 100 miles yet. She also said something about socks (Which I can't remember so let's pretend she asked, "Do you wear socks?") and I mentioned I'd tried all sorts of socks trying to find something that won't lead to a blister. She didn't suggest anything new there either.

In the end her recommendation was, "I think physical therapy is a good idea." .... Sigh. Me too. She prescribed an anti-inflammatory, Mobic (Meloxicam) that I'm to take once a day for a week, and after that only as needed. As she was searching for stretches in her computer database to print out for me, a thought occurred. She never actually said what she thought was wrong with the leg. "Did I sprain it or something?" "Yes, you seem to have," she responded. Sigh again. The brief I received on the way out states "Hip Sprain, Right, Initial encounter." Well ok then.

At least it's not a femoral neck stress fracture, right?

Race Day: Superhero 5K 2014

Yay another race!

Our second ever race was the Superhero 5K on June 21st in Landisville, PA. The race was to benefit CASA:

CASA is a non-profit organization that provides court appointed volunteer advocacy for abused and neglected children with a belief that all children deserve safe, nurturing, and permanent homes.

The morning started out rather rainy, though we could see blue skies off in the distance. Costumes were encouraged so Billie and I decided to dress up as Super Rainbow Dash and Super Fluttershy. Yep. We're Bronies. Or is that Pegasister? I don't know, we like My Little Pony and we're not afraid to say it! But we aren't on a creeper level, promise. It's just really cute. 

Billie on the way in her cute wig (she made herself!) and goggles.

Our second 5K! We're not nervous at all...

Billie's husband Brian came along to this race and my husband Aaron met us there minutes before we had to line up. Again I didn't get to do much stretching but I tried my best without being "that obnoxious person stretching in line." I was determined to run slow so that I could run longer but it didn't really work out that way. We made one lap around the high school track and by the end of it I wanted to walk SO BAD. Then it was out into the town.We had our fastest mile yet, 13'54". Whee! I kept trying to run/walk like usual and Billie kept up no problem. Actually, it was me that was falling behind. She was nice though and stopped/started running when I did. Around the half way point the rain made its comeback as well. It really wasn't a downpour but we ended up pretty wet. The second mile was 15'30". The third was 14'36". Around 2.5 miles Aaron appeared with his camera and took some shots for us. 

Waving to Aaron. I was so happy to have him there for support!

Our costumes from the back.

Once we were almost back to the high school track again Brian found us and took some photos of his own. 

Billie saying, "Come on Steph, we're almost there!"

And then I was done. Yes, I walked to the finish.

Billie kept trying to push me to run. Run run run! Run to the finish! I was proud of her progress but I just couldn't make it! After running up the street, up the track, I just had no more left. In fact I was half certain I'd throw up, so I stopped and walked. I did end up trotting/jogging across the finish line just to make a show of it but yeah nope. Billie kept turning around to encourage me on and I waved for her to finish. You get that record, Billie! GO BILLIE, GO! Per my Nike Sportwatch I finished the 5K in 46:15, about 4 minutes better than in Philly. Granted, in Philly I forgot to stop my watch so I believe it was closer to 3 minutes better, but that's still some improvement, and if I can keep up that pace for Disney I'll be golden! Nevermind that Disney will be 10 miles further than this race... 

We found a little Princess Celestia!

Superdog! Very well trained.

We finished our second 5K! YEAH!

Injury Report: Thigh? Groin?

This injury is the one that finally convinced me to see the doctor. I head to that appointment tomorrow.

It started... oh... a month ago? I'm actually not entirely sure when but I know it's hung on longer than any of the previous injuries (aside from blisters which come and go).

At first I believed it was just a stiff leg. Really? Running since February, injured here there and everywhere, and now I get the stiff muscles? I believe it was right after I started adding more distance to my weekend runs. It could have been caused by the added hills along my path.... who knows really!

Anyway the stiffness/pain seemed to be located around my Sartorius muscle. I tried to google some stretches that would be good for that and most of them scared me. It looks like I'll pop the leg out of the joint if I try! So for the most part I just ignored it, tried some really deep lunges prior to runs, and hoped for the best.

The best didn't come. The more I tried to run on it, the more if felt like my leg just didn't actually want to support me. I was partially afraid I'd fall into traffic if I ran out along the main road. Well that's no good! My weekly runs suffered thanks to the pain and fear of falling. Ironically this was right as my 20 week training schedule was starting, so I started out training behind in the milage. Oh dear... 3 miles instead of 5? 2 instead of 3? Sure why not. But the leg just wasn't getting any better. I decided well, every other injury seemed to get better if I just took a week off. I started skipping week day runs all together, which wasn't very hard to do considering how darn HOT it was those weeks.

It didn't let up. In fact, some mornings the stiffness seemed even worse than on mornings after I'd run. I didn't know what to do and pretty much just decided to run weekends until it stopped.

Last weekend was the final straw. I ran on Saturday... or rather, attempted to run for maybe the first mile, then walked the rest as my leg felt like it was grinding in my hip joint. This time it didn't feel like a generalized Sartorius area, it felt like exactly where thigh meets hip. I pointed to the spot for dad and he said "groin pull"... so it could be that maybe but I'm not sure? Anyway I made the mistake of googling (again, who needs professionals?) "groin pain running" and came up with an article which said the lady in it had a femoral neck stress fracture. Of course, I then had to google that and goodness, the pictures were disturbing! They are mainly all artist renderings of fractures, and in my mind I know that can't be what is wrong with me considering I'm not in extreme pain, but it still scared me enough to say ok you know what? That's enough. I'll go see the doctor. It took them a week to have an opening but I finally get to see her tomorrow. Woo!

I did run on Wednesday (see previous blog about the blisters!) and though we ran for maybe .45 of a mile (I told you I suck, that's a lot for me!) straight the thigh surprisingly didn't bother me too bad. I did notice it but it was nowhere near the grinding I felt on Saturday. It's been hard the last couple of days to notice anything other than the blister pain but I do still notice a faint stiff feeling when I get up and down, shift my weight or try and roll over in bed. So as much as I want the pain to stop, I'm glad it hasn't disappeared before I get to see the doctor about it.

Injury Report: Blisters

Blisters, you nasty little buggers.

I'm not entirely sure when my blister trouble started. I believe some time after the Philly Run Wild, hence this blogs placement. The majority of my blisters have been on the back of my right foot, on the heel. I've tried a lot to try and make them stop and so far nothing seems to be a permanent solution.

Bandages
I've tried every bandage I can think of - Water poof bandages, sports bandages, liquid bandages, hydrocolloid bandages... nothing stays put on my foot! By the end of the first mile (and sometimes sooner than that) the bandage has all but worked its way out of my sock. I keep putting them on there though in hopes one day they'll stick and keep me blister free.

Shoes
I thought MAYBE since everyone keeps saying "maybe it's the shoes" that maaaaaybe just maybe it could be the shoes. I got a second pair of running shoes to try / break in for my Disney race (and uh, these match my planned costume too). They're Brooks PureConnect 2. Brooks makes a 3 now but I got the 2 based on price and reviews. Again, who needs a professional, online shopping is good for shoes, right? Thankfully they seem to fit. They're a bit snug but actually I think they MAY be better for blister prevention. They still need a little breaking in and the balance is a little different in them than I'm used to, but I have heard that alternating between shoes can help with injury prevention.

Socks
I've tried a few different socks to try and keep my feet dry. My original socks were some generic athletic socks from Kmart. Acrylic I believe. Since those seemed to not work for me, I've moved on to try nylon, bamboo, polyester (Dr. Scholl's BlisterGuard socks) and as of yesterday I acquired some wool. I haven't gotten to try those out though, as I'm waiting on my current blisters to heal. Yeah, these last blisters were quite a doozy.

Billie and I went out on our trail on Wednesday. We planned to go 6 miles this night, which we did, though the majority of it turned into a walk rather than a run. Boo.

Happy to be outside in the sunshine after a long day in the office!

We followed our trail twice as it's only just barely 3 miles once around. After our first lap I could tell my feet weren't all that pleased but I wanted to keep going. The weather was absolutely gorgeous! By the time we got back after our 6th mile I knew my feet would be trouble. I de-shoed and de-socked before even getting back into my car. Oh hi there half dollar coin sized blisters! Woops.

Click to see all of its blistery goodness!

Sorry squeamish people, if anyone knows how to make that a link only I'll hide it... till then I made it super tiny so you can hopefully just overlook it if you choose.

I only included the left foot on here but it looks the same on both feet. Matching blisters. Sweeeet... and the white spot in the middle is a previous blister. I have blisters on my blisters! I am guessing that it was a compromised area to start with and that's how it ended up so bad after just 6 miles. I've been hobbling around since Wednesday but they're mostly ok to walk on now (Sunday). I've discovered I love Moleskin. I make little donuts of them and stick them around the blisters. It doesn't hurt quite as much with it on. In fact, I managed to walk practically normal last night (albeit rather slow) at an outdoor concert! Whee normal!

So that's the majority of my current problem. Obviously I can't run with half dollar coin sized blisters on the balls of my feet, so I'm taking some time off again. I go see a doctor tomorrow (yes, I finally gave in after 6 months) to see what she can tell me about my injuries. I'll keep you posted!

Race Day: Philly Run Wild 2014

After three blog posts about injuries, let's jump to something a little more fun, shall we?

Race day!

Billie and I ran our first ever 5K on April 27th, the Philly Run Wild at the Philadelphia Zoo. We got up bright and early to start out 1.5 hour drive down the turnpike. We got there with little issue (there were some wrong turns into scary neighborhoods but we made it!) and got our bibs. Our first bibs!

See how excited we are!

 Since I haven't been at this blog for long, I'll tell you that's me on the right. Billie gave me the pretty running tank I wore that day, it's rainbow parrots. Birdies! We entered the waiting area and got ready to run. Mostly we just paced around and peeked at the peacocks in the trees. This is where I mentioned before that nerves got to me and I never got around to stretching prior to my run. Oh dear... Once they told us to line up the road became very congested. The family behind us kept trying to take pictures which is all fine and good, who doesn't love a photo? But seriously man, if you're going to be all up in my business and invading my personal space then at least say excuse me... I don't mean usual crowded "invading my space" either. This guy was backing into us to get far away enough to take his picture without ever checking where he was going. Say excuse me and all is forgiven but he didn't even seem to care who or what was behind him. Sigh. Ancient history, I know, I'm over it, but please friends let's be polite to other runners!

Anyway the race started and I ran for the most continuous running streak I've done since running 4 minutes on the treadmill. Seriously outside running is much harder than treadmill running! We ran and panted and finally stopped for a walk break right before the Cheetah enclosure. The Cheetahs were up and about already that morning and one was dashing back and forth with the runners as they passed. Adorable! We didn't stop to take any photos of them though, as that would have required some yanking and pulling of phones out of their pouches. Need to make note of that for Disney, perhaps hold my phone or figure out some easier to access pouch. We ran as much as we could and walked when we couldn't run any more. At this time (meaning April) I had a little more endurance than Billie had, so I lead the way for most of our race and would occasionally peek behind me and encourage her to keep catching up. There are a deceptive amount of hills in the Philly Zoo! We weaved through the zoo and out along the road, back behind the zoo then back in the way we'd come. After we passed the Cheetahs again I realized my knee was starting to bother me. "No no no, I'm ignoring you!" I thought. Yeah, nope. We started running to cross the finish line and I had to stop and walk short of our goal. Billie pulled ahead to make sure she got a 5K record. I don't mind it, she did good! My finishing time per my Nike Sportwatch was 51:18, though I did forget to turn it off for a minute after we'd finished. "I finished a race! Didn't I have to do something now?"

Me showing off my bib again post race.

Billie post race. "Whew, we did it!"

Celebratory friendly post race shot.

They had some free massages for first come first serve. That creeped me out a little bit so we didn't do that. We did grab some of the free food though. I had a "Kind" bar, a little baggie of chips and some water. I had actually been hoping for a post race banana but I think all of the fast runners gobbled them up before we got there. 

See now this is where I have to tell you.... we came in something like 800th place. I forget exactly, I'm certain I could look it up if I really cared but I don't - it wasn't ever about which place we came in. It was about getting out there, running with a friend, and crossing the finish line. AND, we got to see cute animals to boot. So if you suck at running? Sign up for that 5K anyway. You can do it!

Here are some more pictures from the day.

Mr. Lion chilling in the morning sunshine.

Me feeding the Lorikeets.

Billie feeding the Lorikeets.

The view from Billie's phone in the above photo.

Rawr! One of my favorite Billie photos!