Better than me...

Today I ran next to a runner who looked like she was probably a better runner than me. She was running at 8.6 for most of the time and she ran just as long if not a little longer than I did. I ran at 8.0 miles per hour and limited my stopping to 2 or 3 times (to get water....short stops) and I pushed to 9 miles instead of just 8. For the most part I am usually the only one I can see around that is running as fast and for as long so to run next to someone who is better makes me challenge myself a little more. It was great. I will look for her again next time.

5 day breaks=not good!

So we traveled a lot this weekend.... a lot is an understatement.... over 24 hours of driving! Kevin got married and it was great (more details on my family blog). Taking a 5 day break from running wasn't the greatest thing for me, but it was eating all junk food that really killed me! I still don't eat sweets, but that didn't save me from gaining back 6 of the 9 pounds I took over a month to lose! I was sooooo extremely disappointed, but I should have know by the way I was feeling from over eating and consuming so much junk. I really wish I would have paid more attention to eating healthy while we were there as well as get a few short runs in while we were at different hotels. I will definitely never make this mistake again. It has been such a hard working month and to just blow it in a few days makes me so completely mad at myself! Come on really 6 pounds in 5 days!!! Yuck!!!
Let's just say I challenged my body and ate really good yesterday.... our first day back!
10 hard miles on the treadmill at home
60 lunges, 60 ab wheel, 40 push ups
mostly fruits and veggies to eat all day, and small amount of spaghetti for dinner.... I am back and feeling better already

Sprint work out

Today I decided that I want to sign up for a triathlon at the end up September. It is called the Nathan triathlon and it is at the Tempe town lake. So when I went to the gym today after dropping Keilah off at Preschool I decided to see how fast I could run a 5k. I started out by running 1.5 miles in 10 minutes and then I slowed down my pace a bit and finished 3.2 miles (5k) in 21:30. I wanted to get to 6 miles for the day so I kept running and did my 5th mile at 9.0 miles per hour and finished 6 miles total in 42:15. Not too bad, and it was a great run! I listened to my ipod the whole time.... no reading today. It's harder to read while I am doing the speed workouts because I need to focus on my performance.
After running I went downstairs and did some weight lifting. I did 4 sets of squats 12 times with only 35lbs on each side.... so 115 pounds total. I did some bench press with 10s on the bar, I did some bicep curls with a 40lb bar, and some other ab things. I used to squat so much back in high school and college so I seem so weak compared to then..... I would rather get my legs skinnier though instead of huge and muscley (sp? is that even a word?) To finish off my time at the gym I went to the pool and swam a 500 (500 meters or 20 laps). I need to do more swimming and some biking to get ready for this triathlon thing. It should be fun! I have never done one and I kind of like doing other exercise besides just running all the time. We'll see if I can train well enough on my own!!

No more naps?!?!

Keilah might not be taking naps for very much longer.... I like to run during the girls afternoon naps, but it is getting harder and harder to make Keilah take a nap. She says some funny things to me while we are laying there and I am trying to convince her to take a nap. Today she kept talking about her preschool teacher named Mrs. Limon (she says lemon). She is excited for her first day of preschool. I am really excited too!
Keilah finally took a nap just before 3 and I was able to get a good hour run in while I watched an episode of Gray's anatomy. I ran 1 mile and then did 12 pushups, 20 lunges, and 12 rolls with the ab wheel. I did this after every mile, and I did a total of 8 miles.... I ran each mile at 8.0 speed which is 7:30 minutes miles. It was a good work out.
By the way I hadn't eaten anything all day because I was fasting, so my energy was a little low during the run, but I broke my fast around 4:30pm and ate a bunch of left over veggies from the shower on Saturday. I think I might have died if I didn't get something in my stomach. I had zero energy!

Where have I been?

I have decided to continue this blog again.... it has almost been a year, but I have still been running.

I did a 40 mile week last week and it felt absolutely great! I ran everyday except Saturday and Sunday. I want to keep this up, or at least do exercise everyday except Sunday. Not only do I feel energized after working out, but I feel great about myself too. Another great accomplishment that I have been working on for the past month.... No sugar/treats! They say it takes 27 days to form a habit and that is so true. It started getting easier to resist after about the 3rd week. Now I feel great again like I can really do this for good! After all I went three whole years without and it only took me a year to get back to in to it...
I also try to eat healthier, although I am no nutritionist I have a pretty good idea about what is good or bad for your body. I am definitely not perfect, but little by little I am learning and starting to cut out things that are not good for me and replacing them with the things that are good. I have lost some weight, but it is probably not too noticeable since the whole reason I got really motivated to start this was the 10 pounds I gained. I am always to embarrassed to tell my actually weight, but I have lost almost all of the 10 pounds this month (about 8 or 9, it goes up and down before and after running) and my clothes are fitting better again. I still want to lose another 15 pounds so I have a lot of work to do.

My Run today at LAfitness:
I ran next to a girl who was running at a good pace (7.0) and I could tell she was in shape to help me stay motivated throughout and not take breaks. I am competitive, even at the gym :(
I stayed at 8.0 miles per hour, but got up to 8.4 at times and even to 9.4 to finish out each set of 4 miles (the treadmills make you start over after 30 minutes, or 4 miles for me). I ran at 7.8 towards the end because I was feeling a little slow, but finished good at 9.4
I probably took a total of 6 stops (3 or 4 to get water) and the others were no more than 20 seconds. I need to remember to bring water because then I don't have an excuse to stop!
I listened to some new songs on the ipod including: waking up in Vegas, sweet dreams, so fine, and battlefield
THe girls had a dun time at the kids club. Keilah told me that the boys chased her around like dinosaurs and that the girls were her friend and saved her. Funny!
Run was 12 miles, 7:29 min miles, took 1:29:45

Nutrition & Weight Loss: Weight Loss
Lessons on Weight Loss
Most people who have lost weight (and kept it off) adopted these five habits. It'll be your loss if you adopt them, too.
By Liz Applegate Ph.D.
When it comes to dieting, everyone wants to be a loser. But only 10 percent of people who manage to drop pounds also manage never to see them again. The good news is that as a runner, you already have a head start in joining this enviable club.For the past dozen years, researchers Rena Wing, Ph.D., and James Hill, Ph.D., have meticulously tracked about 6,000 people who have met the minimum requirements to participate in their National Weight Control Registry: They must have lost at least 30 pounds and maintained that for at least a year. (The average is 70 pounds off and for six years.)The successful losers didn't turn to wacky eating plans, fad diets, or extreme measures like gastric-bypass surgery. Instead, what worked was common sense-they modified their diet and increased their physical activity to change their caloric balance. Whether you're consciously trying to drop five pounds or 70-or just looking to stay in top form-following these five key habits of NWCR participants will make you a big-time loser and a better runner.Keep Up the Carbs You won't find NWCR folks on a high-protein diet. Most successful losers get about 49 percent or more of the calories from carbs, about 29 percent from fat, and the remainder from protein. This makes sense for runners, as you need the carbs to fuel your workouts. The key is selecting the right carbs-foods rich in fiber, like grains, beans, fruits, and veggies. Fiber helps dieters by providing a sense of fullness. Even better, research shows that a diet that includes 34 or more grams of fiber daily actually drops the number of calories your body takes up from your food. Over a year's time, this could equal a 10-pound weight loss. Action planDivide and conquer your dinnerware. Carbohydrate-rich foods should make up about three quarters of your plate, with protein sources making up the rest. Go with the whole grains. Multigrain breads, whole-grain pasta, and brown rice all have higher fiber than the alternatives. Read labels. Select foods that supply no more than 30 fat calories for every 100. Take Good Notes Most dieters typically stop bothering to write down what they eat after a few months of weight loss. But many NWCR participants, like runners logging miles and times, have kept a food diary for years, taking measurements and noting precise portions and calorie counts. This allows them to respond quickly to changes in their eating patterns, says Wing. The bonus for runners is that, combined with a training log, a food diary can help determine the crucial connection between eating and energy-like how a late-afternoon snack of fruit and a handful of trail mix might affect your performance on an after-work run.Action planWrite down what you eat, with serving sizes, for three days; tally up the calories (calorie-count.com is a good source). For weight loss, your intake should be about 12 to 14 daily calories to every pound of your body weight.Review your three-day food log and decide which foods you could pare down, with the goal of saving 100 or more calories daily.With a set of measuring cups, compare how much you serve yourself to the suggested serving size. The discrepancy can be shocking. A serving of pasta or rice, for example, should be 1/2 cup, about the size of a computer mouse. (Runners need six to seven servings daily.) Become a Morning PersonIn one study, 78 percent of NWCR participants reported eating breakfast every day-a habit that may help curb appetite later in the day. Research shows that breakfast eaters, especially those who start the day with cereals (a natural for fiber), have a lower body mass index than those who skip the morning meal. Plus, protein often appears in breakfast foods in its proper proportion for sating appetite. Eating in the a.m. is particularly important for runners who work out in the morning, since it helps restock drained glycogen stores, along with supplying a variety of vitamins, minerals, and protein needed for recovery and good health. Action planSit down for breakfast. Allow yourself time to eat a bowl of fiber-dense cereal with skim milk topped with fruit before heading off to work.Or take it with you. Stock up on easy-to-transport healthy food like peanut butter on whole grain toast or banana, cereal, and yogurt packed the night before, should you end up in a rush out the door. Always include a protein source-eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt, lean meat-which helps curb your appetite later in the day.Weigh InRoutinely stepping on the scale and checking body weight is another key way NWCR participants stay on the losing side. To keep that routine from becoming obsessive, don't weigh yourself more than once a week. (You might want to forgo the scale at home to resist temptation.) There are normal weight fluctuations throughout the day-especially for runners around workouts-of anywhere from a pound to 10 pounds, depending on how much fluid you've consumed. To keep an accurate gauge, weigh yourself on the same day of the week, at the same time, say, Saturday morning before your run when you're well hydrated. Action planOnce every two or three weeks, step on a scale at your gym or a medical center, perhaps with your running partner as witness; this creates a ritual that you're apt to treat with more respect than if you were at home. Log this weight in your running journal and track how your workout performance and weight compare. If you once fit into a pair of jeans that are now too snug, use them as motivation during your weight-loss phase-then as celebration of success.Keep Moving You know as a runner that burning calories tips the scales in your favor. So it comes as no surprise that NWCR participants are steadfast with their exercise. "The average person in the registry is burning about 2,800 calories a week in activity," says Wing. Last year, the USDA established 60 to 90 minutes as the recommended daily physical activity for those trying to maintain weight loss. Research shows that people who exercise daily on average weigh less than sedentary folks but eat more.Action planDecide when your run and other workouts will fit into your week ahead, and stick with the plan, period.Incorporate more routine physical activity by walking or riding a bike to do errands. USDA Dietary Guidelines say that increments of at least 10 minutes throughout the day contribute to the 60-minute total.On your nonrunning days, get that hour of exercise in, ideally in a way that stimulates your mind or body differently than running: play in the park with your kids, try a yoga class, or take a brisk walk at lunchtime. Even cleaning out your garage counts, as long as you keep moving.

Today was a big 18!!
My mom watched the girls for me at the house while I ran.
I sweat so much that I was down to vb spandex and running bra when I finished because my clothes were weighing me down.
I read over 100 pages in Breaking dawn and listened to over 20 songs on the ipod
My feet are burning right now (4 hours later)
My legs feel a little tight
I drank 3 full water bottles (48 oz each....so over a gallon of water) this is during the run
7:23 minute miles
Last song I listened to: Jordin Sparks "One Step at a Time"
Took me 2:12:50 minutes to complete
Will I do it again.... 20 is on my list next.... when..... hopefully by next Thursday I will be fully recovered.