Things that are better...

A friend asked how I am feeling now that I've been eating better and losing weight. How has it affected my workouts? The question made me think about how I have been approaching all of this fitness stuff. One thing I've decided, in addition to eating right, is to have a more positive outlook on the workouts.

As I've gotten stronger, my tendency has been to focus more on the things that are still difficult, things I need to work on. I've decided to change that around and look at all the progress I've made and to approach the still difficult tasks in a more positive manner. I'm taking this cue from my granddaughter. Lately, when we want her to do something that we think she doesn't want to do, we append it with some enthusiasm. For example, when it's time to get ready for bed her mom says let's get in pajamas. Then one of us will say, "Pajamas! Yay!!!" with some clapping. It doesn't always work but sometimes it does. So, instead of saying, "Ugh, burpees." when I see them in the workout, I'll instead say, to myself, "Burpees! Yay!!!" Even if I struggle through them, at least it reminds me of my granddaughter and that always makes me smile.

Here are some things that are better since the food challenge.
1. Saying no to chocolate and other sweets is a little easier. Or maybe stopping after a small piece is easier. I don't have to eat an entire Chocolove bar in one sitting. One small square usually satisfies.
2. Body weight exercises are easier when you have less body weight and are stronger. Duh! I can now do a strict pullup. Getting up and down for a burpee is easier as well. As are pushups.
3. Reading food labels. It's necessary. Know what the ingredients are and know what the sugar content is. Doesn't mean you won't eat it but at least you know.
4. Running. I'm already faster! I PR'd on my first 5K of the year! In cold and snowy conditions. Crazy!

Resolute Runner - 5K PR!

5. My ability to concentrate at work has improved. I sit up straighter at my desk too.
6. My boobs are smaller! What?! Thank you paleo diet!!
7. My shirts fit better. That's a combination of the boobs and my waist being smaller.
8. I think my hair is growing faster.  Maybe I'll try growing it out again.
9. I spend less money on beer. (That's good, right?)
10. Food tastes better.

I hope to always remember that this is a luxury that lots and lots of folks don't have. I have enough income and time to spend this time doing CrossFit and buying whole food. It's a privilege not many have. The same is true for my good health. I hope I never lose sight of that.

My goal for the food challenge was to lose 9 lbs of body fat in an effort to reach a healthier body fat percentage. This morning, when I got on the scale, I've lost an additional 7 lbs beyond that goal. Wow!

New Year

Goals? Our CrossFit coach has asked us to give her some goals for the year so she can help guide us during our workouts. She suggested a 3 month, 6 month, and 12+ month set of goals. I've asked her to review mine so right now these are unofficial:

3 months: Mobility 3x per week, Rope climb
6 months: Mobility 5x a week, Toes to bar
12 months: Chest to bar, Pistol squats

For running, my one goal is to run a half marathon in 2:30 or less. My next half will be the Indy Mini Marathon on May 3rd.

Be more mobile, run faster, and have fun doing it. That's the plan. :-)

Happy New Year!

2013 - Year in Review

January
27th - Yeti Chase 5K - 51:01
February
10th - Ralston 5K - 48:49 - we won Girl Scout cookies!

 24th - Frozen Foot 5K - not timed due to the blizzard conditions; with my sister and nephew.

March
16th - Lucky Laces 5K - 52:11 - with Chris and Raina and beer after!
April
23rd - Dash & Dine 5K - 37:22 - We ran for Boston.

27th - Cherry Creek Sneak 5K - 54:30
30th - Dash & Dine 5K - 44:25
May
12th - Westminster Women's Classic 5K - 42:32
14th - Dash & Dine 5K - 42:17
21st - Dash & Dine 5K - 40:54
June
6th - Esprit de She 5K - 40:37

 9th - Skirt Sports Half Marathon Relay - 2:55:18 - Team Rauschenberger-Wallace, 13:22 pace
22nd - Stadium Stampede 10K - 1:16:52

 25th - 303Vodka 5K - A fundraiser for Fire Fighters

 July
4th - Four on the Fourth 4K - 31:37

 August
25th - Heart & Sole 10K -1:22:56 - final race before the half

September
21st - Prairie Dog Half Marathon - 3:04:22 - My sister's 1st half, my 6th!

October
6th - Hot Chocolate 15K -2:03:17 - 13:14 pace; new distance, new PR
November
16th - Pumpkin Pie 5K - 33:34

28th - Turkey Chase 5K - Did not run, elected to stay home and visit with family. :-) 
December
21st - Christmas Carol Classic 5K - Did not run, recovering from a cold.

This season was about my sister's quest to complete her first half marathon. Sure, I convinced her to register, but it was really all about her. We had a training plan and fit many races into the mix to stay focused. Even when we traveled we kept each other accountable. I think our longest training run was when we were in Atlanta together.

For me, it was a nice relaxed running season. My main focus was on CrossFit this year which I started at the beginning of the year. My focus was on creating a 3 days a week workout routine and getting in my long runs on Sundays. Mission accomplished!

It was a great year of focusing on my overall health and not a particular event or even particular sport. I am loving CrossFit even more than I thought I would. I found a new work out pace and place and am looking forward to 2014! I have no real goals set for the new year. I plan to continue on this road of good health, consistent workouts, (mostly) paleo diet, and see where it takes me.

My next half will be one from my bucket list. The Indy Mini Marathon! I'm super excited! Training officially begins on January 12th.

Holidays!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday! My in laws come to visit and we celebrate all of our November birthdays - mine, my hubby and his two girls. This year we added one more, Brayden James, our brand new grandson was born on Nov. 5th!

We did not have a paleo Thanksgiving and I was ok with that. Thanksgiving is about family and tradition. I did manage to sneak in a paleo side dish - brussel sprouts sauteed with bacon and mushrooms. It was tasty! But, that's where the diet ended for me. I ate lots of non-paleo foods and enjoyed every bite. I'm calling it a cheat day (or 2). Pumpkin pie, pumpkin maple pecan cheesecake, creamy sweet potatoes, white mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce... Mmmmm. The day after I had leftovers. Later I even indulged in some ice cream from Scrumptious. I'd been craving some ice cream from that particular place for a while and now that I've had some, I'm good to go. It didn't sit well but it was worth it.

Today, Saturday, I am getting back on track and trying to clean out my system with exercise and hot tea.

I'd registered for a Turkey Chase on Thursday but decided to skip it. I was pretty tired from three days in a row of CrossFit. And it was nice to sit around and visit and prep for the day. Instead I ran on Friday at Van Bibber. I did 3 miles and was happy to be out. I finished the run with a sprint up the hill. Well, "sprint".

Catching my breathe at the top of the hill.

The hill.

Today is a lazy day. My sister-in-law is leaving today. The parents-in-law leave tomorrow. Shopping? Football? Movies? Relaxing.

Food Challenge Results

It is now more than 20 days beyond the 30 day paleo food challenge. And while I don't agree with the premise behind the diet, I cannot argue with the results.

6.4 lbs lost
3% body fat lost
0.6 lbs muscle gained
1.75 inches lost in my waist
0.75 inches lost in my hips
0.25 inches lost in my neck

WOW! 30 days of eating no sugar, no butter, no processed foods, no legumes, no white potatoes, no dairy, no alcohol. Wow.

I knew I'd been doing well in those last couple of weeks. My clothes weren't as tight. My face and neck wasn't so puffy. I'd been synching my belt a bit tighter. But, seeing the numbers was a rush of emotion. I made a point not to step on the scale during the challenge. I'm glad I did that. I couldn't believe how much weight I'd lost in that short time. And guess what. 20 days later, I'm down another 2 pounds (maybe even 3!). My scale at home is just a typical bathroom scale. I should make an appointment to get weighed and dunked again at the end of the year, or maybe on my one year anniversary at Roots. :-)

I haven't been as strict as I was during the food challenge. But, for the most part, I am sticking to the paleo thing. The weekends are very hard to be focused on food. So, I'm trying not to sweat it too much. Also, the birthdays and holidays are upon us. So, I've had birthday cake a few times. And yet, I have still lost more weight and more inches as well (according to my belt).

I think I may need to buy new clothes. :-)

My food and nutrition plan is to be as strict as I can, especially during the week, eating paleo. Weekends are just whatever right now. Yesterday I bought a nutrition notebook so I can keep track of what I'm eating and how I'm feeling. That really helped a lot during the challenge. That way I can tweak things if I need to. I have noticed that eating sugar really makes me angry. And gives me a headache. So, that's good to know.

30 Day Paleo Food Challenge

CrossFit Roots' Fall in Love with Your Body Challenge began on October 7th. The last food challenge was in January. I'd just joined Roots and certainly wasn't up to the challenge. At that time I was only focused on making it to my workouts three times a week. Some times it was all I could do just to show up. I remember those days well. Ten months into CrossFit and those days still feel like they happened just yesterday. But, I'd been waiting for this food challenge. I knew I needed something to kick start my nutrition intake, or lack of it.

30 days of paleo. No sugar. No grains. No beans. No alcohol. No dairy. No kidding.

The weekend before the start of the challenge I had brunch with my book club girls. I ate so much! Saying goodbye to all those sweets. The next day my sister and I ran the Hot Chocolate 15K. Finishers received a mug of hot chocolate with a large marshmallow, dipping Ghirardelli chocolate, a banana, pretzels, rice krispie treat, and cookies. It was so good!! It was a good way to splurge before starting the challenge. :-)

Week one was a lot of trying to figure out what to eat. I spent a lot of time prepping my meals for the week and dinners and worrying about the weekend. I boiled lots of eggs to have for breakfasts, bought fruit and salad fixins. It was tough. I don't usually think that much about what I eat. I'm learning that is part of my problem. We also were required to keep a food log. Our coaches gave us tips and feedback throughout the week. It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be in that first week. I was anticipating being starving which I wasn't. I quickly learned that I really wasn't eating enough especially at breakfast.

Week two was a lot more difficult. The meals were not difficult. I like all of the foods I am allowed to eat. I was getting used to the prep involved. But, my energy levels were very low. My workouts were suffering too. I felt like I was running out of gas during the WODs. And I felt like I wasn't recovering as quickly as I should. I started feeling angry and tired. It wasn't so much fun in week two.

Week three there seemed to be a turning point. I'm not sure why. I was still doing all the same things, eating nearly the same things. But, it seemed I suddenly had more energy. And it also seemed that my workouts were improving. And, I started to notice some changes in my body too. I hadn't been on the scale at all. I'd told myself not to weigh myself during the challenge. We were weighed at the start and would be weighed again at the end. I just wanted to focus on the food. So, maybe my body was finally catching up to and enjoying the nutrition I was giving it. Whatever the reason, I really started to feel good about being in the middle of this food challenge.

I'm now in the last 7 days of the food challenge. I am feeling really strong. I will definitely be glad when this is over and I can relax about being caught "cheating". There's $100 at stake and that pressure is a little intense. All in all, I am very glad I am meeting this challenge. One more weekend to get through.

Monday I get retested - weighed, photographed ("after" photos), and dunk tank body fat test. My goal weight was 127 (losing 9lbs of body fat). My body fat percentage was 31%. The challenge officially ends at midnight on Tuesday.

Half Marathon Race Report

Success!! My sister completed her first half marathon in 03:04:22 just shy of her 2nd goal of under 3 hours. The first goal was to finish.

The course had to be changed at the last minute due to the flooding that happened the week before. In fact, they were still pumping water out from an underpass the morning of the race! You'd never know it though. Everything went very smoothly. The organizers, 3W Races, did a fantastic job and so did the city of Westminster. Much kudos to them both.

Here is a link to our Garmin stats for the race:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/379169666

We had a comfortable pace for most of it but, once we hit the 10 mile mark, my sister lost her confidence a bit. Not really her confidence but, she kind of hit a mental wall. 10 miles had been the longest training run we'd done prior to the race. She was worried about it before we even got there. So, once we got there, I think she expected to fall apart. Which of course wasn't going to happen. But, all in all, it was a very good run.

During much of the race she talked a lot about the next half or when we do this same race next year. She was clearly not intimidated by the distance. :-) 

The finish chute!

It is quite an accomplishment, the half marathon. This was my 6th one and at the end of it I still felt like I did after each of the other 5 half marathons. I can't believe I just did that!

We are taking the weekend off. Haven't done that in a while. After that we are going to stick with maintaining our base and run a couple of 5Ks, maybe 10Ks.

Last weekend we completed the Hot Chocolate 15K in downtown Denver. That was fun! Lots of chocolate! But, after that run it will be nice to just relax for a bit.

At the start!

I'm thinking of the Rock and Roll half in Raleigh in April.