#MotivateMe Monday

So last week went off the rails a bit because of the snowstorm we had mid-week last week.

 

I think my plan helped to a degree but I definitely didn't get out as much as I did.

 

Last week's plan & results:

 

Monday: 45 minute run/walk on the treadmill.

I did it! My husband picked up the boys for me so I quickly grabbed at the opportunity to get in a 45-minute run/walk. Walked for 10 minutes at 6 incline, ran for 20 minutes and walked for another 10 at 6 incline.

Tuesday: Spin class

Kicked my butt!

Wednesday: Not sure yet.

Ended up resting but I did hit over 10,000 steps on my FitBit.

 

Thursday: Weights/cardio

Another rest day. Was waiting for a call to deliver some of my Epicure product that never came. Plus I wasn't feeling so great. Did hit over 10,000 steps again though!

Weekend: Rest days

Had a great weekend at my-laws. Was careful with my eating, but definitely didn't get any exercise in.

 

Overall, it was decent. I didn't work out for those couple of days, but I did make sure to keep myself moving and hit my 10, 000 steps so I'm proud of that. I also did really well with my eating during the week. I admit that I did cheat after dinner a couple times, but it was hot chocolate during the snowstorm and on Thursday when my throat was a little sore.

This week's plan is looking a little better:

 

Monday: No workout for me.

I'm home with my munchkin today since we need to visit the doctor for what we think is an ear infection. The older one has gymnastics and then the husband will go after bedtime.

 

Tuesday: Spin

Last one. Next week, I might try some bootcamp at the gym instead.

 

Wednesday: Weights/20 min. Cardio
I'll have my husband pick up the boys so I can go in the afternoon and he can go once they go to bed. He doesn't mind going late.

 

Thursday: Cardio
Looking to do a 30 minute run straight on the treadmill. Hoping my new puffer will help. Then another 30 minutes on another cardio machine (preferable the stair machine)

 

Friday: Rest day

 

Saturday: Cardio/weights

 

Sunday: Rest day


Food is going well, but it's United Way week so we have a giant bake sale which went to charity so of course I have to buy some. We also have brunch on Sunday where we'll take the boys to see Santa so I may need to munch on a few goodies there too! I'm hoping that the solid week of workouts will help.


I've also joined a Dietbet that starts Wednesday and goes until Christmas Eve, so I'm hoping that will help keep me on track!


My big goal is to get into the next pant size down by Christmas! Then I can buy myself the gift of new jeans!

Hitting the Weights..a little TOO hard

Sunday, I decided to venture off my treadmill and out into the steel and pleather jungle that is the World Gym weight area.

The steel jungle!
 

I call this a jungle because there are so many machines that you need to navigate through that it's crazy! I may know what half of these are.

I warmed up a bit on the treadmill and then went into a little area where they have free weights and mats.

I did some bicep curls, some push up rows, chest flies, planks and abs. I figured that was a good start and I headed back to the treadmill. I felt a good burn in my arms and figured it was just them getting back into the motion. It's been 4.5 years since I really touched a weight so I wasn't surprised.


My favourite exercise!

Three days later, I'm was still feeling the pain.

Clearly, I did too much too soon!

Getting my little guy out of his crib was a weight lifting experience all on it's own! I almost had to drag him out some mornings.

Things have finally gotten back to normal, but I haven't been back to the gym since Monday. Between snow storms, having work to do and being exhausted, I just haven't had the chance.

I guess I'm still figuring this whole process out again, both the weights and time management!

How do you get it all done?

What are the best remedies for workout pain?

Motivate Me Monday Link-Up

Good Monday morning.

Honestly, it would be a fantastic Monday if I had slept better and there wasn't as much snow on the ground as there is, plus it's still snowing.

I've decided to start writing out my weekly fitness plan and link up with Fitness Cheerleader and Running Rachel for #MotivateMe Mondays.

I'm hoping that this will keep me on track and help me to reach my goals!

Here's my plan for the week:

Monday: 45 minute run/walk on the treadmill.

I'm still having trouble with my asthma and find that even running on the treadmill inside is causing flare-ups. I'm alternating between running and walking with a fairly steep incline. That way I'm still feeling some effects of cardio without the wheezing.

Tuesday: Spin class

I haven't been in two weeks because of an ear infection and a nasty cold. I'm excited to go!

Wednesday: Not sure yet.

It's my husband's day to go to the gym (we alternate), but I might be able to get him to pick the boys up at the end of the day and sneak in a quick weight/cardio session after work.

Thursday: Weights/cardio

Weekend: Rest days

We're heading out of town on the weekend so the gym is going to have to wait. Again, if I can convince the husband to pick up the kids, I can sneak in a quick cardio session after work on Friday.

I've found that I enjoy going to the gym. I'm getting more comfortable and still prefer to spend most of my time hanging out on the cardio machines, but once my spin class sessions are done (2 more weeks), I'm going to hit up the boot camp they have at the gym. It looks really intense and it's at the same time as spin so getting out of the house won't be difficult.

Nutrition wise, I'm just hoping to stay below or right around my calorie goal for the day and not to snack or having any treats after dinner (except my chai tea or water).

Here's hoping that I'm able to stay on track this week!



My first visit to World Gym!

The other day I mentioned that I was hoping to join World Gym relatively soon.

Well, I did last week.

My husband and I piled the two boys into the car and proceeded to get ourselves signed up as World Gym members.

The only downside was that I was sick and that I didn't actually get to use my membership until Sunday and even then it was stretch.

I've been fighting a cold/pink eye/bad cough/asthma and now an ear infection for the past three weeks. It's been amazingly fun (*dripping with sarcasm!*). I'm on a round of amoxicillin so I'm hoping that will help.

Isn't this what everyone wants to do when they're sick? Too bad work gets in the way!

Anyway, we took the boys to the zoo for the morning because they are getting to be two very busy boys and need to get some energy out. We ran around the zoo for a few hours and then headed home.

I hmm'd and haa'd about going to the gym for about half an hour.

"I should really work out"

"But the pressure in my head is too much"

"Even walking on the treadmill is better than sitting here"

"But I'm so cozy under the blanket"

"It'll add a couple extra calories you can eat"

That did it.

I had been dreaming about a hot chocolate but had been putting it off because I didn't want to eat too many calories for the day.

I went to the gym, set the treadmill timer for 40 minutes. I figured a 5 minute warm-up, 35 minute run and then 5 minute cool down.

May have done this as well!

What I got was a 5 minute warm-up, a 5 minute run with lots of coughing, 10 minutes walking at a 4.0 incline and then a 15 minute run at a slower speed and another 5 minute walk at 4.0 incline, plus my cool down.

Definitely went in over ambitious, but it was done.

I'm excited to go back tomorrow to check out some of the weight stations and do some ab work. That is, if I'm not overly intimidated by the crazy muscle guys that are there too.

Tonight is spin class and I'm looking forward to that too, since I missed last week!



Team Asthma

No this is not a sponsored post, just something I have some really strong feelings about. So please read!!!

 

If you read my recap on the Scotiabank Half Marathon the other day, you would have read about my struggles with my asthma.

 

It's still something I'm coming to terms with and that I'm learning to deal with.

 

It started last December/January.

 

I actually started running in January 2013. However, my best friend and I were doing the Couch to 5K program. The running was not very intense and to be honest, the temperatures weren't brutal. Our goal was to finish the program in mid April to be ready for our first 5K in May. Therefore, we were doing two to three minutes of running with walking in between in January. The majority of the running was done in March when the weather was beginning to warm up.

 

Last December, I ran the Salvation Army Santa Run and found that I had a lot of trouble after the race. I could catch my breath, but I just couldn't stop coughing. Again, the trouble with coughing after having two kids is constant trips to the bathroom or very wet pants. I didn't think too much of it at that point though.

 

I started to pick up some more runs during the Christmas break since I was going to attempt to do the Chilly Half Marathon in February. Again, I couldn't stop coughing. It would get to the point where I'd be gagging and it would be almost 2-3 hours after I'd finish that the intense coughing would stop.

 

Every cold I caught turned into a chest infection of some sort and the coughing would continue. It got so bad that at one point, I bruised or fractured a rib. I couldn't take deep breathes or do any form of ab workout. The pain from that lasted for about 6 months. It was crazy.

 

I finally went to the doctor and she diagnosed me with asthma. I was given a prescription for a rescue puffer and the instructions to take the puffer about 5-10 minutes before going for a run in order to prevent any issues that might arise, but also to carry it with me.

 

I've found that I use it a whole lot more than I ever though I needed to. There are some mornings that  I need it before I even start my work day. My experience with Scotiabank really made me realize how important it is.

 

My scariest story with asthma actually took place Monday. I'm currently battling some cold that one of my little munchkins at school gave to me. As I mentioned, everything ends up in my chest. Monday night, the coughing just got worse and worse, to the point that I couldn't catch my breath. It felt as though there was a fist clutching my throat and I wasn't able to take a deep enough breath to calm myself down. I was honestly contemplating sending my husband next door to get our neighbour to stay with the boys while he drove me to the hospital. I took a couple puffs and my throat relaxed fairly quickly. I still coughed throughout the rest of the night, but nothing like that.

 

I never want to experience that again, nor do I want anyone else to, which is why I am sharing my story.

 

I'm never going to be an elite runner (or athlete at all) but I believe my asthma could definitely (and has already) hold me back from reaching goals.

 

At the end of the Scotiabank Half, I walked by the Team Asthma booth and immediately signed myself up. I'm now a part of Team Asthma. There are perks (free t-shirt, entrance fees to some races, etc.) but to me the more important thing is the education. It doesn't seem like a very serious condition, but the attacks, like I had on Monday, are the scariest things.

 

If you're looking to support and do some fundraising, any little bit can help!

 

Check out the Team Asthma website for more information! The best part is that you don't need to have asthma to join the team!

Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon Recap

I've finally decided to sit and write my Scotiabank Half Marathon recap (what better way to use my sick day)!

I knew that my weekend was going to be busy. I went to go see Wicked with some co-workers on the Friday and had to go to the Expo to pick up my packet on Saturday, so I mentioned to my husband that it might be a good time to go visit his parents since they'll be able to help him out while I'm away all weekend.

 

My race plan going in was to run the entire race and allow myself to walk through the water stations so that I could take my fill of fluid, but also not spill any and I was aiming for a time around 2:30.

 

I took advantage of the solo time and stayed at my sister's place in Toronto on Saturday night so that it was less stressful to get up and to the race on time. I took the train since all the streets would be closed on the way home. It made life 1000 times easier!

 

 

I stupidly forgot to check the weather before I left my house on Saturday morning and realized that I wasn't going to be prepared for the cold temperatures that I'll be standing in while waiting for the race. I decided to stop and get a bagel along the way and instead of walking and eating it, I decided that I'd sit inside the Starbucks and stay warm. Knowing I was in the purple corral (the last corral), I had plenty of time to get to the start line. The race started at 8:45, but my corral wouldn't get through the start line at 9:05. So I wasn't too rushed. I stopped at the port-a-potties, saw the elites get rushed out of their warm waiting spot and to the front of the start line and then walked to the back of my corral.

 

I found a spot, around the middle of the corral. I was looking for the 2:30 pace bunnies (which  was the time I was aiming for) and didn't see them so I figured I was way behind them. Turns out, I was ahead of them.

 

We slowly shuffled our way to the start line and eventually started the slow run. Then things started to spread out a bit. I heard one guy yell out, "You're almost done, just a few more kilometers to go" and I immediately started laughing.

 

About 3 k in, I found the 2:30 pace bunnies who came up from behind me. I stayed with them for a good chunk of time and was really pleased with myself.



Honest Ed's (which is the building on the medal)

 

Around kilometer 6 or 7, I found my friend Lisa, who was doing 5:1 and I stayed with her until she did her walking. At the 10 K marker (which had a clock available), I was running 1:15, which was exactly where I was hoping to be.

 

That's where things started to go wrong. My asthma hit and I had stupidly forgotten to bring my puffer with me so not only did I not get to take it before the race, I wasn't able to take it during the race when the asthma attack hit. Instead, I had to walk and cough it out. I ended up waiting for a port-a-potty for awhile because once I start coughing, the bathroom becomes an immediate priority.

 

Darn bathroom line ate up a good chunk of my time!

I managed to fight off the asthma attack by about 15 kilometers, but by then my time was just ruined and my body was just exhausted from coughing. I completely threw in the towel and adjusted my plan to running until a certain point, walking to a certain point and then running again.

 

Lisa had passed me while I was in the bathroom line and I caught up to her again around 20K. I ran with her and her friend until about 400 meters to go. My mind kicked into track mode (thank you track workouts) and I immediately pictured myself running the track. 400 meteres, 1 lap. 200 meters, half  lap! I pushed myself to the finish line from there.

 

My time was 2:52:33. Not happy. I actually subtract about 7 minutes because of the bathroom waiting line.

 

I was hoping to better my Niagara Falls Half Marathon time from the previous year of 2:39, but clearly that wasn't happening.

 

Clearly, I'm blaming my asthma!

 

Once I was done, I decided that I hated running and that I wasn't going to do any long distance runs until next fall...if I did any.



If I didn't love to eat such bad food, I wouldn't have to run.

 

It's amazing how quickly that hatred disappears and you're ready to do it all over again.


Not sure when my next long race will be, but definitely not during the winter. Maybe it'll be Scotia again next year and I'll be hoping for a much better outcome.



I'm back...again!

So I haven't posted in awhile.

After Scotiabank, things have gotten quite hectic again.



We've had a number of crazy things to do with the boys and as a family and time has slipped away from me.

I've also been sick and dealing with pink eye. Ah, the life of a Kindergarten teacher.

Running is kind on the back burner right now because with the colder temperatures and my cold, my asthma has really been acting up and I need to get it back under control before I start running outside again.


I am focused on my weight though.

I've joined a DietBet with a group of online friends and I have 6 lbs to lose by November 28th. I started at 161 and need to get down to just over 154 before that date. If I do, then I get to split a pot of money amongst all the winners. If I don't, I lose $10.

I've already lost 3 lbs, just by adjusting and keeping a very close eye on my eating. I have 1260 calories to work with through the day and I have to hit 10, 000 steps on my FitBit (which adds a few more calories). I also have cut out eating after dinner, which some nights is extremely difficult. The only thing I have is Decaf Yoga (Chai) Tea from Epicure. I'm not a huge fan yet, but I'm getting there. It's definitely a nice calming thing once the boys go to bed.

I'm hoping to join World Gym in the near future (within the week) and I'm hoping that I'll get to do some running on the treadmill and those last 3 lbs will fall off quickly.



I'm starting to build up my 2015 race calendar and I'm eyeing either the Scotiabank Half again or the Road 2 Hope Half in September. A small, teeny, tiny piece of me is thinking of doing a full marathon, but based on my previous record of keeping with a training schedule, I think it's way to ambitious. I'm also planning on doing two or three triathlons so I've got to get some swimming and biking in.





Have you started thinking of your 2015 race calendar yet? What's your 'big' race?