Christmas is coming...

Well I'm still running 2-3 times a week. I've increased my speed a little and shaved a minute off my average mile. BUT, I haven't lost any weight! Grrr. I'm guessing it has to do with the all Christmas treats and Holiday goodies. So I've decided to take a new approach. A friend at work told me about high intensity weight training. Basically you do one set of 8-12 reps of really heavy weights, doing one exercise per body area (legs, abs, chest, back, biceps, triceps) one or twice a week. It only takes about 15 minutes, so I figured it couldn't hurt. He told me the more muscle you have, the more fat you're going to burn. Makes sense right? He also said you have to cut back on your calorie intake a little. (There's always a catch) So the new plan is to keep running, do weight training once or twice a week, and at least one day of yoga or pilates. I've been pretty good about squeezing in a yoga workout here and there, but having two little girls and a dog jumping all over me makes it really hard to meditate. Aleah will actually jump in and do it with me once in a while. I thought it might be fun to get her a little kids mat. So what if my yoga buddy is 3 years old, I'll take any support I can get :)
My goal for now is to just survive the holidays without blowing up like blimp. It might sound counter productive, but I'm also putting away my scale. Whenever I feel like I've had a really good week I hop on the scale only to find that I gained a pound. It gets so discouraging that I just feel like giving up, like "what's the point!". Plus I think I freak myself out a little. The more I think about dieting and weight, the hungrier I am. So no more scale. I'm just going to stick with my workouts, eat in moderation, and if I feel healthy that will be enough. Merry Christmas! 

Still running

Well it turns out there's not a whole lot to write about running. Still training, getting a little bit better at a time. But yesterday I agreed to participate in the Ragnar relay for 2011. It sounds pretty fun. You get a team of 12 people together and take turns running from Logan to Park City. It ends up being about 188 miles. My husbands boss and his wife do it every year and needed anothet team member. It seems a little intimidating, but it sounds like a lot of fun, so why not? It gives me another great goal to train for. Well that's all for now. I just need to keep at it, and make it through the holidays.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well it's been a fairly good week, relatively speaking. I'm not ashamed to admit that I ate a lot of food. But hey, it was Thanksgiving. Being a good American, I had to observe this great holiday and stuff myself until I couldn't move, and then eat a little more :) But I'm (sort of) proud to say I only gained 1 pound. Considering how much I ate, I feel that's a success. As far as my training, I did slack off a little last week, but it wasn't entirely my fault. Aldo, myself, and the the girls were playing on our bed having a tickle fight. Aldo is really ticklish and apparently doesn't know his own strength. I ended up flying off the bed and landing awkwardly on my knee. So as to not injure myself further, I did a few miles on the eliptcal instead of running. Now some wives may have gotten pretty upset about being so roughed up, but I did get my redemption. After Aldo had pinned me again, I yelled for Aleah to help me. Bless her little heart, the next thing I knew Aldo was hit in the back of the head by a hair brush. After that we called it even.

So it's a new week and a fresh start. My goal this week is to drink more water. (Apparently the ice in my Dr. Pepper doesn't count, Sheesh!) I have noticed I'm already feeling better and my legs are getting more toned. Woo Hoo!  

Well last week turned out to be a rough one. I missed my long saturday run and gained .4 lbs. Oye! Oddly enough, it wasn't because I didn't want to run, we just had a million different things going on and I just couldn't squeeze it in. With Thanksgiving coming up, I'm determined to stay on schedule. Since running is coming a little easier to me, I really need to start cross training too. I know I should be doing it almost every day that I don't run, but I didn't want to get burned out. But I think I'm ready to commit. A lot of people have told me yoga and swimming are great for cross training. I love yoga and would do it every day if I had the time. Swimming, I'm not so sure about. Unless sitting in the shallow end of the kiddie pool with my kids counts :) I'm just not that great of a swimmer, and I get bored doing laps. Another thing I think I'll try is pilates. That's usually what I do right after having babies. It doesn't require a lot of flexibilty or strength, but it seemed to realy help me after I had Aleah. I remember pulling out my mat and being so excited that I could finallly work out again, only to realize I couldn't even sit up from laying on the floor. I had to roll on my side and push myself up. (sigh) Anyway, today is back to training! 

I think I can, I think I can

Well here I am, week number 2. I'm now able to run 2 miles, and I've increased my speed on the the treadmill by .1 mph. I'm not too worried about timing, but I'd eventually like to be able to run a 10 minute mile. Right now I run so slow, someone with long legs would probably be able to walk next to me. Why was I cursed with such stubby legs!! Oh well. I'll get there :)
When I first started running, I'd try to run really fast for as long as I could, thinking I would be able to run further and further. But I found myself running a quarter mile, and on the verge of blacking out. So my advice to anyone starting out, start SLOW and take tiny steps. My father in law, Marcos, taught me that. It's called a shuffle in the runnung world. Did I mention he's training me? Anyone that knows me well, knows that I haven't always had the best realtionship with him. But when I told him I wanted to train for a half, his eyes lit up. Running is his passion. He's done several marathons, and regularly races 5 and 10k's. So far, he's been extremely helpful with technique and training methods. I ran with him at the olympic oval last Saturday, and really enjoyed it. All in all, this running business has been a good thing so far. I'm getting into better shape, feeling good, and building a better relationship with Marcos. Who knew ;)

My first official run!

So I ran my first official run last Monday. It's official because I have running shoes and I recorded my time and distance. Please no laughing, but I ran and whole 1.5 miles without stopping! I don't think I've run that far since before I got married. I was quite proud.

I thought about making this really official and posting before and after pictures, you know the really awful ones on infomercials in bikinis. But I will spare everyone the agony, and just post my weight loss for now. When I feel like if other people know if I'm progressing or not, I'm much more motivated to stick with it. So here it is, total weight loss so far, 2 pounds. WOO HOO!!

If the shoe fits...

Well I just completed my first week of training. I'm am happy to report it went much better than I expected. A little over a week ago, I stopped by Salt Lake Running Co. They had me run on a treadmill to see how I run and how my feet land etc. Being a first time runner, I learned all about pronation and alignment, which in the long run makes all the difference. (No pun intended, but literally) Anyway, after trying on different shoes and running around the store, I found a perfect pair. Super comfy, and way cute. After all, I need to look good when I run. My father in law also bought me some non-cotton socks. Also very important. They keep your feet dry while you run so you don't get blisters. I left the store $120 poorer, but so pumped to get started with my training.