thirty pounds

Thirty pounds, it sounds like so much, and so little.

In one year that is how much weight I have lost - no gimmicks, no fads. Just running.

Granted in comparison to the Biggest looser this loss pails in comparison. But lets look at it like this, one bag of sugar is 4lbs.

I have lost more than 4 of these bad boys. Have you ever tried to carry 7 bags of sugar? It is cumbersome, bulky and tiring. 

This is the first time in my life that I have lost weight with no gimmicks, fads, or diet pills. It feels good to say that I did this - the 'right way'. And I did it on my own (with a little help from my friends). My diet did not change much - cut back on my pepsi addiction, ate more soup and salad and less fried food - but really I never gave up the foods I love. I never stopped drinking beer and wine.. I just have a water with it. All good things are best in moderation right?

Today was Chasin Booty's second 5 mile training run and it was a blast. Our group seems to have rebounded from the holidays nicely and we had a fun run with loads of chatter. Saturday morning runs are always hard for me to drag my self out of bed for but they are always so much fun and I love running with my "Runners World Family" it really is hard to have a bad day with so many awesome people around. Ruby gets to put in her miles on saturdays too and she loves it. Both of us look foward to our Saturday afternoon naps too.

My weight loss goal for the new year is to keep loosing. I would like to loose another 30 the year I turn 30 but who knows if that is in the cards... I would have never guessed that in one years time I would have ran 650 miles - lets see what I can do this trip around the sun.

13.1 (friends, chafing, and community)

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of my first ever 13 mile run.

Note I said pleasure - not torture.

All did not start well. My lovely stupid alarm did not go off... I awoke with a start at 5:45 AM (the time our run was to start with the statement of "son of a (starts with 'b' ends with 'itch')." And I was off to the races.

Luckily I was able to reach someone in my running group (this was the first time in for-ev-ar that I would get to run with my half training group for the entire training run) and they offered to wait on me, YAY! In the total of 20 minutes I was dressed and in downtown Tulsa (land speed records may or may not have been set, shhhhhh).

It was a lovely run on a unfamiliar trail the air was brisk and we were moving at a very nice pace. Somewhere around mile 5 I started to feel a bit sluggish so I took a clif shot block and kept going. That helped a bit and I took another around 6 and 7. At mile 7 'Super Girl' busted out a goodie her hubby came back with from California it was a peanut butter cookie type bar and it was YUMMY (promise once I find out what it was I will link it) and I don't even like peanut butter!!!

Once we turned around I continued to have a shot block on every mile - really helped with the energy as well as the incentive to keep going. I am thinking for my up coming half I may run with 3 gummi bears on me (one for each of my last 3 miles - I do love gummi bears!)

It was great to run with the C6 (-2) again. I love running with my Couch to 5K group but running with the C6 is just hard to explain!

After the run I came home and hopped in the shower - only to be treated to (and yes I say this with full sarcasm) the euphoric feeling of raw skin and water meeting for the first time.... aaaaaahhhhhhhhhh burning.

Yes - in my rush I had neglected my body glide around the bra band and under the heart rate monitor. I am now nursing some gorgeous 'Marathon Tattoos' yay. and. they. feel. great.

Not.

Ladies, Gents - do not neglect your body glide. ( I say body glide because I have never tried another product) Until further notice I will be wearing nothing but soft clothing.

Today we had the TATUR Volunteer party and it was a smashing success and I love hanging out with my running buddies. If you are at all involved with running I highly suggest you get involved with the putting on / organizing / volunteering at races. It really makes you appreciate the smoothly running events more and the sense of community you develop cannot be beat.

There was much talk of the TATUR T-TOT's (Tulsa Training On Trails) that I plan to start after my half in November.  TZ has been trying to get me on trails and now that the snakes are going into hibernation it is time to make good on that. Meanwhile a few full Marathon leaders are trying to convince me to run the 26.2 in OKC in the spring. I currently plan to hold off till next fall for the full. But who knows, we'll see.

Loads to be happy about

This morning I weighed my self and I am now officially 180lbs! Bringing me to a total of 15lbs weight loss since January.

It has been a hard struggle and this puts me approximately half way to where I would like to be.

The hardest part for me has been doing this with out the aid of diet pills.

I may have alluded to this before but I have in the past been very dependant on what I called ‘caffeine pills’. I called them that because that was the number 1 ingredient. But to be honest they were diet pills. They were highly habit forming and were a way of life for me. I mean, I lost 100lbs in approximately 4 months! It was amazing and to this day I have no regrets on this.

It has been over a year since I took one. To be honest each day when I weigh myself I think ‘if I had been on the caffeine pills I could have doubled that number’. It is a little self defeating if you really think about it. I should be very proud of what I have accomplished 15lbs loss with little modification to my diet and increased activity. I have earned each foot fall and each pound with no assistance from any substance. It hasn’t been easy, but it has been worth it.

In January I could not run a solid block with out stopping to gasp for air. Now I can run a solid 5 miles – I just prefer to run it in intervals (I can go faster).

Also tonight marks the start of Fall.

Fall is bar none my favorite season. Last nights run on the river you could feel the weather stating to change. The humidity was lower the temp slightly cooler. I felt up to running further and thoroughly savored my 5.25 miles at a much more brisk pace than I logged during the summer months. (14:35 last night v. 19:34 in July). Ahh fall! On the return of my out and back I was thrilled to be treated to a brief sprinkling and a rainbow.

Ahh.

Now I don’t need the group to run. Don’t get me wrong I love running with my group but now I also love running alone. Just the music, my feet pounding pavement, and the air. Ahh. I have often thought of Darcy in What Women Want while she was creating her ad for Nike.

She's running. It's early, it's quiet. Just the sound of her feet on the asphalt. She likes to run alone. No pressure, no stress. This is the one place she can be herself. Look any way she wants, dress, think any way she wants. No game playing, no rules. Games, sports, rules. Games, sports, rules. Playing by the rules. Playing games versus playing - Playing by the rules. Playing games versus playing.

Who would have thought when I started the couch to 5K program in January that I would fall this in love with Running?

The battle of the bulge, the battle of indulge(ing).

I love my weekends – I count the days, minutes, and hours to Friday at 5.

During the week I eat ‘good’ mind my caloric intake – replace electrolytes as necessary and in general don’t give my self a pass to eat garbage. I do good.

Fridays are my ‘good weekend day’ light meal, early to bed. I have a 5AM wake time for my Saturday morning run.

Saturday post run is where the ‘suck’ seems to start. If Hubbers did not go running with me he is still slumbering when I get home from my run and hop in the shower. I reason he wont be there much longer I can wait to eat with him – and I wait. Then the morning drags on – gosh I am hungry… A friend calls needing assistance finding ‘the’ new jeans – you know the Jeans that fit just right – since every few years designers change the styles this seems to be a normal event once every two years. Sure I’ll go. Can we stop so I can grab some grub? 2 for one Buffalo Chicken junk foodie items – ok. I will round that out with a diet pop. All is well. I will eat healthy for dinner. Hubbs wakes up. Lets grill! Bratwurst! With Buns! Chips! French Onion Dip! Beer! Carb-o-riffic!

Not to be out done by Saturdays fail on comes Sunday with a very busy Mexican joint! It takes the wait staff a longer time to take orders. They are packed! ‘That’s ok we have never ending chips and salsa!’ Reasonable meal – swimming and mixed drinks with friends. Lets grill! Bratwurst! Chips! Dips! Beer! Carb-tastic!

On comes Monday – weekdays I weigh myself. +5lbs. A.w.e.s.o.m.e.

Recap of the weekend. Oh, I see where I went wrong, I know what I did. No one to blame but myself. No way to undo my mistakes. When I drink I snack. If snacks are handy when I talk, I snack.

I do not have the metabolism of a lab rat on crack. I am not genetically designed to loose weight easily. I have a sturdy frame with curves. I have a body that will gain weight at the drop of a hat.

I know this. I also know that I will likely loose at least half of what I gained over the weekend in the next few days. My point is that if I allow these 5lbs over the weekend to remain the norm I am never ever going to hit my goal of 150lbs.

This entry is serving as a mental slap across the face to wake up and realize what I am doing to myself.

I can attend a bbq and eat what I want –in moderation. Say no to popsicles (unless they are post run). I need to remember to bring some ‘safe’ snacks for me. Carrots are good! Moderation is good! Being healthy is good!

I feel better when I am being healthy and I am proud of myself for being healthy. I can do this!!!

image taken from istockphoto.com

Summer revelations

Well folks it seems like July heat finally arrived. I have been dreading this for some time. I have had some good days running but I will be the first to say that 110 heat index can really take its toll. Tuesdays run along the river went well the first mile-ish. The next half mile was worse. At that point I believe I said “aww screw it. I am out here in the heat putting my miles in which is more than I can say for the majority of the 918 and I will call that good” after that statement I walked an tried to not puke. Heat stress and heat stroke is a reality that many runners can battle with in this heat and we need to be tuned into our body enough to recognize the signs and know what to do when it starts.

I am still running intervals at this time and am ok with this. Some runners consider intervals to be training wheels. That’s fine, I really don’t care if you do or not. I am out here, putting in the time and miles and really that is all that matters right? When it cools off these will be phased out a bit.

In my last post I mentioned shin splints. Well a running buddy was kind enough to lend me her Zensah Calf Sleeves to see what I thought – OMG what a difference they have made. I may be wearing them for some time still but the difference is AMAZING!

I busted out my compression shorts from roller derby last week and have started running in them. It is really funny how much of my derby stuff was running gear and I was clueless of this fact.

Now on that weight front. It is no secret that I am fighting my body to loose the weight. Clearly I am out here trying. Well I am seeing some progress. As of this AM I am down 7 lbs from 2 months ago. I am averaging a pound a week. Last night I was able to wear a smaller pair of jeans. Nothing earth shattering but it did make me feel pretty good. I am hoping as my miles increase I will see a increase in loss as well. It is exciting to go shopping in my closet and revisit some of my favorite clothes!

What about you? How is your summer training going? What are you learning about summer training that you had never expected?

Incentive to push harder.

It happened. At long last it happened. The weight is slowly beginning to drop. I want to emphasize SLOWLY.

In the course of 5 months the only change was that my legs we toning up. The second month of running I gained 5lbs, in the Third month I lost that 5lbs. Now after six months of running 3 times a week religiously I am beginning to see that damn needle on the scale move – and it is going the way I want it to go. DOWN!

In the past month I have lost 3lbs. I know it doesn’t seem like much and the number 3 is relatively small but it is a renewed hope for me. Just as I was thinking that nothing was going to change I got change! You have no idea how much of a needed push this is! This compensates for the sluggish times this summer - now I am pretty ok with that.

Cross training before was a notion I toyed with. I did it for a week – did I see results, not really. How could I? I stuck with it for a week. Now here I am 3lbs down and all I can think about is getting home and weight training – mind you still nothing crazy. 2lb hand weights. But I have to start some where. I got home from my run last night and busted out 100 crunch thingys on my Ablounger. I am feeling the burn today but I will be doing that again tonight.

I am determined to not allow myself to fall back in the weight loss supplement trap again. I did loose the 100lbs quickly, but as you always hear I gained a little over half of that back over the course of 4 years. I am not letting that happen again. I am going to work hard and earn every pound.

My husband pointed out over the weekend that I am skinny from my waist down. Now I need to focus on waist up. From all I read, and all I hear this is the hard part and the part that will take the longest. My only comfort is I have friends that will not let me give up. I cannot restate enough how much of a help it has been to join the Runners World Tulsa training group. The accountability is the push I have needed. I have friends of many different groups; we all have our different things we do when we are together. It is really nice to have friends who help you focus on putting in the time to be healthy and active when you are together.
Of course this really doesn’t change the fact that I still run for beer… (and all those other high cal high carb things I love – I just need to be smart about it now.)

Image taken from goodhousekeeping.com

Goals

Ok, that’s it. I may have lost my mind but I am planning to start training for the Route 66 half marathon in November.

That’s Right 13.1 miles. Eeep!

A girl at work brought in her medal from last years and I want one. Bad.

This means I need to adjust some goals. If I will be able to do this I need to get to the point where I can run 3 solid miles. Yes my runs now are typically 4 miles or more but lets tell the truth here on a typical 5K I walk about 8 blocks total. This must change if I am to accomplish this goal.

I am not looking to set any records or come in at any crazy pace. I just want to finish. It wont be easy but I think with a lot of work and patience I can do this.

***image taken from the offical route 66 marathon facebook page

setting a goal and achieving

I started the couch to 5K training so that I would be in shape to run the remember the 10 Run. You see when I was at Stillwater I was friends with the majority of the basketball team. Largely thanks to a friendship with # 55 Jack Marlow's girlfriend. When the plane crash happened it was a sombering look at reality and mortality. Nate and Dan were on that plane. Nate and Dan were gone.

When the remember the 10 run was formed I promised myself that if I were ever in Oklahoma in April I would run. Two Aprils came and passed and I did not run. I decided that 2010 would be different. I was retired from derby and needed to be active. I would run this year.

I started off barely being able to run a solid 30 seconds. Now after 12 weeks I have two 5K's under my belt with designs on more in the future. Even toying with the idea of half marathons and full marathons.

The morning of the run was slow / chaotic/ and nerve wracking. I hadn’t slept well, rain was in the forecast and I was off and on deciding between running capris and a running skirt to wear for the run. The banana's served in the continental breakfast were unfit for consumption. As a result I ate half a bagel and a slight smear of cream cheese for breakfast. Then we were off to the Stadium. First let me say this the stadium is frickin HUGE. As a matter of fact the stadium ate 3 parking lots and a street! Hester Street is GONE! We parked by Bennett (my old dorm) and walked over. Evidently they have placed a basketball court outside my old dorm room window. That would have sucked when I was living there since we had no A/C.

First we stopped by the remember the 10 memorial, it was hard for me not to cry since this was the first time I had seen it in person. We still had some time to kill I wandered around the parking lot periodically adjusting one shoes laces after just fixing the other. At last it was 8:45 and time to line up for the 5K. I situated myself in the middle of the pack and with a shot from Pistol Pete's gun we were off.

My memories did serve correctly in that the first stretch up Hall of Fame was in fact UP HILL. In spite of this my first K was about a 7.15 pace and by far the quickest of the 5. I was in constant combat with a family that decided to run with two kids while all four of them were holding hands and taking up the entire lane of the road that was marked for running. This proved to be a great annoyance and likely fueled my decreased time just in wanting to get away from this family. At last we rounded the bend in the road on Western and the hill was briefly a down hill slope. I seized this opportunity to push a little harder and further. By this time my legs felt like they were on fire and I desperately wanted to walk but told myself to keep running till I hit the base of the next hill on Farm Rd. the next two K’s are a bit of a blur. I remember brief remarks I made to myself like “the dairy barn is gone” or “holy crap what happened to life sciences east”. At last I was back on Hester Street running toward Gunderson and would soon turn back toward the finish line. I was fiddling with my ipod excessively at this point trying to get Ride’em Cowboys playing as I was approaching the finish line but evidently did not sort this into my running play list like I thought I had.

Not to be deterred by this I saw the finish line and by god I was going to cross it with a smile on my face and running. I kicked it into high gear and plowed forward. I crossed the finish line, took my medal and said a quick “thank you” took another step and began to dry heave.

Dry heaving is a very, very new concept to me. It has never happened to me before when related to exercise. Well it did this time. I had no idea what was happening or what to do. I took several steps forward covering my mouth and looking for a curb to sit on. After what seemed like a eternity it subsided and the hubby found me. We went and said a quick hello to John Holcom and Doug Gottleib (who I knew from his time at O-State) before they started the interview.Then we headed back to the hotel to pack up and shower before the trip home.

#317 61/69 F2529 Laurie OK 42:34 8:31 42:08 571

It was nice and comforting to set out to do something at OSU and be able to complete it. You see I attended OSU for Freshman and Sophomore years but was unable to complete due to finances and then later marriage to a Sailor.

For me this was a test of wills and readiness. For me this says I am ready to finish what I started, I think I am ready to go back to school. I guess I will now look into the feasibility of taking a CC class this fall and getting back into the swing of things.

thoughts on running

One of the girls I run with (we have informally started calling ourselves the C6 or Core 6) was stating last night that she thinks joining the couch to 5K program was one of  the best things we could have ever done for ourselves. I am inclined to agree.

Most of my group had not been very active prior to joining the couch to 5K program. It is after all called COUCH to 5K for a reason.

Aside from the obvious benefits of running, like toning of legs, increased energy and heart rate / cholesterol levels I think we have each found a boost to our self confidence.  It has indeed not been easy. But we started with nearly 100 other couchers. Now we have a solid group of about 12 that are still out there running, pushing and determined to push even further.

Tonight at the half way point I was not quite ready to resume running but the other 3 girls were going to. I wanted to walk. I made it about 3 steps and caved. With the remark of "damn you people and peer pressure" I resumed my running.

For me to be consistent in working out I need that peer pressure. I will push harder and further so long as there are other people there doing the same. I am coming up on my 'solo' run the Remember the 10 run. The run that got me motivated to join the C25K program in the first place. I am more than a little spooked about running alone. I am afraid that I will not push as hard on my run. I am afraid I will find it easy to slack.

I haven't mentioned it but my weight has not changed much. When I started running I was 195. 3 months in and I am still 195. At one point I had gained 5lbs. Hubby has been after me to start some cross training or weight training. Nothing crazy, just some 2lb hand weights. I guess I will start that soon. I bought the hand weights and there are Jillian Michael's Workouts on Cox Cable on Demand. At this point I want to see some improvement. Don't get me wrong, friends and coworkers are seeing a difference. Sadly this difference evades my detection.

2 months ago the idea of weight training even a little would not have been entertained for even a moment. Now thanks to the little bit of confidence that came with finishing the C25K program I am now ready to take my training to that next level. Runners World Often says "Run with your Friends, Change Your Life" and they aren't kidding. When I started the C25K program I did not know ANYONE. As I was struggling along on one of our first runs a girl in the group sees me lagging a bit behind and said "come on just run to the red car" and with that a new friendship was born.

If you are on the fence about joining a group because you cannot con anyone into doing it with you, do it any way. Stick with it a few weeks and you will find that people will open up to you and you will find people there for the same reasons, they will help push you to that next level.

Have you experienced any positive changes from running / working out? What are they? How long did it take to see these changes?

**Oh, and about that nike + thing I am still figuring that out. Until I rule out operator error I do not feel comfortable reviewing it.

the break thru

I feel the need to celebrate and share.

This week we ran / walked 3 miles and I feel like I could have gone one more. Now running 3 times weekly with my group is a treat for me that I look forward to each time. It is me time, fun time, and just great. Running is addictive.

Equally exciting is the fact that this week I fit in to a pair of slacks that have not fit in nearly a year. I am still in the 13 / 14 size range but the smaller of this size are fitting now. I am hoping by the end of summer to be at the small end of the 11/12 size range. Maybe I will get lucky and surpass that goal but lets start small.

Speaking of starting small after about a month of regular running I gained 5 pounds. I was majorly annoyed. Super annoyed. Well you get the point. As of this Monday I have lost the additional 5 pounds and this morning I have lost 2 more. At long last I am seeing weight loss. This time with no diet pills or gimmicks. Just good old fashioned effort. I am not going to lie. I have been struggling with not buying the diet pills as I was showing NO numerical improvement (at least by way of the scale). In the past I have tried a variety of weight loss formulas (if it did not contain ephedra I tried it). Some worked, most didn’t. The ones that did work only worked if I was working out religiously. Looking back this leads me to wonder if it was the pills or the working out that really did it.

So at last I have shattered this weight monster. I am down two pounds. Now I cant wait to loose two more. Baby steps on to the bus, but at least the bus is finally here.

The St Patricks Day 5K Tulsa OK

Runners World Tulsa's Winter 2010 Couch to 5K group

photo courtesy of Brian at Runners World Tulsa

After just 8 weeks myself and 33 other self identified 'couch potatoes' stepped out from our training with Coach Kathy and took part in our first 5K.

For most of us this was our first public effort in 'running'. Sure we have been training on the mean streets of Tulsa OK but this was a whole new deal complete with starting pistol and timers.

I had trouble sleeping both the Thursday night before the race as well as the Friday night before the race. Thursdays dreams primarily focused on one reason or another that I would be unable to complete the race, while Friday was just a series of 2 hour  naps. 

At the race my group of running buddies lined up at the back of the pack, and we were off. I was amazed that I ran nearly the entire first stretch from Runners World to KJRH. I was feeling really good the first mile. Then came that hill. That hill is hardly noticeable as you drive north on Peoria. As a runner tho you see that monster well before you hit it. If you are towards the back you even see a swell of runners going up the hill to the turnaround and coming back.  Let me tell you that hill was every bit the beast I anticipated from a distance. The down hill wasn't as bad and almost enjoyable.

By the time we reached the old Delta Cafe on Peoria I was pretty much toast. It was a fight to keep moving. But keep moving I did. Admittedly there was likely more walking than running during the main part of Brookside Proper.

It was as I have repeatedly said a huge help to be running in a group where everyone encourages each other. I know had it not been for my fellow 'Changelings' (the name of my running group) that I might not have had the strength to keep going. We cheered for each other as we passed on the course, we stood and waited to cheer as each of us crossed the finish line and as the last of the Changlings came in we walked out to meet her and bring her in with the group.

Changelings, Couch to 5K'ers we did it. We finished our first 5K! Time to start trimming our times in anticipation of Aprils 5K be it the OKC or the Remember the 10, this is just the start.

Kathy and Brian thank you so much for setting us off with the right tools and the right direction. You have changed many lives.

One thing to add: group: 169 overall: 1536 women: 810 Laurie North East OK age: 28 time: 46:32 pace: 9:19

keep your head up

Today Runners World had yet another motivational speaker to help keep us on the path we are treading. Today's speaker was Miranda Burcham from Press on Fitness (Danny Cahill's personal trainer)

Her delivery was a bit preachy for my tastes (in spite of the fact that I am a christian) but once you got past that she had really good points.The thing I took away from tonight was about the Self-fulfilling prophecy. If I set low expectations of myself then I am likely to achieve them, but no further.

I have been setting goals here lately. Running related goals. Here they are: March St Paddys Day 5K, April Remember the 10 5K, May Full Moon 5K, October Tulsa Zoo 10K, and November Tulsa Run 15K.

Two things to note.

• First of all the gap in races. If you haven't been to OK in the summer let me tell you it gets DAMN HOT. I overheat easily so I do not yet know how I am going to fare in the summer.
• Secondly I think I have more than shocked my husband by continuing to train for the 5K. He is more than a little concerned that with me setting such ambitious goals for my self I will not be able to maintain this level of enthusiasm. Then my intrest may fizzle

So, if I do not blog between now and Sat wish me luck. I only have two goals for this run, to finish, and to not finish last. So for now I will keep my head up and looking toward my goals.

no, no - not now!

I have had a pretty fortunate winter. No real sickness to speak of. I ran my 3 miles Saturday at a little over 16 min a mile. I have been eating fairly healthy.

Today sitting in my office it hit me. I have that all over body tiredness that comes with the start of the creeping crud. I am pushing the fluids, eating chicken noodle soup and drinking my emergen-c. I do not want to be sick the week of my 5K. So from here out it is early to bed and lots of fluids. Hoping to push the creeping crud out quickly.

w00t!

Last night for the first ever time I had no pain in my side while I was running. For as long as I can remember when I run I would get a stabbing pain in my side. Typically after walking for a minute or two it would subside, but not yesterday. Yesterday I RAN.

I ran pain free!

We are still on a 3 minute walk 1 minute run pace but I did it 2.58 miles and I did it. Not once did I have to stop running to walk at the wrong time and towards the end of the walk we typically walk for 5 minutes, but last Night Coach Kathy said we could do what ever we wanted at the end. I wanted to Run.

I was the first back in my group and still wanted to go more. I wouldn’t say it was the fabled "runners high". But it was a huge barrier breakthrough!

I only hope I can repeat this performance again Thursday Night!

I ran to "a night at the opera" last night it made for a pleasant pace.

Oh and my 29th birthday is coming up. How about a shameless birthday gift plug. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!!

training, even on the off days.

Since we are running every other day. I have decided on the off days to work on getting Ruby (my Rottie mix) leash trained. Ultimately I would like Ruby to be my running partner.

Leash training Ruby is no small feat since she is terrified of anything with wheels or a motor (this includes power and cable boxes).



For now we are starting off pretty small. Just one lap around the block. Today was Ruby's first time out with the pinch collar. I am amazed at the difference in it and the choke collar we used last week. All in all this made for a much better mannered pup.

In other exciting running news I got a new pair of running shoes! Asics GT 2150 in white and blue.



What a difference a pair of shoes make! Evidently my old Asics were blown out (shocker huh, they were 3 years old)I no longer have back pain as I am running. I had the fine folks over at Runners World Tulsa custom fit me at no cost. I took many pairs of shoes out for a test drive often with one kind of shoe on each foot, until I found the perfect fit. My perfect fit is Asics, they have a narrow heel and a wide ball of the foot, I am in love. If you have never had running shoes custom fit, go do it. It really does make a difference.



video courtesy of running warehouse

inches, not pounds

I started this blog to loose weight right?

Well after a month of running I am down a pant size. Not a single pound. Just a pant size. Part of me is very happy with this change in size. The majority of me is seriously irritated that I have not lost a pound.

This article pretty well sums it up for me.

It looks like I need to focus on those inches and not those pounds. Discouraging but I guess I will get over it.

In other news I am still enjoying running. Come run with me some time!

seeing improvement

I feel like I have had my own little victory.

I was able to run each time the group did and only had to stop running once and walk and that was on our final 'run period' (we have been running 1 min, walking 1 min and repeat.)

It was quite the personal victory. I just had to share!

and so, we ran.

First let me start with this. The folks at Runners World of Tulsa are terrific people. The owners treat each runner like family. You are welcomed from the moment you step in the door. The same goes for 99.9% of the seasoned runners that are there. Just a great group of people who like to run. Runners show up at Runners world with jogging strollers, kids, and dogs. We pack the store (dogs included) and no one minds the close quarters. Most of the veteran runners cheer on the newbies (like me) and it is a great community feeling. My fellow Couch to 5K'ers are helping each other along and spreading encouragement around the group. It is awesome. If you are looking to train for a Couch to 5K program I cannot emphasise enough how great this group is.

Save one person. Admittedly our group is not terribly trail savvy and sometimes clusters a bit wide on the trails. As one person went past she took the time to tell Coach Kathy that "She needed to do something about this problem". The rest of us heard her. I can only imagine how Coach Kathy might have felt - she is a tough lady but ultimately she is a business owner. Her business is running. The only way her business can expand is by getting more people involved in running. It was a bit awkward. I hope it does not turn off anyone in my group to running. I hope the lady who said that has since had time to mull over how better to handle this. I am quite certain it will happen again, next time a little more tact might be employed.

Now on to RUNNING. Yes Running. We really did RUN. 1 min Run, 1 min walk. Not going to lie. At first it was fine, not too bad. About 1/3 of the way into it I started to get a 'stitch in my side' each time we ran there after that pain happened. As we would walk the pain would subside just in time to run, with each run also meant the return of the dreaded side stitch. In the end I was a bit sore but over all quite proud of my progress. I certainly could not have managed that just weeks ago.



photo curtosey of www.istockphoto.com

step in time

Thus far I haven't missed a single training time at Runners World. Tomorrow I will face a choice.

Show up, go with the group in the midst of the Winter Weather that is impending (forecasters say it will be worse than the Ice Bomb of 2007) complete with wide spread power outages. Yes, I am seriously considering running in this. Stay tuned to see if logic or stubborn wins out.

Edited to add: 1/28/10 I rode into the office with my Dad in his AMC Eagle hoopty. It is FWD and my truck is RWD. This would not bother me if I did not cross the river twice a day. The rest of the drive is a cakewalk. I am just really not sure about the river so better safe than sorry. If I had driven myself in I likely would go run. Who knows I may still after I get home (then again I may curl up inside and have a bowl of soup).