P90X Week 5 – Let’s Do This

So last week’s P90X training didn’t go as planned, but I’m ok with this. In my defense, it was the planned slow week and I did ok in the beginning of the week, but Thursday and Friday got all crazy. You see, I started working part time (2 days a week) and I just didn’t have time to fit in my workouts. And then Saturday and Sunday, well, they’re always just ridiculous around here, so yeah, not a lot of P90X-ing going on for the last 4 days.

I did start running this week!!! Aaah it’s like coming home again!! Strap on the running shoes, plug in the earphones, crank the tunes and just GO! This is my personal “time out”!! Oh how I’ve missed them. I fit in two runs last week and this week I plan on 3, which is what the Doubles P90X Plan calls for. YES, I’m going to try to do the Doubles. I may need resuscitation after, but I’m going for it!

As for the diet situation… I’m doing great with eating healthy. It’s easy for me being that I LOVE VEGGIES!! I load up the fridge with colorful veggies and eating is a piece of cake… well, you know what I mean. I am still doing the Dr. Oz test for dairy intolerance, and I have to say, I am feeling much better. I think I may just continue to eat this way, since I see no down side. I enjoy Almond Milk and Soy Yogurt, and surprisingly I haven’t missed cheese, much. Now to be completely honest… I am still eating feta. But, it’s because no one else in my family eats feta and I can’t stand to throw away a pricey cheese. But, once it’s gone, it’s gone!! I won’t buy anymore. The bonus is that I’ve lost a few lbs in the process. That’s not my #1 priority, but I’ll take it! Who wouldn’t? I mean bathing suit season is rapidly approaching and I plan on rocking my bikini/ tankini/ one piece by my girls’ weekend in April. Yeah, that’s right Mama’s gonna “suit up” and in the words of Barney Stinson, “It’s gonna be legend-… wait for it… and I hope you’re not lactose intolerant because the second half of that word is DAIRY!”

Welcome Baby Girl Haylee!!

BIG NEWS!!! My niece and running partner delivered a beautiful baby girl yesterday!!! This is BIG NEWS because she had a very difficult pregnancy and was on bedrest for the last 3 months of her pregnancy. She is such a trooper!!! Imagine going from running 3-4 times a week to laying in bed… yes laying… she couldn’t even sit up. But alas, Baby Haylee was born and what an amazing little miracle she is!!! She is perfect in every way! Congrats Lisa, Shaun & Braeden!!!

OK, so now on to my training progress. I am still doing my modified version of P90X. I’m currently on week 4, which I thought was a break week… WRONG!! Yoga X twice this week ). And Core Synergistics, which was a pretty tough core workout. I actually liked it! Yeah, I’m not a wimp! I just have wimpy moments from time to time.

So, I’m feeling like I’ve plateaued. Maybe it’s because I’m on week 4, which doesn’t have as much cardio. I don’t feel like I’m getting as much of a calorie burn as I should. I’m actually toying with starting my running back up. I’ve been focusing just on P90X for the last 3 weeks, but I think I need to get moving! Uh, yeah… I have a 5k next weekend!!! Seriously need to shoo the spiders off my running shoes and get running!

Kudos to the “Losers”

I consider myself to be in fairly good shape. I run, walk, weight train, eat healthy (usually), and I would consider myself a pretty active middle-aged adult. That being said, I’ve been amazed at how sore I’ve been from my 60+ minutes of P90X every day. Now I know I’m using different muscles in new and different ways, but I never expected to be so sore that I couldn’t move with out groaning like a really, really old person. Again… this is after a measly hour and a half work out.

So, I was watching The Biggest Loser, the other night, and I started wondering why none of these contestants complain about the muscle pain. I mean, we see them working out to the point of exhaustion and quite frequently nausea, but I’ve never heard any of them complain that it hurts to laugh, or move, or even just to take a breath.  Am I just wimpy, wimpy wimpy? Or is this just really good editing?

2012 Training Plan

First of all, yes, I’m still doing P90X… week 2 is well underway!! I’m still eating clean (or clean enough for me) and logging my food and exercise. You’ve got to love progress!!! I get so inspired when my training plan works! With that in mind, I realized that I needed to sort out my plans for the rest of the year. Yep, I said YEAR! See, I’ve committed to run in the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon in November with my nieces AND I have the St. Augustine Marathon, which also falls in November. YIKES! So, it was time for me to organize my training schedule. My biggest fear was that these races would fall on the same weekend. But, alas, Disney posted the date for the half and it’s November 10th!!! YAY!! This is a week before the marathon… Pheeww!! Ideally, I should be tapering the week before the marathon, but I’ll just make it work.

So, when figuring out a training schedule, I work backwards. I start on M-Day (Marathon day) and work in the reverse to figure out when to start my training. BUT, I’m also trying to work in the P90X workouts. Yeah, go ahead and say it… OVERACHIEVER!!! I’m thinking that this combination will give me that added strength to succeed at my marathon challenge. I found a plan I like somewhere on the internet. It was a pdf of a Nike Running plan and had beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. So last night I painstakingly entered this plan into my iCal, working in the reverse. I was so proud when I finally finished and my iCal looked all full and busy-like. Then, I went web surfing this morning and found the Nike Running Training site, which allows you to enter the date of your race and it will calculate your plan for you!!! UGH! AND… it will import it into your calendar!!! REALLYY?!?! I couldn’t have found this BEFORE I wasted an hour or so of my life?

Anyway, I officially start training for my marathon in the beginning of May, which happens to be my birthday week! How perfectly appropriate!!! So from now until May, I will continue with P90X, round 1, which will end April 15th. And I may try my own workout from then until May. Or, if I can stand it, I’ll do P90X, round 2! Stay tuned!!!

I’m now a P90X-er!!

So I’ve been hearing of the P90X fitness program for years. Yeah, I’ve looked at it briefly over the years, but just never felt like investing the $$. Not that it’s crazy expensive, but $140 for a set of DVD’s that are just gonna look pretty on the entertainment center is an investment I don’t care to make! So, why now? Well, I happened upon a set of the videos… FOR FREE!!! Yeah, FREE… So I took this as a sign, that I should get my arse moving!!

Today is Day 5 and I’m feeling GREAT!!!! Who knew that 5 days could make me feel SO much better?! Don’t get me wrong, I’m sore, make that SUPER SORE! But I LIKE IT!!!! And I’m also eating better. MUCH BETTER than this time last month, when I was ingesting mega amounts of Christmas cookies. Blech! Now I’m eating regularly and mostly clean foods. I’m also following my food intake with the Lose It! app that I wrote about previously… here. If you haven’t downloaded this app yet, DO IT NOW!!!! It’s the most amazing app that not only teaches you how to balance calories in and calories burned, but also, holds YOU accountable for your own weight loss or gain. Yes, I’ve been known to take a late walk around the block, or run up and down the stairs for 15 minutes just to burn off those extra calories I HAD to have!! It works, really!!

So, for those of you wondering if I’m still running… YES, sort of I’ve actually been too sore to run this week, but I am fully intending to pick up my mileage (which won’t take much) next week. And now that I’ve written it, I must DO IT!!! After all, I do have a marathon to run this year!!!

Happy 2012!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! It’s 2012!!! WOOHOOO!!! So, like every new year, I’ve come up with a resolution. Actually, I have MANY resolutions. Resolutions that will undoubtedly be unresolved by year end But if I only complete one of them then I’ll have been successful!!! You see, that’s why I make MANY resolutions, so the odds of succeeding are much better. Some years I even repeat failed resolutions from previous years. Now, some may call that cheating, but I like to think of it as persistence. And persistence is a good trait, right?

Well, one of this year’s resolutions is… wait for it… dum da duuumm…26.2 miles… yup, to complete a MARATHON!! Now, I’ve tried this one once before, but didn’t get to complete it due to injuries. YAY, it’s going back on the list!! I think if I train properly this time, I WILL succeed!! You see, last time my training consisted of just running, with an occasional yoga or pilates class. (Like one of each the entire 20 weeks of training) I didn’t do any weight or flexibility training. I am convinced that these two additions are essential to a successful marathon. We will see!!!

So I’ve decided to commit to this crazy goal, but which marathon shall I do? Hmmmm…

1. Disney Marathon – well I live in Orlando and could easily do the Disney Marathon, but it’s in early January, which is about a week away. Yeah, not gonna happen! And, if I sign up for next January, I’ve already failed. And that’s just not acceptable!
2. There’s the Space Coast Marathon which is nearby, but it’s held the Sunday after Thanksgiving. That would mean that we would have to skip our annual Thanksgiving trip to Charlotte… NOPE, not gonna do it!!
3. ING New York Marathon in November would be fun and the application process (lottery) starts TODAY. This is not only a tough race to get into, but also a rather expensive one! But I signed up for the lottery and I’ll just have to wait and see!
4. The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is in October and is reasonably priced at a mere $150. Registration opens in February, so that’s another option. And I know my hubs would come be my cheerleader, since he LOVES Chi-town!
5. The St Augustine Marathon is very close to home, which saves $$ on airline tickets, and close enough that I could actually have some peeps at the race!! Hmm, yeah this may be the one!!! Unless, of course I get lucky and get into the ING NYC.

Stay tuned and I will keep you up-to-date on how the training is going!

Happy Belated Halloween!!!

BELATED BOO!!! Did I scare you? No? Well, POO! Yeah I got you there, huh? As any parent knows, POO trumps BOO on the scare meter, anywhere, anytime!! But, is it scarey enough to get you moving? Are you running from your computer, screaming in fear? Good then I have succeeded in my task to get everyone out and exercising off all the sugar we ate yesterday!!

OK, so I have to confess something…I’ve been a little lax in the running lately. There…I’ve said it. Isn’t the first step in solving any problem, admitting that there is a problem? And now I’m gonna want to lace up my runners and hit the pavement. ..right? NO? CRAP!!! Well, I tried!!! In my defense, I have been walking 3 miles 3 times a week with my hubs. So I’m not sedentary, just a tad lazy. Well, maybe lazy isn’t the right word… running in slow-motion might describe it better.

So since I started writing this a couple days ago… yeah maybe lazy is the right word… I added a 2 mile run to my hubby walks. That’s a total of 5 miles!!! Eventually I will have hubs running the 3 mile walk and then I’ll be running 5 miles three days a week. Not bad… I think what I really need is to find a race to sign up for and get myself inspired!!! Stay tuned!!!

The Nike GPS App

I’ve been an avid user of the Nike Plus system since I found out about it waaaayyyy back when. I bought the iPod Nano, the Nike + shoes with the little hole in the sole for the chip, the chip and transmitter and tons of music from iTunes! Yeah, there was a lot of overhead, but I used it on every run, and even on those rare walks. OK, I admit it… I even used it for my dog’s walks. Hey, don’t laugh at me, a dog’s got know how far and fast she’s moving, too!! Needless to say, I thought it was just the coolest thing ever!!! But… now there’s an even cooler way! It’s Nike GPS!!!

Are you asking “What the heck is Nike GPS?” Well, let me tell you… it’s like the Nike +, but you don’t need the nano, the shoes, the chip or the transmitter!!!! You just need to download the app from iTunes app store for a mere $1.99, and that’s it!! It uses the GPS in your iPhone to track your run and measure your pace. Your runs can then be synced up with your Nike account. Are you running indoors on the treadmill? No worries it can keep track of your treadmill miles too! Just make sure you set for an indoor run before you start! Oh… it even allows you to play tag with your fellow runners!! I KNOW… IT’S SO COOL!!!

UPDATE: Run Hubby, Run…

Just wanted to give to you an update on the hubs and his training program. HE’S STILL RUNNING!!! YAY!! This is impressive in itself, but he’s also been traveling and still kept on track with the plan! YAY BABE!!! Are you wondering what plan? Yeah, I realized that we didn’t really set a plan…HAHAHAHAHA! I guess it’s easy to stay on track if you don’t have a track!! Never fear, I came up with a plan and a goal!! I love creating goals for other people!!

So, the plan is to run/walk for 30 minutes, 3 days a week with Sunday being our “long” day.  Eventually, we’ll stop the walk portion and just run. Oh, and the long run, yeah, it will gradually increase each week. The goal….MWAAAHHHHH… his first 5K run!!!! We will do Disney’s Expedition Everest Challenge and Scavenger Hunt!!! It’s a team race which starts with a 5K run with obstacles set up along the way, followed by a scavenger hunt through Animal Kingdom®…kind a like The Amazing Race (his fave show). Sounds like fun, huh? It’s perfect for his first race since it’s a night race and the run is split up by the obstacles. OK…it’s a little pricey, but that’s a sure way to keep him motivated. He’s not going to pay the $$$$ and then not run! Hit ‘em where it hurts right? Oh and we have Disney passes, so we can make a vacation out of it!!!!

Stay tuned for more updates and more wife-induced goals!!!

Run Hubby Run….

I enjoy my runs… I mean absolutely LOVE my runs!!! Well, most of them. But, I’m beginning to realize that other people DO NOT enjoy theirs as much. And one of those people is my darling husband! Now, to be fair I must say that he is just beginning his running regime, and I’m not sure that anyone really LIKES it at the very beginning, what with all those side stitches and, of course, the breathlessness. But, for those of us that pushed through that painful beginning, is the, ummm, how to describe it… hmm… bliss, ecstasy, euphoria, elation… must I go on? I think you get my drift! So my goal is to get the hubs to stick with it long enough to reach that euphoric threshhold, with hopes that from then on it will be a MUST DO!

How to accomplish this? Yeah, I don’t know for sure, but I’m going to try to take it slow and work him up to a 5K race. We went out this past week and ran/walked 30 minutes, in a 2 minute run/3 minute walk. It went GREAT!! He said I run a little faster than he does, but he kept up and we did it! We started out another day, but the rain started and we had to stop after a walk around the block

Never fear… we are going to keep this up… even if it kills me! Today is suppose to be another rainy day, so maybe we can squeeze in 30 minutes between FLORIDA’s liquid sunshine! I would like to set a 3 day a week schedule, increasing our run time each week until eventually we are running a 5K in 30 minute!!!!

Watch for follow-ups to follow!!!