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!

Plans Change… We Must Adapt

We all know that even the best laid plans must be altered due to unforeseen circumstances. But, that doesn’t make it any less annoying!!

As you may remember, I have committed to running a marathon this year as one of my resolutions. I would love to do the New York City Marathon, but chances are slim that I’ll win that lottery. So, I had decided that my back-up plan would be the St. Augustine Marathon in November. Well, imagine my surprise when I went to their webpage to check the date and registration information and there’s NO MARATHON!!!! WHAAT?!? Yeah, this year they are only having a 5K, 10K and 21K (or half marathon). BUMMER!!! So what’s a marathon girl to do? Well, I went searching for another marathon, and the only thing I can find that works with my schedule is the Disney Marathon in January, 2013. Does this mean my resolution is a bust already? That depends on how you think about it. I like to say it’s an issue of semantics. Will I have completed the marathon by December 31, 2012? No, but I will have trained for it, and that’s the hard part! Right?

The other change is in the P90X Training program I’m doing. I’m into week 3 and I truly believe it’s working, but I’m a little bored. Oh, and Tony’s voice is grating on my last nerve!!! Yeah, I’ve hit my wall, not with the program but with him. So I’ve decided to not do the video and just do the exercises on my own. And, I even created my own plyometric, interval and ballet workout routines to replace his plyo, shoulders & arms and that stinking kenpo routines.  So, is it really even P90X? Technically, no, but I’m much happier because I don’t have to listen to his voice anymore!!! And my workouts are way harder than his! Stay tuned… I may post my workouts at some point. I have to make sure they work first!!!

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!!!

Free… Yes, F-R-E-E… Marathon

What does the word MARATHON mean to you? Yes, the obvious answer is 26.2 miles of running, walking or crawling, depending on who you are! To me, it’s one of those love-to-hate things like child birth, deep tissue massage or dieting. You know, the intense pain before the immense pay-off! I mean, think about it… when you decide to sign up for that race, you agree to:

1. commit MONTHS of your life to training
2. forfeit a couple toe nails for the cause
3. run through at least a couple pair of rather expensive shoes
4. live with the aches and pains in the hams, hips, quads and knees
5. forfeit your normal social life for one centered around the long weekend runs

AND, for all this wonderful (code word for torturous) fun, you would normally, pay (happily, I might add) a couple hundred dollars just to register!!!! Well, I found a F-R-E-E marathon!!! It’s called The Really Big Free Marathon, and it’s in VEGAS on November 3rd!!! WOOHOO!! Here’s the rub… registration opens on March 24th at 12:01AM PST. Yes, that’s Pacific Standard Time, which is 3:00AM for those of us on the East Coast! UUGGGHH!! Eeeh, what’s a little lost sleep in the grand scheme? RIGHT?!?

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!!!

Hot and Humid Running…UGHH!

So as you know, I’ve been a little lazy about running lately! OK REALLY lazy! But… I’m trying!  I did run a 5K charity race on Saturday after NO training! And frankly, IT SUCKED!!! Not the race itself, but my performance! It was SO hot and humid! I know, I know… I live in FLA, I should be used to it. But to run in the sun is just not fun! Now I sound like Dr. Suess… great! Anyway, I had my iPhone with me and had the Nike + app running, but for some reason it didn’t register my pace or distance only my time. FRUSTRATING!!! So at 1 mile there was a sign, and at 1.5 miles there was a water station. But the entire rest of the race was unmarked. I was convinced at about mile 2.5 that we had run at least 5 miles. That’s what I get for not training! I did finish, even though my time wasn’t good! YAY ME!

Now I’m back on my schedule of 1 charity race a month. I figure it’s the only way I can keep myself motivated. I’m actually hoping to do a couple of half marathons in the fall! Notice I didn’t say FULL! Yes… I still have it in my head to someday run a full marathon, but for now I’ll stick with my halfs. I just want to keep my knees healthy and after my training injury, I decided to take it really slow! Really, really slow! So, I’m starting with an easy 3 days a week 4 miles a day schedule. This should get me through to summer. Then I’ll kick it up a little and add some extra miles! Because I love to run in 120ºF temps! 🙂 The sun beating down, and the sweat stinging your eyes… you’ve got to LOVE it!!!

To Run… Or Not To Run… This Is The Question!

Run 5K or drinks with my girls?

The last time I ran was probably in the Trailblazer 5K on March 20th. And before that… hmmmm… I can’t remember! I’ve been trying to be good! I took my running gear on my spring break trip to Washington DC…but didn’t run! I took my stuff to my 10th annual girls’ weekend…but didn’t run! I’ll pack my stuff for my upcoming trip to Charlotte… but I probably won’t run there either! What is my problem??? Hmmm, maybe that I’ve been in vaca mode for a few months?!?!

But I woke up determined yesterday… well maybe not so determined as much as guilt-laden. You see I was going about my morning routine, when a friend called and asked if his son could come over and wait with us until the bus came. After I said yes, I realized that I should probably get out of my jammies. And since my hubby was so good about getting up with my son at 5:30AM and driving him to school and waking my daughter while letting me sleep, I didn’t want to disturb his nap. The quickest and quietest outfit I could grab was my running clothes that were still neatly packed in my suitcase!

Here I was all dressed and ready to run, but I had no plans to actually go for a run. Then, I started thinking of how good it would feel to be out in the fresh air, jamming to my Race Day play list and sweating out the toxic weekend… and I started feeling guilty. So I got my shoes, hat and sunglasses and headed out! And it was AWESOME!!! A little hot & humid towards the 4th mile, but it was really nice early on! I felt great all day long, too! Great enough to make a pact with myself to run at least 3 days a week! But will I keep it up?

I think that since I don’t have any upcoming races on the calendar, I’m being lazy! So I need to book some races! Stay tuned…

Running With My iPhone…Yikes

So I finally talked my hubs into buying me the new 3GS iPhone with the Nike App built in. I’ve been bugging him relentlessly, so I wouldn’t have to keep carrying my iPhone and my Nano on my daily runs. I even tried the whole “I’m getting carpal tunnel syndrome and stress in my shoulders” and he would just laugh it off. Arrgghhhh! But with the help of my kids… mostly my daughter who ended up adopting my old iPhone… he relented on Valentines’ Day!

I absolutely LOVE my new iPhone!!! But I’m a little nervous about taking it on my runs. You see, in my head I have a vision of me running down the street, without a care in the world, when all of the sudden something happens… a snake jumps me… or gigantic Blue Heron pecks me… or a raccoon startles me… (Funny that these things have all happened!) and my precious iPhone goes flying from my hand … in slow mo… and lands in pieces on the pavement. NOOOOOO!!!! This would be a TRAGEDY!!!! A MAJOR TRAGEDY!!!

You see, I’m not a strap lover, because I prefer to see my screen while I’m running. I tried the armband, but found it was itchy and I got a bruise on my arm from tugging it to look at the screen constantly!  I tried the waist belt, but it bounced around so much that I was afraid it would break something inside. So, I bought a rubbery case that I can grip, and I’m hoping it works!!! Stay tuned!!!

By the way…do you think the iPad is too big to run with? I get separation anxiety when I’m without mine!

On The Road AGAIN!!! Really!

Let's run!!!

Hi! It’s been a while and I have been really bad about exercising! I mean REALLY BAD!!! Like no exercise at all BAD! Like sitting on my arse in front of the computer BAD! Like I can’t even do the toilet seat hover, BAD!! TMI? Maybe but it’s true!

It’s February 1st and I am ready to return to the pavement! My knees are recuperated…well… as much as they’re going to…so I’m strapping on my sneakers and hitting the road AGAIN! I’m excited and a little nervous since it’s been so long! What if I can’t even run around the block? What if my lungs forget how to breathe and I pass out? Or worse…what if my hubs runs faster than me? Ha…I won’t let that happen!

My nieces have also been taking a bit of a break! One had a BABY…we’ll let her off the hook!!! And the other stopped due to knee pain and then started doing the P90X workout. YIKERS!!! But we’re all back and ready to get moving again!! We’re shooting for a 5k charity run in March!! Wooohooo!  And I am recruiting my husband!! Yes that’s right! He has agreed that he will start training too!! I AM SOOO EXCITED!!! Now I just need to get my kids on board!

Stay tuned!!