OmAgain

You guys! I have been SO proud of myself! Last time I posted was when I signed up for the marathon in California. A lot of training and losing weight has happened since then. To start off, I am down to 126POUNDS! (WOW!) About 10pounds left before I am at/around my goal (depending on how much muscle I have, and what I look like- I still have a tire middle, but everything else is toned up!) But I had my first group run with my training group yesterday…

So I woke up to my alarm blasting to tell me “It’s 6am on a Saturday and you need to be up and out the door!! RUN RUN RUN!!” So I got up and opened my bedroom shades only to find fog. Not like, a tiny bit of fog, but spooky Halloween movie fog. And mist. And muddy ground. What a great day for my first Saturday group run, I thought sarcastically.

I drove to the lakefront and parked and met with the group. Saturday groups are MUCH bigger than Wednesday groups apparently. There were easily 45+ people. I met a girl named Brandy who agreed to run the 3miles with me. She, like most other people I meet, is doing the Chicago (Half) Marathon. I have yet to meet someone who is doing Nike Women’s with me.

Needless to say, we stuck together for the whole 3miles and chatted– it made it SO MUCH EASIER! We totally killed it too, only one other person beat us. We tied 2nd place, and we didn’t even know how fast we were running because we had such good chats! I would 100% recommend group training for anyone who is doing an endurance event for the first time.

We chatted about lots of things while running through the crazy Chicago fog, and mist. We splashed through puddles of mud, dodged cyclists/dogs/faster runners, and crazy stroller moms. We ran a LOT of hills. (Who knew Chicago lakefront path had hills?!) When we reached the turnaround mark,(the “totem pole”) I was shocked and impressed. I stayed at the same pace the entire time and knew I could make it back on the same pace. We stopped for a drink at the fountain and ran back together.

When we reached the meeting place, the sweat started the pour down my face. I couldn’t believe that I had not slowed down the entire time. I can do this. Slowly but surely I can and will get to 4miles, 6miles, 8 miles, and eventually finish 13.1 miles.

I can’t wait until next weeks group run!

I am SO paying for it now! ; )  Seriously.. Allison has been totally kicking my ass 3x a week. I mean serious suicide sprints on the basketball court, stairmaster forwards/ backwards/and 100miles and hour, and running on a treadmill at an incline of 8! My legs are looking super sexy though… let me tell you that!

My ass is feeling tighter too..

My arms are seriously getting toned, and I can see my tricep again! (My fav arm muscle!)

This is crazy.

My calves are tight, my thighs are halfway there, my ass feels like a rock, and my arms are looking tough, but my poor stomach is stuck. Grrrr….  I hope as my cardio/miles increase in training that my stomach will decide to take a run for it. (No pun intended.. )

But I just wanted to give a quick update! Hope everyone is doing well!

This morning at 9am I had a visitor. My dad. He drove 30miles. Why? Because we have been planning all week to run together. You see, my dad had stents put in when I was in 2nd grade. He could have lost him. 10years later we could have lost him [again], but he survived a double bypass (with a 98% blockage). When he was in high school he was a true athlete. Basketball, baseball, running, anything and everything. Now he’s 49 and hasn’t run in probably 20years.

When he found out that I was running a half marathon he kind of laughed as “another one of my crazy ideas”. Then a week passed and I told him that my fundraising site was up and running, and I had started training. His mind changed. He asked if I would be willing to run with him. I said “100% yes” I told him “Every weekend. Let’s do it.” He thought I was kidding.

We talked last night and he asked, once again if I was seirous. I said “You better be here tomorrow morning or else.”

This morning at 8:30 he called to tell me he was on his way. He once again, wanted to make sure I was serious.

We ran 2.58miles. His first run in 20years.

We took it slow, walked a little in between miles, and he did it. He was sweating, and tired, and sore, but he did it. He would say “I think I have to stop, I don’t know if I can make it.” I kept cheering him on. “Dad, you SO have this. Look, you’ve already run over a half mile! When was the last time you ran a half mile? We’re almost to the park, we can see it!” He kept on.  I kept talking throughout the entire run, telling him stories, things that had happened during the week, and all he could say was “How in the world can you talk while running?” I laughed. “You have to distract yourself.” We got to the park, walked around it, and ran all the way back home. When we got to the front yard I let out a cheer. “DAD! You did it!! You ran over 2 1/2 miles!”  I had never been so proud in my life.

When we got back to my house I said “Dad. You did it. See? You can do anything! Next week? Same time, same place?” “You’ve got a deal” he said.

This may be my favorite part about training for a half marathon- my new weekly runs with my dad.

Who would have thought that running 2miles without stopping would be so inspirational? I’m sure it was somewhere around a 12minute mile each, but hey! Who’s counting time right now? I have 5 1/2 months to get fast. It’s all about endurance right now. I truly could have run farther today, but I really want to start light so I don’t totally freak out my “non-runner” body. I can just picture my body going into shock: “We are being under attack! Sound the alarms! Set off the panic button!!!” But instead, I tell myself that it’s no big deal- and talk it through the situation like you may to a child- and seeing as I work with 4kids under the age of 5, that is quite my specialty…. …Along with working on counting skills. Oh you remember: “If you step on a crack, you’ll break your mothers back!”  Well, when my body starts to get a little pissy at me I just make a [pretend] deal with it; “When you run over 22cracks (my age), you can walk a minute.” Then when I run over 21cracks I say “Wait, you’re FINE! You actually have to run over 22cracks for MY age and 29cracks for FRANKS age!” Then after 51 cracks I make a serious deal: “Okay, you are not even sweating you can handle a few more– Run over 151 cracks and THEN you can walk a minute.” By time I reached 143, I was in my backyard. It truly is mind over matter. Did I want to go jog today after an extremely long day at work? No. Absolutely not. I wanted to get in my comfiest pj’s and just READ about running. But once you’re out the door, you may as well just do it. So slowly but surely I will get there. It just takes time, energy, and practice. (Not to mention mind over body control.)

So I posted a short entry earlier about my signing up for a half marathon. (In October, in San Francisco California) I got an E-mail today- It’s seriously official. I got my fundraising page up and running! http://pages.teamintraining.org/il/nikesf10/jpetzel 

I am SO pumped. I mean, $3,500 is a LOT of money to raise. But even if my friends of Facebook each donated $5 I would exceed my goal. (Of course you can’t count on everyone to give anything, but I am trying to be optimistic) Even the kids that I work for said today “We can do bake sales and lemonade stands all summer to raise money for your race!” I almost cried. What kids would be so passionate? They also proceed to tell everyone that I am running a race. How can you say no to that?

I am SO pumped. I am so totally going to die while doing this, but I CAN DO IT!

13.1- Here I COME!

No joke. I did. Last night. I registered for the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in California October 17th, 2010. You guys remember how I have been working with a personal trainer since the end of January? I am up to 3 days a week now with her. Not to mention the day at the gym not with her. So I decided that I am ready to seriously make a commitment to something crazy.

A Half marathon.

 Yeah, a real-live half marathon. 13.1 miles. 4years ago I used to run 6miles just for fun. I will get there. I have about 25ish weeks to train. Sounds like a lot, and sounds like nothing, I know. You think I’m crazy, right?

I am SO pumped! Sunday I went for a 5.5mile brisk walk with my dog, and Monday was my offical slow start day. I had training in the morning and at night I jogged a mile. Could have done more, but I am starting slow. I will add more and more but if I do it too fast I will either get hurt, or discouraged. I am doing this through a program called “TEAM in training”. I will be meeting with coaches, trainers, fundraising people, and more to train for this. I will also be running for a selected blood cancer patient or survivor. How can you say no to that?

Part of me says “You probably cant run or jog the whole thing, but try” and the other part of me says “You can do ANYTHING you put your mind to” this will be the ULTIMATE test of mind over body.

I will have to raise $3,500 for the minimum to do this half marathon. I can’t wait for this challenge.

So come October 17th, this lil Chicago girl will be in California running (and finishing) her first half marathon.

Are ya all there for me?

I’m still here guys.. I’m just stuck and trying to get out of a rut. I’m still stuck at 133. Still working out with my trainer 3x a week. Gotta find a way to  once again jumpstart some weight loss… switched my routine, changed my cal intake, everything seems to still be on pause… grr…

Hope you all are doing well.

So I did it. Remember my last post when I said I didn’t want to weigh in because I feel defeated? Yeah.. I ate dinner, came home, put some groceries away, and then did it. Got in my skimmies, took out the scale, and jumped on. 136.

I gained 5pounds. I had originally lost 11, and now I have only lost 6.

I am now at least 2 weeks behind on my “Reach my goal weight by my birthday” goal…  ::sigh::

When I saw the number a million things went through my mind: “But I just ate dinner less than an hour ago”/”I drank a LOT of water today”/”I get my period within the next 2-4days”/… but the truth is, the number is 5pounds heavier than the last number I saw. And the last time I weighed in was at least 2 weeks ago. So NOT good.

Like I said before, my official weigh in isn’t until Sunday, but I changed my tracker anyway. I need a shock factor in my brain, and waiting until Sunday to “See” if it changes would only let me slide a lil longer… So I will still weigh in on Sunday, and change the tracker if anything changes- good or bad, but I needed to do it today, also.

So yes, I am still working out with a trainer 3x a week as well as Zumba 2x a week, and usually 1-2 extra days of cardio/etc.. so I have been going to the gym consistantly for 5-7days a week. It’s just my eating that has been sucking.. (I am back on my birth control this month (after a missed month) and my period cravings are HORRIBLE.. this week has been just terrible.. seriously terrible. So try try again….

Tomorrow will be a long day at work, so I bought a new adult lunchbox : ) today from Target. I will pack only healthy options and make tomorrow a great day to get back on track…  ; )

But still.. COME ONE- GAINED 5 POUNDS?! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR….

No joke. I didn’t weigh in last Sunday because I just felt horrible. I don’t want to weigh in this Sunday either. But I will. I have to know what number is on that scale, because I think I am going the other way and I need to be realistic here. I can’t just run from the scale and think what I don’t know wont hurt me. I have to be honest with myself.

I haven’t made the best eating choices this past week. I haven’t been HORRIBLE, but enough to probably add something. I did work out every day for the entire week, but I don’t think that helped.

So even though I am scheduled to get TOM this weekend (Which always adds 2-5lbs for me) I WILL weigh in on Sunday.

You guys, I feel defeated this week.

Seriously.

I can AND will do better, but I am scared shitless of what kind of damage I have done so far..   : /

ARRRG! It takes me a week to lose a pound, and now I will be weeks behind because of ONE week of stupidity. THAT’S frustrating.

So it’s Tuesday. Yesterday and Tomorrow I have(had) personal training. Today is my day off to mentally rest. But that doesn’t mean I should make blah choices. I will only put good things in my stomach today.

Have a great week

This post is going to be all over the place. I have so many thoughts about what is happening to me and my body and where I want to be. First off, I am so proud of myself for losing 11lbs so far. But then I get mad at myself thinking I signed up at the gym around Jan 1st and its already almost the end of March- 2 1/2 almost 3months. I could have lost more than that if I would have tried harder. I don’t want it to be July and still not be at my goal. I’m being lazy.

Not like I’m sitting on my ass not going to the gym, lazy. I am now working out with a PT 3x a week, and she kicks my ass. I also go to Zumba 2x a week for an hour, and SHE kicks my ass, too. So that’s 5x a week. Some weeks its 6 or 7x a week at the gym. I feel like I need to get more cardio in. My pt does incorporate cardio but not enough. But that’s not what I need her for. I need her to get me toned and work on stuff I couldn’t do on my own. I need to incorporate more cardio on my own time.

I am just frustrated and feeling like I am not giving it my all but I am not sure what else to do. I have videos at home but whenever I say I am going to do a video I find something else “more productive” to do in the house and run out of time. So thats why I MAKE myself go to the gym.. I can’t just “find something else to do” at the gym, unless it’s exercising lol.

I just feel like I have hit a bump in the road and don’t know where to go, what to do. I’m just flustered.