Crim 10 Mile!

If you haven't checked it out yet I updated my running blog with details about my race this weekend.  It was a great experience and I actually can't wait to do it again! I am still a little sore mostly when I do stairs, but nothing that a couple days of rest won't cure.  Here are a couple highlights:

Yes that says I burned 4215 calories!!!  No wonder I am so hungry still. 

Me after 10 miles!  And honestly at this point I could have kept going.  It wasn't until I had stopped for a while that my feet start to burn.  Later on my knees and shins were sore, but a trip in the hot tub and some bengay made every thing better.  This morning I felt great, but after a day of sitting my quads are reminding me to move! 

I will post a couple more pics when I get them, but now on to the Brooksie Half Marathon!!!

Carb Overload!!

I am sick of carbs. I never thought in my wildest dreams I would ever ever say that. I started carb loading last night for my race on Saturday and already I am craving protein. In fact I started a half a day late since I forgot until my doctor’s appointment late in the afternoon. Of course the dr also cancelled my fill since he wants me to be able to fuel correctly and stay hydrated. Makes sense and I was kind of worried myself, but I didn’t want to wait until the end of October for a fill (my next appointment was right before the half which would have meant no fill). Luckily, he is now in the office twice a month for fills. So the fill is only postponed two weeks instead of two months. Thank God!
My reminder on carb loading caused me to take an unplanned detour to the grocery store last night. It was sooo tempting to just pick up those lovely bakery items instead of the carb packed veggies , whole grain crackers, and other “healthy” carbs. I was this close to picking up some Bannana’s Foster ice cream – limited time flavor and one of my absolute favorites. I had the container in my hands and actually figured the number of calories that the whole thing had b/c you know those “little” containers of premium ice cream would get completely eaten. 840 calories if you were wondering. Much better than I would have thought and I know I will burn it off, but I decided going crazy on sugar right before race day probably wouldn’t make me feel great.

For those of you not familiar with carb loading it isn’t the all you can eat pasta dinners the night before the race. Some people do do that, but it isn’t really recommended since it is just too heavy in your stomach. Plus your liver just doesn’t store enough glycogen in one big meal. Glycogen is what carbs are turned into so it can be used as energy. You want your liver and muscles to be full of the stuff so you have as much energy as possible. It is also ironically the same stuff that Drs want us to get rid of before surgery using the low carb liquid diet approach. No wonder our engery levels tank during that time!

To do carb loading the “right way” you start three days prior to race day – according to those pesky dietitians. (Love you Kelly!) First, if you are dieting you need to increase your calories to equal what you burn. For me that is somewhere around 2200 on average (higher on long run weeks). Then you are supposed to eat 60-70% of your calories in carbs. For me that would be 330g – 385g of carbs or 1320-1540 calories from carbs. That is more calories in just carbs than I typically eat in total for an ENTIRE day! And that is the more conservative method of figuring your carb intake. Some dietitians recommend you eat 8-10 grams of carbs per kilogram of weight. For me that would be 687-860 or 3436 calories in just carbs!! I don’t know if I could physically eat that many calories.

So suffice it to say I am going to have to do a modified carb loading program. Something much more band friendly. I am trying to up my calories hoping somewhere around 2000 (maybe a little higher, but I don’t want to feel like I have overeaten on race day). Then I am making sure I am getting my protein and finally upping my carbs. It should give me somewhere around 55% of my diet in carbs (1100 calories).

Sounds great, huh? Yeah eating things I love (potatoes, bread, etc…) is great, but honestly eating a days worth of calories in carbs doesn’t feel as good as I remember. After 24 hours I would rather grab a stick of cheese then a whole grain pita chip or a bowl of squash (which I LOVE). Oh and I found out that carb loading also has the *great*effect of causing you to store more water and thus gain weight. It isn’t that bloated feeling thank God, but a 2-3 pound increase in the scale is very very likely.

What a thing to complain about!! I am guessing that I would get used to the increase in carbs after a few more days so I am going to have to be very careful after race day. But since I didn’t go crazy on ice cream before the race I am telling everyone now that I will have something sweet when we are done. My banded dad might start drooling, but after burning nearly 2000 calories I think that I will have earned it. Not that it will be my “reward”. It will just be a tasty way to replenish my glycogen stores and I can’t think of a better time to add in a high calorie snack :)

Life

Why does life never happen as planned? ;) I have been AWOL from blog land (and many other places) for the last month because I took a swan dive off the bridge of life and have been trying to figure out if I was going to hit pavement or water. Luckily, I hit water, but I am still making my way up to the surface. Yes, if you can’t tell I am feeling a little poetic today. Really, making light of the whole thing has helped keep me sane over the last few weeks.

 

So in the sake of covering a lot of info in a post I am resorting to bullets. I will start with Band and Running updates:

• I am still losing weight, but slowly
• I have officially lost 85 pounds and am in the 180’s for the first time since my freshman year of high school.
• I am 9.5 pounds away from my doctor’s goal and 14.5 pounds away from my goal.
• I know I need to lose more than 14.5 pounds, but I will be happy if my body does stop there.
• I haven’t been as disciplined over the last month as I was so I am ok with the small loses I had – a half a pound a week.
• I still haven’t changed my diet much, but I was able to lose 2 pounds last week and a pound so far this week. It is amazing how small changes add up.
•  It feels great to live life (no matter how crazy), and not have to worry about every detail about food – and still lose something.
• I have very little restriction, and since the reflux has gone away I am going to get a fill this month.
• I am very happy to be losing even though I have only been at my sweet spot for a couple weeks over the last 9 months. Hopefully, getting the next fill will give me the little push I need to hit goal. 
• I am still running and still injury free.
• The marathon training is going well – at least the running.
• I have completed a 8.5 mile run a couple weeks ago and am doing 10 miles this week.
• I have a 10 mile race in 11 days. I know I can do it, but the question is can I do it fast enough.
• I am slow and end up running by myself (and a trainer) because the rest of my group doesn’t show.
• The director of the program tries to push me into harder intervals so I can run with a group which slows me down even more.
• I don’t think she believes that the shorter intervals keep me faster (even though that is what our training methodology states). And they didn’t even tell me they upped the intervals until we were almost done and my time was over 3 minutes slower a mile! So it can't be just in my mind.
• It is not my fault everyone in my group dropped out. I paid my money to get help. Don’t tell me week 10 that maybe I should move into the 5k program. Especially when to date you have told me how good I am doing and I asked you in the beginning if I was overreaching.
• I am slow and I know it, but I don’t need the director of the program talking about me behind my back and mocking me (or so it appeared).
• She knows she was caught because I turned my car around and confronted her.
• I think she knows she did wrong and feels bad, but it changed my experience and I hate that.
• After feeling like the slowest runner on the planet I found out that the main training program (we are a branch) has many groups for my speed or slower. 
• The director of the program is going to find me a group to run the 10 mile race with – a group that runs at my pace. Why she didn’t say something to me when I said something about running alone last week I am not sure. But at least it ended well. 
• Oh and I broke my personal best and did 2 miles at a 13:10 pace. My best pace so far. Granted I almost killed myself to do it, but it was done. I may not be able to 10 or 13.1 miles at that pace this year, but I am getting better and next year it might be doable.

 And now for the life updates. Kind of hard to put a month of craziness into a “short” update, but here is my best try:

• I am moving and I feel like it is really “I have to move”
• My condo is worth diddly squat and is expected to continue to fall for at least 3 more years and may not be worth what I paid even in another 10 years (maybe much much longer).
• My condo is literally falling apart due to the association deferring maintenance for far too long.
• They say they will have to double to get out us of our issues – that will be more than some people pay in rent.
• I would literally pay more in association dues in the next 5 years than some people bought their condo for this year.
• Crime is starting to go up. My neighbor was home when someone tried to break in and I was accosted at the gas station down the road the other day. Luckily I was in my car by then, but it is not going the way I thought it would due to a HUGE cut in spending in the area.
•  I am so sad. I feel like a failure. But I am getting over it.
• It will be expensive.
• Best case scenario I will pay out a crap load of money to get out of my house. Worst case scenario two crap loads of money. Either way I will be better off leaving now.
• For the next 3-5 years I will probably be paying off a house I don’t own, but it is no worse than buying a car (which you typically use for a short time even though you pay a lot for them).
• I am buying a new house.
• Back in my home town. A small town in northern Michigan. Closer to my family. 
• What I have always wanted, but wasn’t able to do a few years ago due to my job.  
• I am buying my childhood home – my parent’s current home.
• It will almost cost me a little more than what my association dues were going to be.
• It is a little smaller than my current condo, but has so much more.
• Problem is my parents haven’t moved out yet (as planned).
• They are buying a house that my grandmother can live in too.
• Their short list of homes just went to zero (one sold, one needs too much work, and one is WAY too close to a dairy farm – the smell was the worst they have ever noticed and my mom lived on a farm
• Very few houses are on the market and it may be early spring before they get another short list although we are still hoping to be in our new houses by Christmas
• If my house sells before they move I may have to live with them or my grandmother.
• They both have really small houses and this could get interesting.
• But it already feels like my home - I can’t wait til they get out :)
• The puppy loves the fenced in back yard.
• I love the pool.
• My dad calls it my house – which is good and bad. Bad when he wants me to mow. Good when he asks how I want the plants.
• I have a brand new silver maple in the front yard.
• I love the front and back decks and the patio that will be perfect for a table and chairs.
• I won’t have a spare room, but I will have an awesome office. Upstairs and not in the windowless basement.

Just in case you noticed, I haven't been commenting on your blogs.  Mostly because I am able to read only a few a day using Google reader.  I have no idea what is going on out there, but I hope to catch up soon.  I hope you all are doing great!

80 Pounds!

I know I still owe you a running post, but I am going to skip that today to bring you the following news:

I

HAVE

LOST

POUNDS!!!

 

80 pounds! I can’t believe it. A little under 8 months ago I was in the hotel room, near the hospital where I was having surgery the next day, trying to fall asleep but my mind kept spinning with all the possibilities. What would the next 18 months be like? What would I look like in 3 months, 4 months, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, etc… Maybe in my most optimistic thoughts did I end up losing 80 pounds before the end of July, but I never really thought that this would happen.

So as of today I am

• 3 pounds from a BMI under 32 – My insurance health coordinator’s goal
• 15 pounds from a BMI under 30 – My surgeon’s goal
• 20 pounds from 175 – My goal

These numbers are amazing to me, but being so close to my goal has emphasized one thing for me – I have more than 20 pounds to lose. This is ok and honestly what I expected to find once I got closer to my goals. I am still going to use my body fat goal as my ultimate sign of success, but unless I lose all 20 pounds in fat I am going to have extra work to do.

The strange part about where I am now is that I am basically just a smaller version of myself before. Ok. I am sure you are thinking “Obviously, Tracy”, but hear me out. For the last 40-50 pounds I have shrunk very proportionally (well except my chest). My arms, legs, stomach, hips have stayed exactly the same shape just smaller. I have the same bumps, creases, curves and whatever that I had 50 pounds ago. Nothing has smoothed out or looks skinnier. 

This is a great thing when you think of skin. I have bat wings, but they are not getting larger as I lose the fat. My panniculus is still there, but instead of getting looser as I lose weight it looks exactly the same. Basically instead of deflating like some people have described I am just shrinking. Which is great. Absolutely wonderful.

Except for the mental part. It appears that nothing is getting smaller. On a day to day basis I don’t see a difference. My arms, legs, and stomach all look exactly the same. I hear you guys talking about seeing air between your thighs – nope not me. How about those of you with your skinny calves or defined chins – nope not me again. Even in my latest pictures you can see very little difference. I love the smaller me, but I would love to notice something that shouts skinnier.

Thankfully, in today’s pictures my lovely collar bones came out to play. I rarely see them, but when I do I just love how skinny they make me feel. Also, today’s pictures mark another big milestone – size 14 jeans and a LARGE shirt. No W’s and no X’s. Wooohooo!! Now I am just started to fit into the random 14 and large, but I love it. It is my real conformation that I actually look different.

 

I LOVE today’s picture. The difference between where I am now and where I started is just crazy. My waist, hips, and face – Wow! Plus those collar bone’s are just awesome. Looking at this picture makes me feel skinny!

 

 

Now that I have found my tri-pod I am going to have to start being more consistant with my pictures because the different cameras, positions and zooms make it harder to compare each month. Although it is pretty easy to see the last picture is showing great progress. I LOVE my band!

 

On a final note – I have my 8 month check up in the next couple weeks (next week or the week after – can’t remember). I lost my restriction last week, but I am thinking of asking for unfill. I have been suffering from a bad sore throat for a week now and I think it is from my GERD. I haven’t had symptoms since surgery, but a sore throat was a something I used to get from it. I don’t want to lose my band and the resurgence of this symptom is a little concerning. I figure I could handle one month of no restriction to let every thing heal much more than I could handle getting it taken out. I have no idea what I would do if that happened!! But I am not going to worry about it right now. The doc will know the best way to handle this which is why he gets paid the big bucks, right?

 

As for now I am going to continue celebrating my 80 pounds, focus on enjoying the moment and push forward towards my next goal.

Running (Part 1)

I have had a few questions about my running program so I thought I would devote some time and write about it. I want to start out saying I never thought I would be a runner. I hate gym class in school mostly because of the mile runs. When this bug hit me earlier this year I was surprised, but I am very much loving everything about it.


Let’s start where I started – 6 weeks after surgery. I was 245 pounds and decided to start the Couch to 5k (C25K) program. I had done some walking before this, but no running. The first week was 60 seconds of running and 90 seconds of walking for 20 minutes. The plan is to do this 3 times a week, but it took me a little less than 2 weeks to get three successful runs in. I had to do a couple of the runs twice since I couldn’t complete them the first time. All in all it was pretty hard, but the feeling of accomplishment was great.

In week 2 (in reality my week 3), the plan was to do 90 seconds of running and 2 minutes of walking for 20 minutes. I was able to do all three runs without any major problems – until the runs were over. Afterwards, not only did I feel like I wanted to puke, but also my legs were killing me. I would ice my knees after every run and put layers of Bengay on. After this week, I gave up on running for a while to give my legs a chance to heal. Some days it hurt to even walk. Was this a fault of the running program, my weight, a bad hotel treadmill? I wasn’t sure. All I knew was I hurt.

Fast forward 6-8 weeks to mid March. My legs still hurt. I decided I couldn’t wait any longer to get going again. I decided to start with a week of good walking (1-3 miles 5 times a week). In the second week I started the C25K program again. Week 1 and 2 went pretty good. I did the runs three times a week, but added in a lot of trail walking. It was hard, but much easier than last time. I still had to use a lot of Bengay and ice, but I could walk and the pain didn’t last.

Week three was a different story. It took me 2 weeks (maybe longer) to get through the 3 runs that included 3 minute runs and walks. By day 1 of week 4 I realized that I didn’t want to do this anymore. I really like running, but I didn’t like the way my body felt. Plus at the end of the C25K program I would be prepared to run “only” 30 minutes. I knew 3.1 miles would take longer than 30 minutes. So what was the point of killing myself???

I decided to keep create my own program. I continued trail walking and upped my mileage to build endurance. I also added in several short runs (similar to the C25K length), but instead of doing intervals they suggested I just ran what was comfortable. I felt great and was doing much better, but one thing I noticed is that I used up a lot of my energy on the first half of the run and slowed down during the second half.

I ran my first 5k on May 23rd (about 9 weeks after restarting my running program). It was great. I started very strong and liberally added in walk intervals when I “needed” them. By mile 2 this was a lot. By mile three I was mostly walking. But I did start running again during the last stretch. I crossed the finish line a little under 50 minutes – which was 10 minutes less than my goal. Yes I am slow, but I crossed the finish line feeling amazing!!

After the race I was feeling great, but a little burnt out. I stopped running for about a week and a half until I started my half marathon training in early June. When I went for the orientation I was loving what I heard. I had read a little about the program we were going to use, Galloway’s, but hearing them talk about what it had done for them or what they had heard from a seminar by Galloway was great. The lack of injuries, the rate of success, the fact that you can actually run faster and farther than with other programs, and that you will actually end each run with a smile on your face instead of in pain and want to puke. It was everything I wanted, but could all these things be really true or was this just their sale’s pitch.

After 5 weeks I am a true believer. I have done several 3 mile runs, a 4 miler, a 5 miler and a 6 miler. Except for the very first group run I have ended each run with the same feeling of accomplishment that the C25K program gave me, but without the pain and desire to puke. In fact, my feeling of accomplishment is even higher. I ran for an hour and 40 minutes in the rain with humidity so high my glasses fogged up and I still ended with a smile. It is absolutely wonderful.

The strange part is that even though I am walking more than before I am actually faster than when I did the longer runs. Also, I don’t slow down at the end of each run and can run each mile at roughly the same pace. It seems strange to feel just as good at mile 5 as I did at mile 1. Now don’t get me wrong. It is hard. I can tell I am running 5 miles and my body is getting a great workout, but unlike before I feel strong enough to keep going. It is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!!!!

The funniest part is we pass runners all the time that look like they are in pain and are dying. They do not look like they are enjoying themselves at all. From what our trainers have said these same exact people will be running the half marathon with us. They typically end upset with themselves and their run and threaten to stop doing it - year after year. They know about the program but scoff at it. I really don’t understand why they put so much time into something they hate. (btw – I am not saying that everyone who doesn’t use this method is wrong. I am saying that people who are miserable may want to consider finding another way to run or find something else they love.)

Since this blog is getting long I will continue later with details on the Galloway program and how have implemented so far. Stay tuned ;)

BYOC - Bring Your Own Craziness...

BYOC everyone! 5 questions - some funny, some serious - we answer in our blogs to get to know each other better and to ease our fried brains on Fridays!

1. Love or money? High salary or job satisfaction?

I would like to say love, but I have to be realistic and say it would depend on how poor I would be. I know the lack of money causes a lot of stress and that can ruin love. As for the other I would have to say once again it would have to be a compromise. I would never want to hate my job and get a high salary, but on the other hand I wouldn’t want to make diddly squat but love my job. Although if I had to lean more towards one side or the other I would rather give up a little money and have more job satisfaction.

2. What is your favorite time of day?

I am a night person and love sunsets. I have plans to live on Lake Michigan someday (after I win the lottery) so I can watch the sunset from my deck everyday. However, I find nothing more calming and satisfying that being in my kayak in the middle of a lake at sunrise. There is just something that touches my soul when I am out there.

3. My in-laws just had their wills done so it made me wonder this. Do you have a will? Did you tell anyone your wish to be kept alive or not?

I don’t have a will, but I have no dependents (or a positive net worth) so it really doesn’t matter too much. I do have life insurance through work and someday I will have to figure out an alternative to leaving it to my parents, but hopefully that won’t be important for a really long time.

As for my wish to be kept alive or not – I have told my parents to do whatever they want. My take on it is that if I am in the situation that I can’t make the decision myself then it really won’t matter to me what decision is made. They will be the ones that will affected the most and since there are so many factors that can’t be known ahead of time I figure that they will also be the most informed to make the decision.

My only medical request has been that if something is ever discovered during surgery and they need to remove reproductive organs that I am woken up to make the decision myself. This came out of my first surgery (of 4) where they thought I had a tumor on my ovaries. I was 13 at the time and although it wasn’t a tumor I found that my chances of having kids were greatly reduced. I have come to grips with my chances, but it made me really think about how much harder it would be if they had to remove the ovary.

4. Repeat question. Pick one thing for one day you'll do next week that aids in your physical or mental health.

I am most likely traveling next week and keeping up with my runs can be hard. I am going to make the promise that I will do my long run next Thursday even if I can’t run with the group.

5. Repeat questions. Make someone a superstar for a moment...whose comment or blog stuck with you this week and why.

TracyZ - I loved her post about rafting mostly because I am really really jealous. I may need to make a trip out there and go myself once I hit my goal.

Susieq4givn – She had a plateau at 200 just like I did, but has now it Onderland!!!

Draz - Draz posted the other day about a new mantra that she was using as she was running - “but it doesn’t matter”. Yesterday, I did this several times and was shocked when it made such a difference. It went something like – “It’s hot, humid, and raining, but it doesn’t matter”, “my glasses are fogging up, but it doesn’t matter”, and “I have 2 miles to go, but it doesn’t matter”. Strangely it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders each time. I am going to try adding this to other things and see if it does the same.

Onderland!

The scale finally gave up torturing me and showed me a 1 the other day. I have been a little frightened to call it since it isn’t my scale (same kind of scale, but not mine), but when I could stand on it with pajamas and still be under 200 I knew it was time. I am in ONEDERLAND!!!! Yesterday, the whole town celebrated with me. There was a parade and fireworks. It was a HUGE party ;)

Being serious again, these last couple pounds have been the hardest to lose. First my awesome scale refused to actually show a 100. It is an old T-bar scale (the kind that doctor’s offices and hospitals have/had) and is super accurate – EXCEPT when I am on the edges of each 50 pound increment. Basically, I had bottomed out the 200 pound weight (meaning that I HAD to be under 200), but when I moved to the 150 weight I maxed it out (showing that I was over 200).

Add that into a mini plateau and set point and talk about frustrating. At least I am guessing that I was at a set point since my body just did not want to give up those last couple pounds. I killed on the exercise side – started my half marathon training, ran 3-5 miles each group run, ran an addition 3-5 each week for homework, did strength training once or twice a week, and tried Zumba a couple times. On the food side I also did pretty good. I had some low days and some high days, but that was partly on purpose so my body wouldn’t get adjusted to the low calorie intake and lower my metabolism any more. All this and I ended June down 4 pounds - 4 very hard pounds. Which is half of what I have been losing each month and honestly I think two of those pounds might have been from dehydration. So much for hitting 199.8 by the end of June let alone my stretch goal of 195.

But I can’t really complain. I knew that this was going to happen someday. I expected it to happen closer to 210 or 220 so I have been very lucky. But no matter how much the rational mind understands what is going on, the heart hurts every time the scale doesn’t budge. Frustration is an understatement!

However, I have busted through and hope to never see a 200 ever again!!!!!!! Since the weight seems to be melting off at the moment, I don’t think that will be an issue. According to the scale I have where I am visiting (same kind of T-bar scale so it has to be very close to mine), I am just a hair over 196.  That means I have lost more weight in the 5 days of July than I lost ALL LAST MONTH!!! Woohoooo!!! Hopefully, my scale (which normaly reads a tiny bit less) will show the same number when I get home tomorrow.

Speaking of home. I haven’t been there very much lately which is why I haven’t been around blog land much. I tried to keep up with blogs using google reader, but I have tons of unread blogs still out there. I will try to get caught up today and tomorrow, but with the shear number of new postings it might take all week!!!