Running Thoughts

Well, I am taking progress photos this weekend...I had planned to do that every 4 weeks. I'm 1/3 of the way through this challenge and feeling good about it! I see lots of progress even without the pictures! Lower body today... I got through: squats and sissy squats lunges and straight-leg lifts calf raises This afternoon, I will go to the gym and do: incline crunches/sit-ups knee/leg lifts "Instead of pushing against what you don't want, simply move toward what you do want." --a quote from the Kaufmans who began the Son-Rise program we use with Kaegan. This is what our family lives every day, and it motivates us to move forward without giving up. Hopefully it will motivate you too.

Well, TOM is visiting me, so my morning aerobic workout was challenged. Just didn't feel like it. Did it anyway, but took it easy. Only reached high intensity level twice, and my high point was rather weak, but next time will be better. I did enjoy the time and I saw some beautiful deer along the way. They just watched me crawl along. I managed a short burst of energy up a hill and then ran down a long stretch, but mostly, I walked. I took pics of the deer to share with you, but didn't successfully download the pics from my camera-phone-new-fangled-gadget.

I saved "back" for this afternoon when I can run to the gym and do lat pull-downs and this other thingy I like. This morning, I did ... chest: presses and flyes shoulders: presses and flyes tris: extensions and lying extensions bis: curls and hammer curls Very challenging. Yesterday's inspiration in the BFL journal (which I'm glad I bought) said to reach for new highpoints, so I am concentrating on making my highpoints trully highpoints. It felt good. As I reach the end of a set, Kaegan says, "Got it!" Hearing that from a little boy who was supposedly not supposed to be aware or be able to talk is quite inspiring!

I posted a scary looking bear because it made my story more exciting...these bears are really not aggressive and after giving it some thought, I decided that if there was a bear, it would hear my thudding footsteps and leave me alone. They don't like confrontation and go the other way if they know a human is about. So, I didn't get out the door until 9-ish this morning. Brae had a field trip and the teacher told me to have him at school at 8:30 which I did, but the bus was already loaded and about to leave! (Mark is the driver...hahahahahaha! That struck me as very funny. I guess remembering all those ACU days makes it seem funny. Is there anything that guy doesn't do?) anyway, back to this morning. By the time I got back home, it was almost 9. I was going to go to the treadmill because it was a cold morning with ice on the ground and I'm a wimp, but by this time, it was warmed up some, so I ran outside. I was tentative to run outside very early anyway. I do...

Well, I have a unique problem. I've been waiting until 7:30 or 8 to go for my morning walk/run because I don't want to run into a bear. My neighbor went out at *9:00am* to get into his car and there was a huge bear standing next to it. I guess I need to re-think my bear avoidance strategy. I may run on the treadmill again tomorrow, but I don't wanna. I don't even have a can of mace, though, so I'm a little afraid to go by myself tomorrow! Completed my ab workout: 3 sets 20 reps of incline crunches 1 set 12 reps of knee ups 1 set 5 reps of leg ups

Free day began Saturday night for dinner and lasted until Sunday night, dinner. M and M made a yummy program stew, then Mindy and I went over to the gym across the street and stretched while the kids played. I didn't make myself totally sick, just sluggish and a slight tummy ache. A little baking soda dissolved in water does the trick for me every time. Just a few swallows, and RELIEF! I decided to do my abwork in the community gym today, so this am, I did lunges first, then squats and came to a realization. I'm not the wimp I thought I was! Isn't that good news!? I've been thinking, "Surely I can handle more weight than 18 lbs!" Then it occurred to me...duh...I have 18 lb dumbbells in EACH hand! 36 lbs!!! That's much better, especially since it's gotten too easy and I will have to UP the weight. I also did calves, but they never feel worked out, so as I did last week, I just did angled calf raises on a step until they became like jello. I will do abwo...

Good idea, Ruth! I tried to post yesterday and the day before, but couldn't get it to work.... But, I have been keeping up and overcoming more obstacles. Here is a list like R's of obstacles I've overcome lately: Gracyn's birthday trip when we ended up having to stay overnight unplanned...I still stuck with the eating program and managed to get my workout in! Gracyn's actual birthDAY...chocolate chip cookie cake On her birthday, my workout got delayed...still did it! Had a party-lite candle party (it's still open if you want to buy any Christmas gifts) and didn't eat the yummies I fixed. Snow...still ran. Have a good FREE DAY, R! A, when is your free day? Mine's tomorrow! Yippeee! Little white powdered donuts are awaiting me. ;o)

messy classroom, but my too-tight jeans aren't too tight anymore!!

I am wearing a pair of jeans that had gotten too tight for me at this very moment. I slipped them on easily!

Thanks for the encouragement, ladies! I am 1/2 way done with week 3. I will be taking 1/3-of-the-way pictures next weekend. I actually ran up a hill yesterday. Nearly fell over, but did it! I really muddled through my lower bod workout this morning, though. I thought it was going to take me all day. I got up late, my kids were up....But, I did manage to challenge myself. So good to read of your successes! Keep posting!

At 9:00 last night, I finally finished my upper body workout!! Yippeeeee! Today is my daughter's 12th birthday, and she got up just as I was walking out the door for my morning walk/run. So, I delayed that until 9:00 this morning, but it is done. No missed workouts!!! All right...birthday time. I made a big chocolate chip cookie cake for her, but none for me! (I bought another package of dough for my free day!!)

I will never trully love lunges. But I will do them.... Monday. But for now, I am finished working out until then!!! Who loves Ruth's picture in her profile?? (raising hand and waving it in the air enthusiastically) The 3M girlies spent the night with us last night as did our other friends' dog. It can get pretty crazy around here. We are headed to soccer in about an hour, then my hubby comes home. He has been in Houston for the past several days. Yesterday was his birthday. Kaegan and I are planning to bake a chocolate cake for him while the other kids play soccer (I will eat a piece of it tomorrow). I realize that soccer is over, but LC is behind the times! I love it! Well, I ran for more of my workout this morning and found a route that better fits the intervals I want to walk/run. I only went 1.4 miles this time, though. My run must be slower than my walk, huh? I wonder if I will ever actually run the whole thing, though, since it is mostly uphill? I run dow...

I'm going to learn to luv lunges. It hasn't happened yet, but I know it will.

Kaegan kept me up from 4am to 7am. Sometimes he does that. I got up at 7:15 after he went to sleep to go and run, but realizing that I would not have a chance for a nap later, I decided to take my nap then. So, I got back in bed and slept until 8, got up, drug myself out the door and had a fantastic run. I say "run" but remember I am thinking ahead...it was mostly a walk. I didn't quite do Ruth's time...It took me 25 minutes to go 1.66 miles. The hills are killer. I'm talking HILLS. Going down them is great fun. Going up them is great work. Still, the mountains are shimmering with color and the weather is perfect. When I start to feel like I neeeeed to stop, I just look up and let myself get distracted by the beauty around me. What a shame it would be to miss that. God is at work with His paintbrush. Hey, guess what!!??? Gracyn and I walked in the Cancer Walk last week and she said, "Well, I set a goal to walk 3 times around the track, and I did...

Reasons for making this change: I feel better when I weigh what is appropriate for my height. My children need me to be a healthy example for them, and Kaegan may need me for many years. I want to be as healthy as possible so that I will be more likly to be here for my family in years to come. I want to have energy to hike and ski with my family, keeping up with them and enjoying our time together. I also want to feel the accomplishment and become more productive and confident. Five Most Important, Specific Accomplishments I Need to Make Within the Next 12 weeks For Me to be Pleased With the Progress of my Body and Life: Commit to follow this through even if I mess up or struggle. Be more consistent with homeschool and Kaegan's Son-Rise schedule. Make time to exercise even if I fail in the morning. Get my weight down by 20 pounds. Lose 3 inches in my waist. Be able to hike and ski with my family with energy to spare! Stay tuned for a list of statements/self-promises along these...

Well, here ya are! New shoes...healing toe.

Yay! I had a good walk/run this morning. I ran for a long way downhill. No trouble with my toe which has a huge pool of blood under the entire nail. Gross, huh? Ran/walked 1.31 miles. It was cold. By the end, I had to shed my jacket, though. Gotta go eat!

This morning during my lower body workout, following the BFL technique, I sped up my workout by using that 1 minute rest time for another muscle workout. For example, after my first 12 reps of squats, I did my first 12 reps of calf raises without a break in between. Then 10 squats, 10 calves. 8 squats, 8 calves, etc. That way, I rested my muscle I had just worked for the minute in between but worked another and used my time more efficiently. I was done in 33 mins. And my heart was pumping. Felt good. So, if you are like me...a little ADD...and need something going on during those minutes between sets and have too short of an attn span to enjoy 45 minutes worth of a workout, you might try it!

I had a fun free day and went to bed nauseated. lol I really didn't pig out that much because I knew I might have tummy trouble if I did, but still, nausea.... anyway, I'm so glad to be back in the swing of things today. I did lower body this am. My legs will kill me tomorrow! squats, frong jumps, lunges, straight leg lifts, calf raises, one-leg calf raises, crunches, crunches, crunches.... Last week, I didn't even feel my abs. I will this time! Hey, guess what? I can already tell a difference in the way my clothes are fitting! I'm sure I had some water weight to shed, but who cares? weight is weight and it's only been a week. I am weighing in once a week, although, I don't take much stock in what the scales say. HOWEVER, I am down 3 pounds. I have procured some new running shoes. Well, right now, I walk more than I run, but I'm being futuristic in my thinking, so they are running shoes. I will try them out tomorrow morn. They feel great, and I ...

I rode my bike UP and down those hills...it is nothing to see, let me tell ya! yuffin' and puffin' and moanin' and groanin'. Ahh, but the downhill part is exhilerating! I'm headed to "town" to get some new running shoes today! M and the girls are coming too, so it should be fun. The guys are out hunting. They claim it's fun. I dunno.... Anyway, tomorrow is free! I'm baking peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and having real milk and sugar in my coffee and eating chicken kiev. Best of all, I don't have to plan anything!!!

I know I said that I wasn't good at breakfast, but someone on one of the sites I visit mentioned a veggie omelet. This morning, I tried to make one. It turned out to be veggie scrambled eggs. I loved them!! I buy the cascadian farms organic frozen veggies...corn, carrots, green peas. I don't even like corn or green peas, but those cascadian farms organic ones are different!! very tasty! Ok enough of the advertisement. The eggs were yummy, though. Even my hubby wanted some. Upper body... More productive today because I had my notes from Monday. I still have tris and bis to finish out this afternoon while 2 of my sweet children are at school. The upper body workout just takes so long! I reach a point where I'm not focused anymore, thinking of all the other things I need to do. Anyway, I had a good workout and will finish it later today! chest--upped my weight from Monday and my form was better, so it felt better and I will be sore tomorrow! Presses and flyes sho...

Rode my bike this morning so that I would take it easy on Mr. Toe who is very unhappy until I get some bigger shoes. Cool, crisp, lovely morning. Intervals are sort of dictated by the hills. I had to get off a few times. I'm not an experienced bike rider. Especially in the mountains. I had it in first gear all the time because you barely make it to the bottom of one hill before climbing the next usually. Is that the way to do it? Or should I be using more of those poor lonely gears? I don't know. Anyway, I thought I might die a few times but thoroughly enjoyed the ride anyway. The Schwann's guy came by this morning...he delivered some "free day" food! :)

lunges took a long time! Squats and frog jumps...tomorrow will be painful. calf raises...ouch. I planned to do abs later in the day when G and B are in school because I figured my first day for lower body would take a while. Oatmeal and boiled egg with water for breakfast. But, on my free day, I will eat something GREAT for breakfast...from the bakery, maybe. OR I may SKIP breakfast!!! I'm not very creative when it comes to breakfast. Could use some ideas!

Free Day: Went outdoors all day, so it was nice not to have to think about when and what to eat. I snacked, etc. But mostly, I had COFFEE with Real Sugar and Cream!!!!! Also Dr. Pepper, although I would have preferred coke. Sat around and chatted with Mindy and watched the kids. Fun, lazy day! Yesterday, Day 3: Actually Day 1 as far as the way the plan actually works, but I chose to start last Friday so that I could get a feel for how it would go and then have a FREE DAY!! So, Yesterday, I got up (late) and did my upper body workout (toooook a looooooong time!), But I did it! I found out just how wimpy I've become...do they make .01 pound weights?? Ha! Today, Day 4 (2): Walked/ran 1.44 miles. Beautiful day. I only ran a small distance...my toe is very sore. I need new shoes. When I go downhill, my toe hits the end of my shoe. Ruth was right. I need a bigger size. That will have to wait until I go to "town." So, I walked more carefully, and resisted my ...

Late start this morning. I was up half the night...Kaegan and I woke up about 3 am and couldn't go back to sleep for a loooong time. I didn't get up this morning until nearly 9, so I walked/ran from 9-9:30. Only hit a "9" intensity level twice and hit "10" earlier than planned, so was off, but it felt really good and the morning air felt and smelled sweeeeeet. Went 1.15 miles. Not too bad for a beginner. I was stiff when I woke up and remembered, "I forgot to stretch yesterday." So, I did a little stretching today. I wore my new mp3 armband. That was goooood too. Now I need to download some new tunes. I ran for a little while (felt good) and as I slowed down, the music went, "I ran as far as I could run." Ha!

Walked/ran UP and down hills this morning. I surprised myself. I did 4 intervals. My last interval, was uphill and I sort of lost the difference between intensity levels! It was a glorious morning, so I walked a little more before coming home. Nice start. I was out for 30 minutes and it seemed like 15. OK.....Duty calls from a blonde-haired boy standing in the kitchen. More later.