Barca33Runner's Journal: Thanks For Noticin' Me(Comments Welcome)

[Barca33Runner]

Back from the weekly weigh-in: 197.6. Initially I was disappointed. Then I thought about how great it would be if I was able to lose 0.8 pounds per week for 8 weeks, 10 weeks, 20 weeks, etc. As long as I am going in the right direction it is a good thing.

 

[Barca33Runner]

Whoa, missed a few days from posting to the journal.

Weekly Summary:
-18.07 miles (the .07 is important)
-2 hours 15 minutes Elliptical

I missed one scheduled workout, the 30 minutes of elliptical scheduled for Friday. It was easiest workout scheduled for the week, but not good to get into the habit of skipping. Saturday 10-miler went really well. Definitely feels good to get the metabolism moving again but I'm a little worried about tomorrow's weigh-in after Fat Tuesday indulgences. Cheese and desserts gone for lent after today; hopefully that helps with the weight loss.

 

[roxymama]

I haven't been on an elliptical since college. Not sure why but I just always use the treadmill or bike instead. What kind of workouts do you do on the elliptical and is it for "cross-training"? Sorry if that is a dumb question.
(the ellipticals at my gym are always packed so maybe that's why I never go near them)

 

[Barca33Runner]

I haven't been on an elliptical since college. Not sure why but I just always use the treadmill or bike instead. What kind of workouts do you do on the elliptical and is it for "cross-training"? Sorry if that is a dumb question.
(the ellipticals at my gym are always packed so maybe that's why I never go near them)

I use the elliptical as a low impact cardio workout. I find that while it works slightly different muscle groups, the motion is similar to running and allows me to get very near equivalent calorie burn without the pounding on my joints. Losing weight and getting healthier has always been the primary goal of my running and I have found most success in those endeavors when rotating elliptical with running. I don't know if there are any scientific reasons for that, I think in my case it is primarily the tiny bit of variety makes it easier to avoid skipping a workout.

Edit: There is no reason I wouldn't be able to achieve the same type of workout with a bike, recumbent bike, or other fitness equipment. I just have access to an elliptical so that is what I use.

 

[rteetz]

Decided to join in and follow along in your journal!

 

[Barca33Runner]

Weekly Weigh-In: 196.6. A full pound works for me. Considering the Paczki I ingested in the last couple days it could have been a lot worse. Hopefully I can kick it into high gear with the elimination of desserts and cheese during lent.

 

[Barca33Runner]

Whoa, way too long without an update.

Weekly Weigh-in: 195.8. Slow and steady wins the race I hope. Still moving in the right direction. I know when I originally went from 260 to 180 it was a slow process, so I am upbeat about keeping this trend going. I am struggling with the dietary changes and eating less/healthier, but that takes a little bit of time to change as well. I'm getting better at not buying garbage at the grocery store and eliminating the excess from my pantry. Unfortunately, when I have the option to make bad food choices I usually rationalize them.

Weekly Summary:
18 miles
2 hours 15 minutes treadmill

I have decided to use Friday as a rest day. It allows me to run errands which gives me fewer excuses to miss a workout during the rest of the week.

The plan is going well so far. I missed my first scheduled workout yesterday (2/16) with a migraine, but I am back on schedule today. I'm really encouraged about how well my 10 mile runs are going. I think my goal to run a 2 hour Half in May should be very achievable if I keep this up and run a smart race. It turns out that actually having a plan is a good thing.

 

[Barca33Runner]

Weekly weigh-in: 195. Feel pretty good about that one. Was visiting family over the weekend and those weekends are sometimes tough to get runs in and are pretty bad for food. Was able to get my mileage in and did pretty well to avoid any food mistakes.

Weekly Summary:
12.5 miles-(missed Tuesday with a migraine) Saturday run was 8.5 miles with my sister taking turns pushing my niece in her joggin stroller.
2:15 elliptical

 

[Barca33Runner]

Weekly weigh-in: 193.6. Still moving in the right direction and feel like I am getting the metabolism working for me for the first time in a while. Sticking to a workout plan is definitely the key. I am starting to see how much skipping workouts has hindered me for the past couple years.

Switching all weekday workouts to runs with just one Sunday elliptical session after my Saturday long run to minimize impact when my legs are a little bit tired.

Weekly Summary:
24.5 miles
1:15 Elliptical

I am aiming for 30-40 miles per week for March. Tentative schedule:
Monday-3 miles (10:00 pace)
Tuesday-4 miles (9:20 pace)
Wednesday-5 miles(10:00 pace)
Thursday-4 miles(9:00 pace)
Friday-Rest
Saturday-10+ miles(10:00 pace)
Sunday-1 hour elliptical ~6 miles

 

[Barca33Runner]

Weekly weigh-in: 192. Starting to notice my fingers and wrists getting thinner. I wish it was my stomach, but beggars can't be choosers. I have definitely noticed some added definition in my legs so I think I have been adding a little muscle while losing some weight so I am happy with how things are going.

Weekly summary:
26 miles
1:00 elliptical

Will be moving the weekly summary to Monday so that I am updating more than once a week. Runs have been going well. Was able to get outside a few times and had Mcfly out with me yesterday for four miles. He got spooked by a dachshund when we walked out the door so it took a while to get started but we settled in at 8:45 pace for the last three miles. I was pretty excited about how I felt after four miles at that pace.

 

[Barca33Runner]

Weekly Summary:
26 Miles
1:15 Elliptical

Since I am running essentially the same schedule for the month of March these could be a bit repetitive. No problems with any of my runs. Weather is getting warm earlier so I have been able to do more outside than I expected at this point. Heading for Florida for vacation on Saturday, so hoping to keep my mileage up while I am on vacation but it will probably be a bit of a last break before gearing up for my race in May.

 

[Barca33Runner]

Weekly Weigh-in: 192

Knew I probably had one of those coming up, but I'm glad I'm not headed in the wrong direction. Will be a challenge over the next week and a half while I am on vacation to keep up with both my mileage and keeping a (somewhat) healthy diet.

 

[Barca33Runner]

@ohMom You can move this to the Training Journals portion of the runDisney forum if you get a chance.

 

[Barca33Runner]

In honor of the new location I think an update is in order.

Vacation is over. I was only able to get in 10 miles last week. I'm not super stoked about that, but it could have been worse. I feel rested and while my Wednesday weigh-in numbers may not be where I want them to be I think the vacation may be good in the long run. Got back on track with 3.5 miles and I'm ready for the big push before my May race.

 

[Barca33Runner]

Weekly weigh-in: 191.4

I was genuinely surprised and excited by this weight. Being on vacation for a week, missing some workouts, and being less than diligent with what I was eating I figured I was headed to a couple pounds of weight gain. Will be working hard the next weeks and months to not let this unexpected result allow me to get complacent.

 

[Barca33Runner]

Did some spring cleaning outdoors last weekend so I switched my long run to Sunday. Having spent the previous Sunday traveling that means my weekly mileage was down. I was only at 18 miles for last week, but it was a good 18 miles and I am looking forward to getting in more mileage in the coming weeks. Race day is a little more than a month away and coming more quickly than I had hoped, but I think preparation is going pretty well so far. Sub-2:00 still feels like a reasonable goal.

 

[roxymama]

Did some spring cleaning outdoors last weekend so I switched my long run to Sunday. Having spent the previous Sunday traveling that means my weekly mileage was down. I was only at 18 miles for last week, but it was a good 18 miles and I am looking forward to getting in more mileage in the coming weeks. Race day is a little more than a month away and coming more quickly than I had hoped, but I think preparation is going pretty well so far. Sub-2:00 still feels like a reasonable goal.

I'm obsessed with spring cleaning this year, not sure what has gotten into me. Good luck on your pre-race month training! I'm in the same boat with a race one month away.

 

[Barca33Runner]

Forgot to post my weigh-in yesterday. 191.6. Guess I was a little too proud of myself for not going backward during vacation. Oh well, I sometimes need those reminders to keep moving forward.

 

[Barca33Runner]

Weekly Mileage was 32 for this past week. My mileage feels good, but I am not very happy with how it is affecting my eating habits. Running makes me hungry all the time and, unfortunately, I am giving in to that hunger a little too often. I know I need my mileage up, I just need to exercise a little more willpower.

 

[Barca33Runner]

Weighed in at 191 this week. I forgot just how tedious the weight-loss process can be, but I am glad to be making strides. Still working on changing my diet habits; looking forward to the summer and having fresh produce from my garden to help make eating healthier a little easier. Will try to have a little longer update in the next couple weeks, hopefully after getting registration done for Marathon Weekend 2017.