hmmm.....

Last week, I didn’t exercise even once.  The week before, I only exercised twice.  This week wasn’t any different.  Nothing.  Again.  Ugh.  I’m terrified because I have the Rock’N’Roll half marathon in less than 3 weeks.  That’s 13.1 miles and I feel like I’m not doing what I need to do to make sure I’m ready for that.  I finally texted Tilsa’s trainer this week to see about setting up a session for Monday (the 4^th).  I think I need someone to kick my ass to get me back into gear with working out.  I just can’t seem to get myself to put on my workout clothes and go to the gym.  I even decided to change from going to the gym in the morning to going at night after work because while I was on vacation in September and that week of training at the beginning of October I was mostly working out in the afternoon and evening.  I didn’t feel rushed or pressed for time when I did my workouts later in the day like I have been when I do them in the morning.

I’m very frustrated with myself, to say the least.  I was doing great, working out at least 3 days, usually 4-5 days and sometimes 6 days a week.  Then I decided to shift gears and change over to Paige’s workout plan for me.  However, I got lost in between gears and ended up stuck in neutral.  I know I need to run at least a 4 mile and a 8 mile run between now and the RNR on the 17^th to feel confident that I can do it.  I mean, deep down, I *know* I can do it despite the fact that I’ve now not run for over 2 weeks.  I just feel like a failure.  I’ve let myself down.  And I saw this coming too, to a certain extent, anyway.  I knew that if I let up too much that I would just stop and then I’d have a hell of a time getting back in the game again…and that’s exactly what has happened. 

I have a session with Sammy (Tilsa’s trainer) on Monday at 4pm, then Tuesday I can either run on the dreadmill or do one of my strength training workouts (the “Paige” or the upper body/abs).  So far I’ve got an overtime shift scheduled for Sunday morning and Friday morning.  So, unless I pick something else up on the night shift, I’ve got Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings next week.  Or…I’ve got Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights after work…which is the more likely to happen.  I mean, I really hope I can pick up another shift of overtime on the night shift one of those nights, which means I’ll have 3 of those 4 days (nights) to fit in workouts.  The only thing is, with those longer than 30 minute runs, I will need to do those in the mornings before work because I am NOT running more than 30 minutes on the dreadmill if I can avoid it.  And I most certainly am not running 8 miles on it.  I’d rather poke out my eyeballs.

Friend Making Monday

What If?

1.  If you had something in your teeth would you want someone to tell you, or would you prefer to figure it out on your own?  Please tell me!

2.  If you had to listen to one song on repeat all day today, which song would you choose?  Hmmm…What Would The Fox Say…because it’s got a great beat, it’s funny, and it annoys the crap out of everyone around me…hehehehe

3.  If you could trade places with someone famous, with whom would you trade?  Hmmm…Yo Yo Ma maybe?  I really love the cello and how fabulous would it be to play it for a living? 

4.  If you could speak another language fluently, which one would you speak?  Spanish (I’m already halfway there)…if this means another language that you currently don’t speak at all, then Gaelic

5.  If you could read one person’s mind right now whose would you choose?  My cat

6. If you were forced to go back in time, which period of your life would you choose?  The army period of my life…I would chose to stay in and not take the proffered early discharge even tho it came with the connotation of “honorable”

7.  If you had to be trapped in a TV show for a month, which show would you choose?  Sex And The City

8.  If you had to give up twitter or Facebook, which would you choose?  Twitter…I never use it anymore anyway

9.  If you could have a present today, what would you want?  $1000 cash…hahahaha…or for someone to pay off my car.

10.  If you had to choose between celebrating Halloween or Christmas, which would you choose?  Could I celebrate them together?  I love dressing up and going to costume parties, but I also love giving presents to the people that mean the most to me.

Halloween

I took this entire last week off.  I didn’t work out once.  That’s not how I planned it, though.  I had planned to workout on Monday.  I had planned to go for my 30 minute dreadmill run (3 minutes running/1 minute walking/repeat) Tuesday morning before work.  Then I worked my usual afternoon shift on Tuesday and pulled a double shift by working the overnight shift as well, so Wednesday I didn’t have time to workout.  So, Thursday I was going to workout but ended up sleeping until 11.  I was thinking that I would just go to the gym that night after work and at least do the dreadmill.  Then, I read a post on Facebook about something happening at work and I was all like, wait a minute, it’s the 24^th…the 24^th is Thursday.  Crap, I couldn’t go to the gym after work because I had to be back up and getting ready for work again shortly after 4am.  Ugh.  So, no working out at all this past week.  Well, other than the probably 4 miles that Amanda and I walked at the renaissance festival on Sunday.

The Halloween party at Tracy’s house was pretty awesome.  I got to see people I hadn't seen in a while (like years!).  Amanda and I stayed for just less than 2 hours.  I was hoping to take home the trophy for sexiest costume, but that went to a guy dressed as Princess Leia who actually shaved his legs (!).  Oh well.  

November is going to be a busy one for me.  The first Sunday, the 3^rd, I’m working the morning shift and then right after work, I’m going with Amanda to the Celtic Festival in Austin!  So excited!  I’ve never been to that before!  On the 10^th, the following Sunday, I’m going to be hanging out with my friend Denise and her hubby.  I’m going to see if I can talk them into brunch at Iron Cactus.  I heard it’s fantastic…and not expensive!  The 17^th, I’m running the Rock’n’Roll half marathon in San Antonio!!!  Then, the 24^th, I’m going back to the renaissance festival with my friend Mark…I’ll be looking for a white corset while we’re there.  Then, on the next Sunday (the 1^st of December, so not *technically* in November…haha), I’m going BACK to the festival with Amanda again.  I’m soooooo happy…I’m going to the festival THREE TIMES!!!  Woohoo!!!!!!!!

Something I found out at work the other day is pretty cool.  We can earn different awards for different things (ie-community service, perfect attendance, education, etc).  Well, this year they added a new one.  It’s called the physical fitness award.  All you have to do is to run the obstacle course (which we have to run every year, but if you’ve worked here longer than I think the last 5 years, you’re “grandfathered” and don’t *have* to run it in a “passing” time, you just have to complete it) in a passing time 3 years in a row.  Up until the end of this calendar year, there have been 2 separate courses.  Well, they’re not completely separate, one just has a few more obstacles than the other.  I’m a corrections officer, so I’ve only ever been required to run the corrections officer course, which consists of a 200 yd run, 6 ascending hurdles, a dummy drag, run through a serpentine wall, run thru heavy bags (simulates running through a crowd of people), high crawl under an obstacle and then jump a 5 foot chain link fence.  Then, there’s the law enforcement course, which  is all of that plus going through a “window,” climbing over a 6 foot wooden wall and then going through simulated barbed wire fencing.  The CO course had to be completed in 2:45 minutes or less for a “passing” time.  The law enforcement “passing” time is 3:00 minutes.  Well, this year I ran the CO course in 2:13 minutes, last year I ran it in 2:23 minutes and the year before (just 2 months after having back surgery) I ran it in 2:40 minutes.  So, I brought this up to my sergeant and he said he’s going to look into it.  I hope he puts me in for it because I want that award!

So, speaking of “physical fitness”…my work pants are a little tight right now.  Not uncomfortable tight, just a little tight and I can tell because a few weeks ago they were loose.  But, I did take this entire last week off from exercise and only exercised twice (that I can remember) the week before.  It’s sort of to be expected with that kind of lack of working out. 

This next week, I want to workout at least 3 times.  I want to do the dreadmill twice and I want to do the “Paige workout” once.  I will probably do what I was going to do on Thursday until I realized it was Thursday and go in the evening after work for my workouts.  So, like I mentioned, I ended up not working out at all this past week.  I’m a little disappointed, but I guess the rest is welcome.  But, it needs to be short lived because I do NOT want to gain any more weight back.  I’ve gained probably 8 pounds back and I need to draw the line.  Part of the reason I have resisted taking a break from working out since I fell in love with running was because I knew that I would enjoy the laziness and the sleeping in and the not feeling obligated to workout…and that it would be hell to get myself back in the habit of working out.  I have motivation to get started again, however, because I want to run the Rock’N’Roll half marathon next month in a decent time.  When I registered, I put that my estimated finish time would be 2 hrs 30 minutes.  I’d like to hit as close as possible to that mark.  So, that means I definitely need to get back on the running.  I need to practice the running form that Paige showed me so that I can sustain it for the majority of the half marathon.  Even though I do not enjoy being on the dreadmill, I do actually (complete surprise to me) enjoy the 3-to-1’s that Paige has me doing.  She didn’t tell me I had to do them on the treadmill, I just figured it would be easier for me to watch my time so I was sticking to the 3 and 1 minute times.  Also, it’s a lot easier for me to hit a pace and hold it on a treadmill…duh.  So, I’m able to run faster for those 3 minute stints.  And, at the end of the 30 minutes, I feel like I had a kickass workout.

I got the cellphone number of Tilsa’s personal trainer and I will text him probably on Monday to set up a day and time for my free introductory session with him to get a feel for his style and such.  I’m pretty sure that, no matter what his style, that I will be signing up for sessions with him.  Probably only once a week, on Mondays.  Monday mornings…or, at least, before noon…haha.  Tilsa said she just pays him for each session when she shows up for that session.  I could do that too…I’d just get the money orders for the sessions on payday and keep them in my purse to give to him when I show up for a session.

OH!  Back to the renaissance festival…so, I’m going back on the 24^th with my friend Mark and then again on December 1^st with Amanda again.  The weekend of the 1^st is themed as the Christmas weekend.  I was going to make a new skirt to wear for the 1^st as a pixie and it was going to be brown, blue, green and white.  However, since it’s the Christmas weekend, I’m going to make a red, green and white skirt to wear.  I’m hoping when I go with Mark to find a white corset.  If I can, then I’ll wear that with the new skirt.  I will look for some slouchy red boots or some red glittered or sequined ballet flats to wear with some green knee-high socks.  With Christmas coming up (and Halloween soon being behind us), the stores will be full of red and green items, so I shouldn’t have any problems finding red boots/shoes and green knee-highs.  Another thing I want to try to find is a decent sunset-orange wig, long length, to wear to the festivals.  I don’t want a cheap one, even though that would be easy to find.  I want to spend probably $50-$100 on one.

Friend Makin Monday: A New Season

A New Season

1. What is your favorite thing about Fall? i love the cooler weather.  i love the colors of the leaves.  and i absolutely LOVE the Texas Renaissance Festival that happens in the fall.  (see pics at the end of this post) 

2. It’s not Fall until… hmmm...until the first "real" cold front hits, which it did last week

3. Apple cider or hot chocolate?   hot chocolate for sure.  although, even though i used to hate apple cider, i have developed a taste for it now 

4. Share a happy Fall memory.  when i was a kid, playing in the leaves after we raked them up

5. Do you have any hobbies that are seasonally specific? If so, what are they?  no, not really.

6. What do you miss most about Summer now that it’s officially over?   the longer days

7. Do you prefer pumpkin pie or pecan pie?  i really like both.  i like pumpkin pie with a boatload of REAL whip cream on top, but i like pecan also

8. Do you suffer from allergies?  Yes.  usually in the fall ragweed kills me, but it wasn't too bad this year 

9. How do you celebrate Halloween?   if i can, i go to a party or a gathering dressed in costume.  i've been invited to the premier party at my agency thrown by a co-worker in her barn this year.  i'm going dressed as catwoman!

10. What is the biggest change that you expect to experience during this season?  well, i've "shaken up" my workout routine hugely, so really, that.  as a result, i'm a little nervous about the RNR half next month

Week's End

**note: I meant to post this last night but forgot.

Okay, so this week has been a little hectic.  The “bad” news is that the next 3 weeks won’t be any different.

Tuesday evening, I was scrolling through my virtual garage sales on Facebook when I came upon an Igloo brand thermoelectric cooler (aka-travel fridge).  The lady was selling it for $30!  I asked her the measurements and she responded quickly with them and I responded that I would definitely buy it from her and could I come by the next morning around 9.  So, Wednesday morning at 9-ish I show up to her house.  Thankfully, she read my mind because I forgot to ask if she could plug it in and have it running for a little bit before I got there so that there was proof it worked.  She had it plugged in and running when I arrived.  It wasn’t super cool yet, but I could tell it was working.  I handed her $30 and then attempted to stuff it in my car.  Um, yea.  I knew it would fit in the back seat area, however the front seat doesn’t lean far enough forward for me to get it into the back seat area.  So then I open the trunk and have to lean the back seat forward in order for it to fit in the trunk.  As I drove to the gym and then back home with it in the back of my car, I figured out how I could make it work for when I go on road trips so it’s not in the front seat taking up the entire passenger’s seat.  In order to get the back seat to lay flat when you lay it down, you take out the seat cushion.  If I do that, I should have enough room for the cooler still have room for a suitcase.  YAY!  So, I get home and I do a quick search on the internet and find a comparable sized thermoelectric cooler on Amazon.com and it’s going for $150!!!  I totally scored with this purchase!

After I left that lady’s house, I headed to the gym.  The original plan was to do the 30 minutes of 3-to-1’s on the treadmill that I hadn’t done on Tuesday and then do my “Paige workout.”  This meant I would be at the gym for about 2 hours.  It was already 9:30 when I got there.  So if I did the whole thing, I’d be leaving the gym around 11:30.  That was not feasible for me because I had to stop at Sam’s Club for bell peppers and at the grocery store for my sparkly waters.  So, I did the 3-to-1’s and then left.  I killed it on the 3-to-1’s, though.  Since I was only running in blocks of 3 minutes, I figured I’d go as fast as I could sustain for 3 minutes, meaning just shy of 9 minute miles, then the active recovery for 1 minute (I did my walks no slower than 4mph, but was doing 4.3mph by the end).  I burned over 350 calories in 30 minutes.  Awesome!

Thursday and Friday I worked double shifts (16 hour work days) so there was no time to workout either of those days.  BUT!  When I stopped at Sam’s Club Wednesday morning for the bell peppers, I was walking past the pizza/hotdog thing at the front of the store.  They have a cooler with drinks and parfaits and SALADS in it.  So, I grabbed 3 of the sealed salads, one to eat each day (Wednesday, Thursday and Friday).  Perfect!  So, I ate according to plan for the most part for most of the week.  I haven’t weighed myself yet (that’s tomorrow morning), but I *feel* like I lost some amount of weight, even if it’s only half of a pound or maybe even a whole pound.  We’ll see tomorrow morning.  Because, this past Sunday, I was up…a bunch…like 6 pounds.  Eep!

I made my shopping list for the Shred Diet, however, I’m not going to be able to do it next week like I was thinking.  I over spent a little this week and have just enough money to go to the renaissance festival tomorrow and make it until payday at the end of the month.  Meaning I have to stick to the food I already have and just buy the foods here and there that I need to make it until payday.  So, on the 3^rd of November, after I get out of work (I’m working overtime on the morning shift, so I’ll get off work at 2pm) I’ll go to the store and buy from that shopping list so I can start the Shred Diet the next day (the 4^th).  

Today, I was going to go to the gym before work.  I wanted to at least do 30 minutes of 3-to-1’s on the dreadmill.  However, I just kept resetting my alarm because I didn’t want to get out of bed.  So, I just slept a bunch and got up in time to get ready for work.  Because I only bought 3 of those salads at Sam’s Club the other day, I was going to go this morning on my way home from the gym and buy one for today, but since I didn’t go to the gym, that didn’t happen.  And I didn’t remember about that plan until about 15 minutes before I needed to leave to get to work so I didn’t have time to go before work.  Then, I remembered that Dairy Queen has wonderful grilled chicken salads.  They’re pricier, about $7 (the ones from Sam’s are $3), but that’s what I had time to get on my way to work, so that’s what I got.  Tomorrow, I’ll have some oatmeal before heading to Amanda’s house so we can go to the festival.  Then, I’ll eat food at the festival (some chicken on a stick for sure!  Oh and a funnel cake…so healthy, I know, but I only eat them at festivals, so just a couple/few times a year…they’re truly a treat).  For dinner, I’ll have some stuffed bell peppers that I stuck in the fridge to thaw out.  Oh, on my way to Amanda’s, I’ll also stop and grab a trenta skinny iced coffee from Starbuck’s.  

Next week’s plan as far as working out goes is nothing tomorrow because I’ll be gone all day and then probably too tired from walking around all day to do anything in the evening.  However, if we get home at a decent time (by 8), then I *might* go to the gym for a “Paige workout” or my upper body/abs workout.  Monday I’m supposed to meet Tilsa for that free buddy session with her personal trainer, then I’m planning to do an 11 mile run in the evening.  Tuesday is going to be whichever workout I didn’t do on Sunday, if I did one.  If not, then it’ll be the “Paige workout.”  I’m hoping to pick up an overtime shift on the night shift on either Tuesday or Wednesday night.  If I don’t on Tuesday, then Wednesday morning will be the 3-to-1’s on the dreadmill.  If no overtime Wednesday night, then the “Paige workout” on Thursday.  Then, Friday and Saturday no workout because I’m working double shifts both days.  Oh!  If I don’t end up meeting Tilsa for that session, then I’ll do either the “Paige workout” or the upper body/abs workout instead on Monday…along with the 11 mile run.

Thankfully, my eating *should* be good next week because I simply cannot afford to eat “off plan” at all.  So, maybe, despite the randomness of my workouts next week, I may still lose a little bit come the following Sunday when I weigh in again.

I’m supposed to go to a Halloween party next Saturday after work, but that was before I signed up for a double shift.  So, I will take my costume with me to change into after work, but if I’m too tired, I’m not going.  Will have just worked 16 hours, after only 5 hours of sleep, which also would be after working 16 hours and only 5 hours of sleep before that.  So, I’m pretty much guessing that I won’t be going to this party, even though I’ve been looking forward to it all year.  Oh well.  I don’t need to get in a car accident because I fell asleep driving.  Besides, it’s a bit of a drive to where the party is, so that’s extra money for gas if I go.  Not sure if I want to afford that part of it right now.

I need to buy some romaine lettuce and cut it up to make salad mix with.  I’ll get some cherry or grape tomatoes and some cucumbers to cut up and put into it.  Then, I’ll but some chicken breasts to cook up, cut into cubes and portion out into 5 oz portions to put in my salads.  So, salad will replace the ff cottage cheese with fruit I’ve been eating as my 4pm-ish snack/meal.  Oh, and I’ll buy some of those Hidden Valley single serving cups of light ranch dressing so I don’t have to wash some silly small plastic container.

**Sunday note: even though I felt like I might have lost a smidge of weight this week, I didn't...phooey.  But, I didn't gain any weight even though my level of activity was WAAAAAAY less than it has been...so that's a victory!

Second Chances

Second chances.  That’s the theme of this season’s Biggest Loser.  I like that.  At the beginning of the show, they showed some clips from when they were apparently asking potential participants questions about why do they deserve a second chance and what makes them more deserving than the next person.  I would like to tackle this question with this blog.

First, what makes me think that I deserve a second chance at this weight loss journey?  What makes me think that I’ll succeed where I’ve fallen short before?  What makes me think I’ll do anything differently this time? 

Well…I deserve it because I deserve to be the ME I’ve always wanted to be.  I deserve to be happy with myself and my body.  I’ve already come a long way.  I’ve already lost 70 pounds (yes, 70…I gained a few pounds back over the last month).  But, I’ve hit a slump lately and had to admit I was burnt out and needed a change.  I didn’t want to admit that what I was doing and the way I had been doing it for MONTHS just plain wasn’t working for me anymore.  I didn’t want to admit that I wasn’t succeeding anymore…I wasn’t failing, but I wasn’t succeeding either. 

Why do I think I’ll do anything different and not just fall short again?  Nothing.  Because I will.  I will fall short again.  But you know what?  That’s okay.  Like they say, if it was easy, everybody would do it.  Also, the other thing they say is “they didn’t say it would be easy, they said it would be worth it.” 

What makes me think that anything will be different this time?  Nothing.  I’m going to make a plan and do my best to stick to it.  I’m going to do my best to shake up my exercise to see if can make some good for me changes in that department.  I’m going to give this Shred Diet a go and see how that works for me. 

Something else that I thought of today.  I was scrolling through my newsfeed on Facebook and came across this one post where they talked about taking a boxing class.  When I went through my 40-hour biannual in-service training for my job earlier this year, a few gyms and related places came to talk to us on the final day of training which is devoted to health and fitness.  One of the gyms was a place called Title Boxing.  They offer a law enforcement discount, so it would be $59 a month for me.  Like I mentioned in that blog it’s unlimited class attendance.  I can go to as many classes as I want to.  I think I will start this in December.  Oh, and something I just remembered, I do have to commit to them and sign a 1 year contract (if I remember correctly) to get that $59 a month price.  And, right now, as I’m thinking about it, I hope they don’t want me to prepay the whole year up front and that they’ll just debit my account once a month for my dues.  Anyway, I think that going there once or twice a week would be an awesome way to give myself a much needed little kick.  But, I have to be able to keep it up.  If I can’t make myself go at least once a week, it will be a total waste of money.

Bottom line…I deserve a second chance because I’M WORTH IT.  And you know what?  So are you.