Injury, insanity, and WINNING!

So, I am currently laid up w/ a sprained foot but figuring out ways around it.  (Like-if you sprain your foot, you can still squat because your weight should be on your heels and so YES! All good.)

I am a contest junkee.  If there is a giveaway on someone's page on FB, I am all over that thing!  I LOVE WINNING!  Problem, I don't win as much as I would like.

At some point, I entered a drawing for a free entry into a Spartan Race.  If you don't know what a Spartan is, it is a obstacle course run like few others.  Most obstacle runs are not timed, you can skip an obstacle if it is too hard, etc.  Spartan is an exception! (and Tough Mudder)

It is timed.  You must attempt every obstacle and if you can't do it, then you must do BURPEES....OMG, you know how much I HATE Burpees.

So, I am all signed up.  My fall will be insane.
9-20-14 Women Rock 10k
9-27-14 SuperSpartan (8 miles and 20 obstacles....which is farther and HARDER than the 10k)
10-20-14 I TURN 42!
10-15-14 Monster Dash 10.  OMG

This is setting in and I am litterally feeling panicky.  I know I have plenty of time to train. I know my trainer and I will get there.  I know my friends and family will support me.  (HEY, WHO WANTS TO AT LEAST COME CHEER ME ON?)

So, Saturday I am starting a 30 day squat challenge. By then end of the 30 days, it calls for 250 squats in a single day.  YIKES.

2014 is apparently the year of GO BIG or GO HOME!!

Read something not to long ago that Races, Running and the like are the new Mid-Life crisis. I am OK with that because if this insanity is my mid-life crisis it will set me up for an AMAZING 2nd half of my life!  I am in better shape in my early 40's than I was in my early 30's.


OK, panic is a bit better!  Thanks everyone for letting me vent!!

Moni

Polar Dash (or more PUDDLE JUMPING Dash....)

WOW!  January 11, 2014-- 1st race of the year.  Polar Dash- Chicago Lakefront.

Last weekend it was negative temperatures.  Today 37 degrees. Sounds great right?  Well..... .not when there is now 14 inches of snow melting and leaving either ice patches or HUGE, DEEP, FRIGID Puddles.

When I set out this morning I told everyone "I am not worrying about time, goal today is not to PR, it is just to not end up on my Ass!"  And I meant it.  I have not run in a week- it was only 2.7 miles.  Prior to that was 3 weeks ago.  I had not trained enough.  Finishing and not falling was the plan.

The first mile was ROUGH- lots of puddles, lots of ice, lots of self-doubt.  Then..... something happened.  It started to feel good.  I was running for LONG stretches, only slowing due to water or ice.  Mile 2 passed by. {aused a two minutes with fallen runner to convince them to call 911 and the the course medic got there and off I went again. Skipped the Porta-potty-didn't need it. (I have an obsession w/ needing to pee while running..... it is an issue) Cheered on some runners I could hear talking about "oh, I am not sure I can do this"  Mile 3- going strong!  Turn around time "WHAT, I'm 1/2 way there? No way, I feel too good?"  Kept going.  And going!  Passed the Porta-potty....still did not stop. Puddle near the end... thought "Almost there, screw going around, I am going through."  Worst decision of race.  Water was so cold, I suddenly was dizzy.   Oops.  Suddenly I was finished!!!  DID NOT CRY (but almost did).

NOW, if you have ever done a run, there is your official distance and time and then there is what your GPS says.

I have only done 1 10k before- The Women's Rock official time 1:39:34- same exact course 4 months ago.

My best time on a 5k was a pace of 15:30 (5k=48:15 so 10k conversion would have been 1:36:30)

Today's Official Time?  1:32:34. 14:54 pace   (And it was much longer as we had to weave all over the course and sometimes off the course, into grass and back on.........  so it was a BITCH..  I can say that.  It was.)

I shaved EXACTLY 7 minutes off my pace.  That means I dropped my pace MORE THAN A MINUTE PER MILE!!!  OMG!!!!   So, who set out just to finish and instead got her BEST TIME EVER!!!  My pace per minute was better than any of my 5k's even. 

I broke my first sub-15min/mile race.

I ran more than I walked.

I did it without carrying water.

I DID IT!!  I really still cannot believe it!

Have to give a shout out to Cassi Ams-  She hung with me the second 1/2 of the race and helped keep me going.

Committed to do the rest of the TeamOrtho Series so Get Lucky-7k (March), Women's Rock 10k(Sept) and Monster Dash 10k (October) are totally on the schedule.

Today is the first time I felt like I deserved to call myself a runner.  Somehow, breaking below 15 min/mile made that OK in my mind.

(BTW< the unofficial from MapMyFitness----AMAZINGNESS-6.7 miles, 14:10pace.  This paused it when I stopped for the fallen runner and added in the walk from corral to start)

MapMyFitness-Unofficial

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Cassi and I PRE-RACE

Post-race with Medals...

Post Race- Almost back to the garage....   Umm, I look a bit of a mess

January 1st -> New Year, New Start and New Numbers

Starting the New Year with a new blanket of snow.
 Just like each of us- We have a clean slate to rebuild ourselves and our story!!!

Prior to the start of the holidays I had posted my weight and my plan to keep moving forward through the Holiday season and start the New Year without the weight most American's gain.

Well.......  I was betrayed by my body.  Nothing like the flu to kill your plans.

November 30, 2013:
Weight: 210.2

Waist:35.5

Hips 43.5

Right Thigh:25.5

January 1, 2014:
Weight: 211.2
Waist: 35.5
Hips:43.5
Right Thigh 25

So.......  Up a pound.  Rest of my measurements (there are a lot more I do- 11 total) are essentially the same.

Workouts?  I ran on Christmas day and then have barely moved since then.  

I use a BodyMedia which tracks my sleep, activity and basal metabolic rate.

While I have spent more time "laying down" and even "sleeping", the periods of awake in that time are much more often.

My daily calories burned is about 400 calories less than my "normal" daily.

My average mets went from 1.15+ per day to 0.85.  

Yup, I have sat on my butt.

It killed me!!  We had a 50 degree day here in Chicago and all I could do was look out the window and WISH I could run.

That is what I am taking and realizing that I have made that "switch" in my head from a sedentary/lazy life to a healthy one.

My mind is SCREAMING to go run.  To workout.  To hit the gym and sweat.  My body laughed hysterically and I was winded simply walking up the one flight of stairs to my bedroom.  I worry about the fact that I have not done strength training in 2 weeks and my butt is probably losing all the great new shape it had gained.  (Ok, 2 weeks could not undo all the hard work from the prior 7 months but I know that I have lost some gains and it will likely hurt like HELL once I get back into the gym)

Also, I did not give in to eating crap when sick.  I still tried to keep eating decent.  Not as clean as usual because I just didn't have the energy but did not resort to crap.

Today, I wake up feeling a little bit better.  Exercise is being provided by Mother Nature having covered my little corner of the world with  snow (lots of snow) to shovel.  Nice thing is I can do it in little bits so I don't overdo it.  Shoveling snow is a GREAT cardio workout and calorie burn.  And it is so bright outside.  (Ugh, and it is still shoveling.)

10 days to my 10k.  I won't lie and I am a little scared.  I am not sure how much running I will get in and looking at the weather reports, not sure ANY of it will be outside.  But.....unless the event gets cancelled, I will go do it and do my best.

2014 will be another year of pushing myself to the best me!  Of getting outside my comfort zone!

I posted earlier this week my 14 goals for 2014.  I think I will keep posting my progress weight/measurement wise every 3 months.  To keep me honest!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!