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mchen01 Distinguished Member 
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I'm very happy to have found this site. I've been using fitday.com for a couple years, but they don't have as many activities to calculate calories burned as this site. I have read some of the other diaries and am inspired to do one of my own. Thanks everyone for sharing. My statistics
In my late teens through my 20s, I was an avid runner and cyclist. I ran mostly 5k and 10k races with a best time of approximately 21:20 for 5k and 47:50 for 10k. I also rode centuries and often did training rides up the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina (very beautiful area  ). At my best fitness, I weighed 127lbs.Then work, having children, going back to school, having a husband away from home a lot, family illness, and surgery slowly took their toll on me. I found I had made some bad choices over the past ten years, and although I made some small efforts to exercise, I never committed to a lifetime goal. Two weeks ago, I broke 200lbs and felt stupid and angry at what I had given up.  My goals I have no specific weight or dieting goals. In general, I plan to eat healthy foods in smaller portions in about 4-5 meals a day. I will use the calories burned and food calories calculators on occasion to guage my weight loss requirements. My main goal is to be competitively fit. I enjoyed racing and would love to do some events I've always dreamed of doing. These include the Boston Marathon and the Hawaii Ironman Triathalon - both require qualifying times to register. Three years ago I had started training for my first marathon. I not only did a marathon, but I did a half-marathon in the same weekend - the Disneyworld Goofy race. Despite the freezing weather and sore muscles, I was elated and couldn't wait to sign up for my next race. While training, I had dropped from 185 lbs down to 165 lbs. But then, I went back to school for a second Master's degree and slowly gained back the weight plus some, even though I continued to do marathons.  The problem was that I had given up the training intensity and often didn't run for months. The training I had done for Disneyworld was enough to keep me running marathons for another 2 years, but it's over now. I'm not going to be able to do another race unless I start training again.I am now promising myself that I will not set aside my racing goals for anything else in my life. I must find a balance that includes exercise. My first long term goal will be to qualify for the 2010 Boston Marathon. I am experimenting with some cross training so that I can bring my weight down to avoid injury. Still, I'm signed up to do the Disneyland Half Marathon on August 31, so my short term goal is to try to run that in 3:15 (14.5 minute miles). Exercise done last week
I did better on the bike ride than I thought which was a very pleasant surprise, and it included a very scenic route going from Long Beach to the Whittier Narrows Dam. I may have overdone it and am feeling very sore, so next week will have to be less intense (no long bike rides ) |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Updated statistics
This was a bad week for sweets. What can I say? It's a major weakness in me. But when I exercise, the craving for sweets becomes especially strong. Still, it's embarrassing to see how much I've eaten, so I'll try to tone it down next week. On the brighter side, my son's birthday party was a blast, and we had a great time playing laser tag. I must have burned some calories, because I came out of there very sweaty. My husband and I had a hilarious time sneaking up on each other and shooting each other in the back even after declaring a truce  .Overall, exercise this week went pretty well. I was hoping for more with a longer and faster Saturday ride, and a 2 mile jog instead of a walk on Sunday. But, I'm soooooo sore. My quads are very tight and painful to stretch. I have to rub tiger balm on my quads at night so I can sleep. By bottom feels bruised from cycling. My back has been threatening to go out on me, but the ibuprofen seems to be helping. My shoulders and arms are painful to move due to push ups and golfing. Speaking of golfing - what great fun I had!! The pain was definitely worth it. I haven't gone golfing in over six years. I'm glad my friends were kind enough to ask me and patient enough to put up with a novice. I had a couple of great drives, one that went over 200 yds using a borrowed, gigantic headed, titanium driver! But my putting was awful, and after 5 putts I usually just gave up. That left me with about a score of 8 (our agreed upon max) at each hole, except one which was 5 on a par 4. I lost two balls that went into the yards of two different homes along the course, and my only pink ball went into a water hazard (I'll miss my pretty little girly ball). So, while I can whack a ball pretty hard, they tend to be wild and rarely go straight. I think I need to get some practice in at a driving range before I go out on the course again. The last thing I want to do is send a golf ball through somebody's window  .My weakest muscle groups are my core, both abdominals and back, and my arms. I'm unable to complete a full session of pushups, even when they're done on my knees. I also can't do the harder situps with my legs up in the air. I still experience some muscle cramping in my upper abdominals along my surgical scar, but it's not as bad as it used to be. At this point I think things will get worse before they get better. I can tell my motivation is already down, because I haven't packed my workout clothes for the week. Luckily, tomorrow is a rest day and hopefully I will feel ready to go by Tuesday. No, not hopefully, I WILL be ready to go by Tuesday  !! |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Yesterday I went to my BOSU class and found that is was cancelled  . The gym is changing it to a 6:30am class. I am soooo not a morning person, so it looks like I'll need to pick a new class. But, since I was all ready to go I went ahead and jumped into the step aerobics class. I now feel like the most uncoordinated person alive. There were so many different steps and the 4 combo sequences had me tripping over the steps... "around-the-world, L-step, lead left, A-step,..." Huh, what was that again??? I knew this was not the class for me when I kept finding myself on the wrong side of the steps, facing the class . It seems I can't exercise and think at the same time. So, my hat's off to all those coordinated enough to handle this kind of exercise. On the plus side, I did sweat a lot and feel I got a decent 60 minute workout despite the constant pausing and stumbling on my part. Also a plus, while replaying my step aerobic fiasco for my coworkers' amusement, I got a few women interested in joining me for some of the classes. Yay - workout buddies!! |
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Hisgal Distinguished Member 
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Hi Michelle Welcome to the  forums! Glad to have you with us.......sounds like you've got quite a plan there. I do best on the more frequent small meals myself. Will keep checking in on your diary to see how it's going. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Thanks for the welcome Pat. I love this site and the forum and am looking forward to meeting everyone here. I've enjoyed reading your diary too, although I've only read a few of the beginning entries before I skipped to the end. For these longer diaries, it's like reading a book where you can't wait to see the ending . |
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Hisgal Distinguished Member
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Yeah, some of us have been here long enough to have written a book. We like it here, and have stuck around. Hope you will too |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I tried a new fitness class called CrossFit. It's a boot camp style of workout, and I totally got my "boot"-y kicked. I've now got a new set of sore muscles that I never even knew were there before. It was an excellent workout with constant, intense movement, alternately concentrating on different muscle groups until they burned. The instructor was very helpful and knew right away from looking at me that I would need a modified workout (much easier than the rest of the group ). I don't mind being singled out like that as long as I can stay injury free. The workout is done outdoors which is a nice change from the indoor classes. The free weights exercises are going to be great for my upper arms and hamstrings, but I was desperate for some weights lighter than 8kg (18lbs). What ever happened to those 5lb starter weights? I also discovered kettlebells today - very interesting, but I haven't decided if I like them yet or not. I can see myself accidentally losing my grip mid-swing and launching the huge weight at some poor unfortunate who made the bad decision to stand in front of me. Just in case, I settled into a far corner away from everyone else. This was the most challenging class so far, and it's definitely a keeper. Bring it on baby!! |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I saw that I had lost 3 lbs in 5 days  , and then I almost ruined it at the buffet line . I ate a late lunch and was starving. Even though it was mostly salads and sushi, i overate. I looooove sushi - yummy. I also got frozen yogurt as a snack, but only ate less than half and threw the rest away - a first for me and a psychological good step (I always feel so guilty throwing away food).Today's bike ride was intense, with lots of short steep hills through San Clemente. Spinning class is helping as I had an easier time riding out of the saddle at a slightly higher cadence. I hadn't planned on doing such a difficult ride today, but found my easy trail flooded and had to turn around and do an alternate route. Not sure where the flooding came from - maybe the tides are higher during the summer solstice? I treated myself for having a successful week by buying some new workout clothes (on clearance of course). I hope I wasn't premature since my weekly measurement day is Monday, not Saturday. After looking at all the cute workout clothes, I can't wait to be a decent size again. I would love to be able to wear an attractive running skirt without making it look unattractive with my fat, jiggling thighs . |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Updated statistics
Exercise this week was pretty good. I got in some intense workouts and had a couple of exercise buddies join me for the first time. The downside is that I continue to experience constant back pain. Sunday, my husband gave me a bear hug that sent a painful spasm along the lower right side of my back - ouch. So my workout for Sunday had to be scrapped. Instead, I spent several hours unpacking bins of clothes that had been stored since our renovation started last year. I'm feeling guilty about not doing my workout Sunday, so I'll have to make it up on the treadmill tonight. I'm also feeling a little low in general today. I can't tell if it's from the back pain, TTOM or visiting my dad in convalescent home. As Pepe le Pew would say, "le sigh". I also overindulged in food this weekend. Writing down some of the foods I eat is making me notice how bad I am. Do I really eat that much fast food? Yuck! |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Yesterday, I was feeling very crampy and ill. I lost my appetite and ended up skipping dinner (about a 700 calorie day). One of the million bad things about getting older is that I find my monthly curses are getting worse . I think I'll be glad once menopause hits. When I got home, I took some Midol and rested for an hour. Then I dragged myself up and got on the treadmill. I did my 2 mile run with a 5 minute warmup and 5 minute warmdown. I have to say I'm grateful to this site for setting up the diaries. If I hadn't publicly written a commitment to running yesterday, I probably would have given up and gone to bed to nurse my sore tummy. But my diary entry kept niggling at the back of my mind until I couldn't stand it anymore. Once I finished my run, I felt a lot better and the anxiety about needing to workout went away. I never thought I'd be grateful for a little anxiety, but if it gets me healthy then I am  . |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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I was lacking energy for my spin class, but I got through it (HR at 140) and still had fun. Cramps are gone and I'm feeling better today. Sadly, I did overeat at dinner last night. Had pork burritos and couldn't resist a second serving. The filling was mostly lettuce and pico de gallo, and I did substitute plain yogurt for sour cream, but I failed to note that plain yogurt is 150 cals for 1/3 cup and a single flour tortilla is 130 cals. Having 2 servings of these two items alone screwed me over. Next time I won't assume that a diet substitute means all you can eat (duh) and to be afraid of anything made with flour. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Got through another spin class yesterday and crossfit today. I'm sooooo tired. I just want to sleep - actually, I want to eat a big chocolate candy bar and then sleep. Yesterday my waist was feeling a bit plumper than usual so I measured it - 39.5 inches .Here's what I did at crossfit today:
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MidgeH Distinguished Member 
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Great job on the exercise! (oh, and re: tortillas - you are better off with the corn ones. A lot of the flour ones have trans fat!) |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Thanks Midge! I didn't know that about the tortillas. Good advice. I'll get corn next time. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Had a substitute instructor for kickboxing today. Her technique was to do everything in batches of 50. My arms feel like they're going to fall off - super ouch! |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Updated statistics
I'm entering last weeks stats early because I'll be on vacation for the next few days and probably won't have internet access. This week went pretty well despite feeling sick from TTOM. Appetite has been a little low for most days. Still experiencing sweet cravings which I try to satiate with small portions of sweets like a small piece of chocolate or a couple of red vines. This seems to keep my cravings at bay enough so that I don't go crazy with a big box of cookies or a large candy bar. For some reason, this week I had a nut craving, hence the overindulgence in the trail mix  .Workouts at the beginning of the week seemed to lack energy. Feeling better now and had a great kickboxing workout and a nice ride. The ride started out slow and leisurely but ended fast and furious. Husband picked up the pace at the end with last 2 miles at about 20 - 25 mph . Was laughing the whole time as I tried to chase his tail and he fought to pull away just when I would catch up. He loves to bait me into a race and I can't help but fall into it everytime. It almost felt like when we were young .I'm happy with the weight loss so far, but I'm even happier with the increased energy I'm starting to feel from all the exercise. I still have a long way to go though and am hoping that the enthusiasm is here to stay. Last edited on 29 June 2008 06:50 am by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Just back from vacation in Las Vegas. Stayed at Excalibur and don't recommend it because the beds were awful. You could actually feel the springs through the mattress. Of course, I did pretty bad on food. Went to 2 buffets in one day. Definitely over a 3000 calorie day. Exercise was pretty hard to do. Fitness center was $20 per person per day . I wasn't going to pay that much for an hour workout. And, running on the strip is not a good idea because of the crowds, traffic, construction and heat. Instead, my hubby and I did a 45 minute CrossFit style set of calisthenics in our room, which consisted of:1st set
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today was shot with unexpected appointments starting at 8am, errands and bad traffic. Only had about 60 minutes for exercise, so I spent it playing DDR with the kids. Burned about 250 calories. Will definitely have to do about a 3 hour ride this weekend to make up for being naughty on vacation . |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today's CrossFit class was brutal. My hands were shaking at the end of the class. I'm so happy that I was able to get through most of the class. Calves are tightening up from the running, so I'll have to do some extra stretching tonight before bed.
.Last edited on 3 July 2008 09:42 pm by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Did about 15 minutes of gentle stretching on my legs last night. I was able to work out most of the tightness but will need to do another bout of stretching tonight as well. My left achilles is still hurting. Did a 69 minute ride at 13 mph. Went 15.1 miles. It was a pretty good ride with most miles averaging over 15 mph. The holiday crowds at the beach and traffic lights really brought down our pace though. At least the ride worked out some more of the soreness in my legs. I really enjoy riding along the river trails. However there is one yuck factor and that is the gnats - huge swarms of them. Not only do I constantly find myself gagging and spitting out bugs, but by the end of the ride, my chest and legs look like the front of a car grill. There are dead bugs all over me - ewwwww!!! Last edited on 5 July 2008 10:10 pm by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Rode today for 160 minutes at an average of 13.5 mph. Total mileage was about 34 miles. I don't have the exact time and distance because I forgot to turn on my garmin  . Was supposed to go for at least 3 hours and aim for average of 15 mph, but my pookie did too much yesterday and bonked today. I'm just glad he was able to hang in there and make it back home.While waiting for him to catch up, I was cruising around in circles by the beach and got distracted by something stuck to our car. Was it a parking ticket? I was staring at it so hard, I failed to look where I was going and rode right into the sand. My bike landed in the soft sand while I dived into the asphalt. Now I've got some nice road rash along my knee and down my leg. Turns out the thing on our car was a flyer asking for help in protesting the toll road expansion through Trestles Beach. Oh well, since I support this protest, I couldn't be mad. Trestles is the last watershed left in Southern California and is very important to a number of endangered species. I love riding through there and the last thing I want to see is construction tearing through a beautiful, pristine beach habitat. Besides, the amount of traffic in that area does not warrant such a drastic project. Ok, I'm done ranting and will get off my soapbox now. It's just that I care about the environment and can't help but get angry at unnecessary actions that keep destroying our earth. Yesterday, one of our pipes burst and the leak was pretty bad. Luckily, the leak is outside the house so we have no water damage. After failing to stop the leak with several Home Depot remedies, we gave in to calling a plumber. Calling around for plumbers on July 4th is very frustrating - most charged about $300 per hour . Last year, our sewage was clogged on the same day, so July 4th is turning into a cursed plumbing day for us  . This weekend we are forced to practice creative water saving. The water main is turned off until we need to shower, and then we race to take our showers as fast as possible. We have filled jugs of water for the toilet, and we're using the alcohol hand wash to wash our hands. I think we'll get out of the house for most of the day so we don't have to worry about the toilet and washing dishes. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Thought I might try out a HIIT workout since I've been reading so much about them. This is what I did on the treadmill:
. Will have to try upping from level 2.5 to 3 and 6 to 6.5 next time.Since this was too easy of a workout I went ahead and did another 2 mile jog at avg pace of 17 minute miles. It was the best I could do with kids out riding their bikes alongside and youngest still unable to ride bike uphill. There is still some pain in my achilles and I still feel heavy while running, but I can tell there is a slight improvement . 7 more weeks until the Disneyland Half-Marathon.Had a huge craving for a burger and went to Ruby's for lunch. Was able to restrain myself somewhat by splitting the burger and fries with my mom, making it about a 570 cal lunch. It felt really really good to be able to eat just enough to satisfy a craving but not so much that I felt bloated and sick (my usual lunch at Ruby's would have been the whole burger with onion rings and a chocolate shake). |
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Tratra Distinguished Member 
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Michelle... Just so you know, doing HITT doesn't burn many calories while doing it....the point is that it increases your calorie burn all day. It really gets your metabolism going! Also, if you can do 7 intervals, I do think you need to increase the intensity. The point is for this to be a short workout...so I would do around 5 intervals max at a higher intensity. Last edited on 7 July 2008 01:10 am by Tratra |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Thanks Tratra!! That's good info and great advice. I'll really push the intensity next time. ... Ok, I've done more research on HIIT workouts and found a running one online that might work for me. It includes 30 seconds of jogging and 30 seconds of sprinting starting with 4 intervals and working up to 15. Now that I understand what I'm supposed to be aiming for in this workout I'm going to try this 3 day a week workout in the mornings before I go to work. Last edited on 7 July 2008 06:19 am by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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This morning I redid my HIIT workout and definitely felt a difference. This time I was wheezing for breath for about a minute after the last interval.
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Updated statistics
Too much temptation this week with vacation and problems cooking at home. I'm hoping I'll do better next time. While exercise comes easy to me, dieting is absolute torture. But, in my effort to attempt dieting, I've been logging what I eat on The Daily Plate. Except for my bad days during vacation, I've been keeping to an approximate 1350 cal net intake (about 1900 cals eaten minus 550 cals burned in exercise) give or take 100 cals. I think I'm approaching the diet/exercise/weight loss combination in a healthy way, but I'm not sure. Sometimes it feels like 1900 cals is too much. I welcome any comments or advice. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Under my intended calories, but can't eat anymore. Feel bloated - almost like I've eaten too much. Today's exercise:
Last edited on 9 July 2008 06:35 am by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Today's exercise:
Couldn't handle increasing interval times on HIIT from 30 to 60 seconds. Plus, I'm afraid I'm going to break my treadmill doing sprints on it. The pounding I'm giving it is loud and scary . Will take the next HIIT workout outdoors - have to find a good stretch of uninterrupted running to do this. |
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zenobia Moderator
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oooh- another HIIT.... do-er ( i hesitate to use the word "fan"- it really truely sucks, but i think it's great stuff....) how many cycles do you do? i usually do 15 cycles- 15 seconds on, 45 seconds normal on a stationary bike. it kills. if you really want something hard core and that can be done outside (works in your garage if it's raining, too!) is jump rope. that is probably THE WORST but it's incredibly effective (imho). i can't quite get to that level on my bike (though i do get to the point of wanting to spill my guts), but i think if i did, i would never do HIIT again. and welcome to the forums! |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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haha - yah, I can't really say fan either! It's more like a love-hate relationship. I dread doing them because they hurt so much, but I feel so great once I'm finished. Right now I'm just doing 4 cycles of 30 second sprints and 30 second walking. This Friday I'll increase it to 5 cycles. I wish I could jump rope, but I'm one of the most uncoordinated people you could ever meet. Even running is dangerous for me - multiple ankle sprains and countless scrapes from tripping over... gee, nothing there, must be my own two feet .Thanks for the welcome zen . |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
I feel like I'm eating tons, but with the extra exercise I don't think I'm eating enough. I'll have to find something to snack on that gives me healthy calories but is not too heavy - maybe cheese or bread. Today's exercise:
The hand stands were incredibly hard - but hey, I'm only trying to hold up 185 lbs . Of course, all the blood rushing to my head didn't help. I thought I was going to pass out a couple of times  . Again, I was the last one to finish class, but at least now I don't need modified situps. I can do the real thing now .The extra running is a little hard to fit in time wise and I do feel a little tired this week. Hopefully, my body will adjust and I can keep up this pace for the next 6 weeks. Once I finish the half-marathon, I can take a little break. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Got my appetite back with a vengence tonight. Still not eating enough for the day though. Eating is making me feel a little ill. I think I know why now, so I'm drinking extra water and will go buy prune juice tomorrow .Today's exercise:
I was supposed to do a HIIT run today, but I'm feeling very tired. Found myself yawning excessively today. Time to take a little break and get some good sleep. I'll do the HIIT tomorrow before my ride. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Today's exercise:
Today's ride was mostly flat with one short steep hill at the end. Quads and achilles very sore, so couldn't ride out of the saddle. Beautiful sunny day with usual headwind coming back to beach. Achilles are hurting pretty bad. Will ice and stretch, but may have to ease up on running. Not a good thing because I joined my company track team and I forgot the meet is next weekend (thought it wasn't till August) . Can't bow out because the team needs a woman over 40 to qualify for some of the relays and I'm it. Also signed up for 5k on Saturday and 10k on Sunday  in addition to the relays (again can't bow out because the team is too short on women). Will do a 6 mile jog on treadmill tomorrow and then substitute a 5k at race pace instead of one of the spin classes to gauge where I'm at. Other than this, no more running for next week. I'm so anxious about the meet . I'm going to be the slowest one on the team  . |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
I'm learning to like multigrain bread. My favorite is sourdough, but I'm trying to improve my diet a little bit at a time. Today's exercise:
Ugh!! I'm sooo slow . Couldn't do 6 miles, no way, no how. Achilles still feel painful and am walking like a penguin. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Ate too much today thanks to chocolate craving. Darn darn darn!!! Today's exercise:
Achilles felt better today after stretch, ice and massage last night. After running, they're tight again and will have to do same treatment tonight. Last edited on 15 July 2008 05:33 am by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Still craving chocolate, but able to restrain myself from devouring too much. Ate too much for dinner. Need to work on controlling myself at dinner time when I'm at my hungriest, despite having a late afternoon snack. Today's exercise:
A little hot today. Felt my groin pull on 1/4 mile interval. Not quite the workout I was hoping for, but I'll take it. Unfortunately, my ego says I can handle a hard workout and my body says shut up . Today is last run before track meet. Need to nurse achilles which are hurting again. Will concentrate on deep tissue massage of calves which seems to work better than stretching and ice. Will also cut crossfit class this Thursday as well to rest up. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Still with the chocolate craving. Once again ate too much for dinner. Traffic was horrible and I was stuck for 2 hours . Was very hungry by the time I got home. Seem to also be craving protein with Kashi bar and peanut butter. Need to get natural peanut butter next time.Today's exercise:
Achilles are really bad right now. Right leg is a little swollen and tender to the touch. Pain was noticeable in spin class today, but sore quads slowed me up the most. Instructor really likes Neil Diamond . Who knew they would be such good songs to work out to.Last edited on 17 July 2008 05:37 am by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Kids didn't finish their lunches, and I couldn't resist the temptation. So after eating my own lunch, I ate their leftoevers. Bad, bad, bad me!! Darn! Today's exercise:
Didn't do crossfit today, because I'm still nursing my achilles. I can almost walk normally, but going down the stairs is still difficult. Cycling is less stressful, so that's what I did . |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Yesterday's entry is shot. I was too tired to get it done, and I'm too tired to do it today. So, moving on... Today I ate:
Went about 200 calories over my goal. Out all day today which made eating difficult. Was very hungry when I got home. Today's exercise:
Today was first day of USCAA Track & Field. Did 5k at 7am and 200 meter sprint of the master's relay at 3pm. Couldn't qualify in the 5k because we didn't have enough women on the team, but we had a third place qualify for the relay. Can only measure 5k and warmup/warmdown for calories burned so didn't bother with sprint and other activities (being a gofer). Did better at the 5k and sprint than I thought I would, but have now injured my right calf muscle pretty badly. Doing ibuprofen, ice, gentle stretching and elevation in hopes of relieving the swelling and pain. May still try to run 10k (very slowly) tomorrow if I feel well enough. I know... I'm being foolish, but I'd hate to let the team down .Last edited on 20 July 2008 05:24 am by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Was pretty hungry after 10k this morning. Would have taken a nap instead of eating, but promised to take kids to movies (Journey to Center of the Earth in 3D) - hence, the heavy snacking. Today's exercise:
Today was second (and last) day of USCAA Track & Field. Did 10k at 7am in lovely cool weather. Had a full team today which almost came in third place but lost it when the last runner came across the finish line (team that beat us had the only 65 year old in the field which automatically qualified her a first place in age group even though she was dead last ). Calf muscle was pretty bad so I taped my foot up to keep my calf muscle from flexing too much and it seemed to work . This made the pain tolerable, but I was hobbling throughout the whole race with my left leg (the weak leg) providing almost all of the forward momentum. Very slow time of 72:17 . Luckily, my calf muscle is feeling better today than yesterday, so I think the running helped loosen the muscle a little. The sprint event is what killed me yesterday, so I was lucky to find a substitute for today's finals. I'm bummed I couldn't run, but I have to call it quits sometimes. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Updated Statistics:
Today I ate:
Very hungry today. Despite bits of snacking here and there, ate big dinner. Today's exercise: Not much today - trying to rest and heal the injured calf muscle. Did a very slow 20 minute walk at lunch to try and ease some of the stiffness out of all of my leg muscles after the weekend's races. Last edited on 22 July 2008 04:52 pm by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Did better than I thought I would. Wasn't feeling too well last night so didn't have my huge appetite when I got home. Didn't drink nearly enough water for the day. Today's exercise: No exercise today. Still resting injured calf muscle, but feeling better. Last edited on 23 July 2008 06:00 pm by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Huge chocolate and sweet craving. I could eat a bowl of sugar right now and be happy. Did manage to stay away from office catered Mexican food and eat my salad for lunch - yay for small victories. Oh wait, boo on the cookies I ate today. Ah well, nature and TTOM are working against me right now. Today's exercise:
Spinning went better than I thought it would. Did have to use left leg more and lean on handle bars heavily when out of the saddle, but was still able to push hard for the most part - right calf muscle is still painful to flex. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Lots of snacking but still very hungry for dinner. Maybe my stomach is trained to expect a big meal at night no matter how full it already is. Don't feel overly full though. Today's exercise:
Didn't do the running part except for the backward running. That part was ok as long as I took little strides and went slow. I'm feeling stronger at every class. Can't wait for the day when I'll be able to do real pushups rather than the girlie ones on my knees. Upped the weight on the kettle bell and medicine ball. Leg is feeling better and can almost walk without a limp now. I hope I can start running again next week. I need to pound some pavement in preparation for the Disneyland Half Marathon. I'm going to shoot for a better time than my original goal. I think I might be able to do a 2:45 instead of 3:15. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
TTOM killed my appetite today - some bloating but mostly cramps. Midol didn't seem to help much today. Couldn't eat breakfast and only ate half of lunch. As usual though, pretty hungry for dinner. Today's exercise:
Still have some limitation of movement but feeling less pain in calf muscle every day. Workout was strong. Today I concentrated on working the squats so that I could really feel it in my inner thighs, a big problem area next to my belly. Really wish I could run. |
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CrimsonAnimus Moderator 
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You can do it, mchen! I'm impressed with your strict calorie counting, especially with such a variety of foods. I've never had zucchini nut bread. Is it good? |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Hey Nick, thanks for the encouragement! Yes, zucchini bread is delicious - it's a lot like carrot cake. To be honest, I wouldn't be doing the calorie counting if it wasn't so easy on The Daily Plate. That web site has been a big help as well as this one. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
I didn't like the Kashi cereal - it was too hard (like grapenuts). Ugh - hurts my teeth. Not enough water today and I'm feeling a little headachy because of it. Today's exercise:
Very slow pace - my calf muscle is still weak and sore - had trouble just trying to clip into my pedals. It's funny how an injury can make simple things so hard. But, I was happy just getting out in the sunshine and spinning my wheels. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Okay, so I went a little overboard with the cookies. I don't know what happened. I was sitting there talking to a friend and then before I realized it I had eaten all these cookies. They were sooo good I didn't want to stop and think about what I was doing. Le sigh. I will pay for it later. Today's exercise:
Thought a little stroll around the park would be ok. Not so. My leg is swollen and sore. There is some bruising showing up around my ankle which makes me think that the injury to my calf was a little worse than I thought. Time to call the doctor and make sure it's nothing to worry about. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
So bored today that I ate a little more than I wanted. I wasn't even hungry. Today's exercise:
Leg was very sore this morning when I woke up. Spent most of the day lying around with my leg elevated. There was more bruising along the bottom of my calf muscle. Went to doctor who confirmed the lower gastrocnemius is torn, but the tendon is intact so nothing to worry about. Good news is with a couple days of rest I can still exercise as long as I tape the same way I had for the 10k. I'll also be wearing a compression bandage for a week. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Today's exercise:
Hate being so inactive right now. Worked at home today to keep off legs. Only got up when I felt the earthquake and went downstairs to check on family. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Updated Statistics: current (starting)
Working lunch which included pizza - couldn't help myself, since it's been about a month since I've had pizza.  Also, had to work late so didn't get home until 8:30 for dinner - was very hungry and went overboard on the fried rice. Haven't been drinking enough water for past few days, the reason being that my leg hurts so much I haven't wanted to walk much. So, I haven't been getting up to refill my water. Will make more effort to do that as my leg gets better.Today's exercise:
Leg is still painful and now very itchy - must be healing. Wore compression bandage all day and did light stretching every 2 hours to loosen the muscle a little. Was hoping to do some core exercises on the ball but it's already after 10 pm and I still have some work to do to meet my Friday deadline. Too many interruptions today keeping me from getting my work done despite putting in 11 hours already. Last edited on 31 July 2008 06:22 am by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
The kettle corn was just too good to stop. Darn. Today's exercise:
Did some simple strength exercises on ball. Calf is feeling better but weak. Have to wear comression bandage which is hot and itchy, but eases a lot of the pain. Last edited on 1 August 2008 07:11 am by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Today's exercise:
More simple strength exercises on ball. Calf is feeling better so will make today my last easy day. Still no running fo a week. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Worked up a big appetite today! Today's exercise:
Taped my ankle and felt pretty strong except right calf is weak. At least there was a lot less pain. Mostly flat course and drafting off friends made the ride nice and easy, except three of us got flats including me. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Updated Statistics: current (starting)
About 4 weeks left till the Disneyland Half Marathon. With my leg still in a compression bandage and no running for another week, I'm a little worried. I will have to think about my workout plan for this month and see what I can manage for training. So, I didn't post my diet and exercise yesterday. It turned out to be an exhausting day and I ate very badly. Was already tired from staying up late with upset niece who cried and didn't fall asleep until 11:30pm (was up at 5am on Saturday for early ride). Got up at 6am to get ready for husband's and daughter's surf class. My daughter was then hit in the face with her surfboard. It bled so much and she was in so much pain that we decided not to take any chances and took her to the emergency room. Luckily, no broken nose . My mom also suffered a back spasm and was beside herself with needing to rest but being too restless to stop so she went to the hospital with us. But, she wanted to take care of the grocery shopping while we were out. So, I took her grocery shopping and constantly had to chase after her to not pick anything heavy up and quit bending over the grocery cart. That's when I bought the cookies and m&ms. When hubby called and teased me about taking too long to get back to the hospital to pick him and daughter up I was a little tired and aggravated. It didn't take long to open up the bag of cookies and scarf down half the bag while driving to the hospital and then back home. I ate more than 1200 calories above my goal yesterday - all of it in cookies and candy. I'm sure I'll pay for it on the scales next week. |
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Mogura Senior Member 
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Wow, Michelle, you are motivated. I haven't had the chance to read all your posts but I was impressed with the fact that at the beginning you were able to do all that exercise at nearly 200 pounds. I think that despite the weight an athletic body is an athletic body. You probably helped yourself by being an avid runner at a young age. I am 32 and have been working up to running since the beginning of the year. I can now run 10 full minutes at a shot and usually do this twice a day. |
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christyandmuddy New Member 
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Hi! Great job with the exercise and diet! Don't worry too much about slipping up now and then with some sweets. It sounds like you were having a pretty rough day. I would have probably done much worse! I hope your leg feels better soon so you can get back to running! I am really impressed with your training for the marathon. I'm not a runner but it sounds like a great source of motivation. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Mogura wrote: Wow, Michelle, you are motivated. Hey Mogura - thanks for the nice message! It probably has been easier for me to do what I do because of my past athleticism. I'm used to the pain of heavy training. I have to admit though that it hasn't been easy. With my body so heavy, I've had to modify my running gait into a shuffling kind of fast trot. My legs were just too heavy to lift up very high.I'm glad to see you are getting into running and I hope you enjoy it! You're going at it the right way - starting slow and building up slowly. Good luck with it and stop by again to let me know your progress. I love chatting about running. christyandmuddy wrote: Hi! Thanks so much c&m! I'm grateful for the encouragement. I can't wait to get back into running - it's so much fun to run marathons and half-marathons. It's amazing how many nice people are out there cheering you on no matter how slow you are. Gee, it's a lot like this place - no wonder I like it here so much. I think you're doing great too! BTW, how's the bicycling going?Last edited on 5 August 2008 05:59 am by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
I ate so much tonight, that I actually threw up a little during my workout. Talk about gross! I feel so ill that I think I'm done overindulging for a long while. Today's exercise:
Was going to rest again today (saving up for running next week), but after eating so much at dinner I felt compelled to work out thinking it might help the bloated feeling go away. Even after waiting an hour after dinner to start working out, I still got sick. Must have been the lasagna and m&m together in my stomach. Ughh, even writing about it is making me sick again - sorry if it grosses you out too. Tomorrow, I start being good again. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Ate better today. A little short on calories but considering the past 2 days it's probably ok. Have a headache which tells me I have not been drinking enough water again. Today's exercise:
Felt strong for the first 30 minutes and then my leg started to bother me. Wore my compression bandage which helped, but I had little twinges of pain at the bottom of my calf muscle when I pushed too hard for long or fast climbs (out of the saddle). So, I slowed it down for the last half just to be safe. Heart rate was at 85% max for first half hour and dropped to 75% max for last half hour. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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I thought it might be interesting to post the most recent picture I have of myself before I started the weight loss. This is me at the last half marathon I ran in February of 2008 (Surf City in Huntington Beach, CA). It's a very embarrassing picture - my big thighs have pushed my shorts up into my crotch, I've lost my chin, and I look miserable (usually running makes me smile, but I was in so much pain and the weather was hurricane-like). At the time of this picture I weighed about 195 lbs. I ran/walked but mostly walked and finished in 2:59:55 (how's that for making it under 3 hours!). Attached Image (viewed 195 times): Last edited on 6 August 2008 11:35 pm by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Ugh, can't seem to stay away from chocolate and sweets. Today's exercise:
Kept the tension lower than usual and concentrated on faster spin. Kept heart rate up without stressing my calf muscle, so I had a great workoout. Still wearing the compression bandage which helps a lot. Can stretch without pain. However, I bumped my knee really hard on the tension knob of the bike and got a nice goose egg now. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
At least the m&ms are all gone. No more Today's exercise:
Crossfit today was pretty good. First day doing a little running. Favored the right leg because felt a little pain (with compression bandage), but was still pretty strong. Leg is a little swollen again but otherwise feels good. Pretty proud of my situps, but pushups are still pretty pitiful. Can only do 1 pushup in good form, so am still on my knees. I've worked out a tentative schedule for starting up running again. Tomorrow will be the first day of a run/walk for 3 days. The following week will be short runs with 5 minute walking warmups to include a long run on Sundays. Will aim for longest run at 8 miles but will settle for 6 miles if start to feel pain. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Tonight is the Navy Medical Service Corp Ball. Being in weight loss mode, I didn't want to buy another ball gown. I'm so close to sizing down that I thought I could lose the weight in time. Today I stepped on the scale and saw my weight was down to 179. Being optimistic about this I thought I might be able to wear a size 14 now. No such luck. Strangely, everything fits around my waist - yes, I have a waist (and a chin) again. It's my chest that's too big - not the bust, but the area below the bust. I've never had that problem - it's always been my tummy that I had to size to fit. Weight loss is so weird - it never happens the way you expect it to happen. So, I have two options in gowns tonight. I can wear what I wore last year (kind of embarrassing) - a short, black tafetta and very pretty, or I can wear a long, stretchy black and cream gown which is very sexy but will require the girdle or corset to tuck the tummy in a little (kind of uncomfortable). I've tried them both on twice now and am not decided yet. I'm leaning towards the long dress, because as a typical woman, I'd rather be uncomfortable than embarrassed! |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Did pretty well for a night out. The dinner cruise was lovely and my pookie was very handsome in his dress uniform. Alcohol pushed my total calories over for today. Otherwise, I did well with dinner, eating most of vegetables, only half of potatos, and a couple bites of chicken and dessert. Today's exercise:
First running workout in a little under 3 weeks. Took it easy to avoid re-injury. Felt ok but kept extensions to a minimum and took faster, smaller strides instead. Iced afterwards. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Went to block party and ate way more than I wanted. Really didn't want to eat that much but there was all this food that looked so good that I don't eat very often. I'm so weak when it comes to food. Today's exercise:
Took a different route home and went up a killer steep hill. My quads are still hurting, but I'm so tired I don't mind the soreness. I will sleep well tonight. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Yesterday I ate:
I was really hungry yesterday. Can't believe I ate the whole burger and every last crumb of french fries. At least I didn't have a bite off the family's plates. Breakfast was also huge with three slices of toast. What is wrong with me??Yesterday's exercise:
Day was shot with back to school shopping for kids. Should have gotten up earlier to workout, but was so tired from yesterday that I just wanted to sleep in. Won't make that mistake again next week. Will use today's rest day to make up for yesterday's unintended rest day. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Workout schedule for next 3 weeks: Will sustitute today's rest day for a short 30 minute run/walk to make up for extra rest day yesterday. Attached Image (viewed 182 times): Last edited on 11 August 2008 06:06 pm by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Ate better today, but couldn't resist some ice cream. Resisted a second helping of curry. My excuse for okaying a second helping is always "it's just a little helping" - Mom pointed that out to me tonight when I tried to get that little extra. Thanks Mom - didn't even realize what I was doing. Today's exercise:
Still taking it easy on the running. Increased the running interval slightly from last run. Feeling well enough to want to push the running longer (but I didn't) which is a good sign. Still, will adjust tomorrow's run to another run/walk session to be safe. Iced right calf. Will stretch before bed. |
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jackbenimble New Member
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mchen, I just read your diary. Two masters degrees are impressive! I've also found that taking night courses really cuts into your getting in shape time. I also share a weakness for sweets. My own tricks for that (which may not be recommended, but I'm doing them anyway) are 1) drink zero-cal soda 2) equal sugar 3) chew gum. Good luck! jack |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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jackbenimble wrote: mchen, Thanks Jack! Yes, math is especially time consuming as you well know from experience. Some homeworks take 20 hours to complete. So, I sympathize with what you go through too and am also impressed with your hard work in discrete math. Good luck with that and hope you get an A! |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Oops - had a little too much fat today. Team building exercise at work today was playing putt putt golf at Boomer's. Worked up an appetite playing and laughing. At least I didn't linger over lunch but left early with a couple of people to put in 30 minutes in the batting cages.Today's exercise:
Will be busy at work for a while so won't be able to do Tuesday's boot camp class at lunch. Went to personal trainer for a strength routine that I can do after work. Will do run after strength workout, then extra long stretching. Leg is so far so good. Now knee is bothering me but I think it's because of the bump I got hitting the bike - ugh, I'm such a klutz. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Still eating too much fat and not enough protein. Ate too much for dinner tonight. Why?? Wasn't that hungry until I started eating. Hmmm, could be a comfort thing. Work has been stressful with a looming deadline that I'm not too confident about meeting right now. Dinner was so good that I felt relaxed and happy with the first bite. Yep, I'm self-medicating with food. Today's exercise:
Felt strong and really pushed hard today, breathing heavy the whole time. Lots of standing sprints. Felt like I was recovering from sprints faster than usual. Right calf was cramping in last 10 minutes of class Extra stretching tonight before bed. |
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zenobia Moderator
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i read the start and the point up till now portion of your diary. i am picking up the unabridged version when i wake up. you got me into it! ok sand 2 masters? for real- now that's just plain loony! (no, i actually adore that!) |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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zenobia wrote: i read the start and the point up till now portion of your diary. i am picking up the unabridged version when i wake up. you got me into it! ok sand 2 masters? for real- now that's just plain loony! (no, i actually adore that! Hi Zen - thanks for visiting! Yeah, I feel loony after I've been all night studying for finals. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Feel like I ate too much, but could also be that my stomach has been bothering me since after lunch. Ugh! Today's exercise:
It's late and I couldn't get to my run until 10pm again. Couldn't handle my usual pace in the beginning - felt very weak and tired. Perked up in the last half and back up to usual speed. Need to get up earlier so I can get to the gym earlier and get the workout out of the way before I get home. Now I have to shower and am going to be up past midnight again. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Couldn't pass up breakfast burrito from roach coach this morning. I'm starting to think that these fierce cravings are due to PMS. I read that most common PMS cravings were salt and sweet (which seems to explain those odd snacks like chex mix and red vines I normally don't eat), and that they occur up to 2 weeks before TTOM. Also as I suspected, the PMS effects got stronger as you got older, because it took more hormones to release those last set of eggs stuck in the inner recesses of the ovaries. This would explain the horrible cramps and bloating I now get that I used to have little problem with when I was younger. I hate getting old. Today's exercise:
It's late again and I just don't have enough energy for another late night workout. I'll have to fit the run in tomorrow after my bike ride. I was hoping to skip a Saturday of running since I'm planning an 8 miler on Sunday, but since I just need to put in 2 miles I should be ok. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Did much better today. Was very hungry after my ride but refrained from eating my way through another order of sushi at lunch. Yay for small victories! Today's exercise:
Felt pretty good today. Rode shotgun so was able to go hard on ride today. Found that my weight really worked against me on the uphills. Didn't have enough energy left to run much afterwards. Had to slow the pace and take a short break after a mile. Went to afc expo today and found some cool stuff. Bought new compression sleeves for my calves. One of the great things about the neoprene sleeve I have now is that not only has it eased the torn calf muscle and help it heal, but the tendonitis in that leg is almost completely gone. I still have the tendonitis in the other leg where I haven't worn the sleeve. What I don't like about the neoprene is that it's hot and itchy and takes a long time to dry after washing. So, I found these new ones that are a nylon lycra blend, lightweight and breathable. I tried it out at the expo and felt good enough to buy them. I'm going to wear them tomorrow during my long run and hope they feel just as good long distance. I also bought a couple of running skirts. Now that I've added running to my other workouts, I find myself running out of workout clothes. The skirts were on sale, looked better than I thought, and were extremely lightweight. I actually felt a little pretty in them. |
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CrimsonAnimus Moderator
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mchen01 wrote: I actually felt a little pretty in them. That's great, Michelle!!! We are all beatiful in our own way - don't forget that! Make it a point to do things that make you feel good about yourself. It goes a long way. Great job! Keep it up, but don't push yourself too hard. I can't have my business partner falling ill... |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Thanks for the encouragement and concern Nick! I promise to TRY to take care. Today I ate:
I was soooo hungry today! I think the big exercise weekend really caught up with me. I did make an effort to go for mostly salads and raw fish, but I did have a couple of small eggroles and some fried dumplings. Today's exercise:
Took hubby to America's Finest City half-marathon in San Diego. Did my long training run while I waited. Ran from Balboa Park downhill to Petco Park and along the bay to the airport and then back to Balboa Park. Last 1 3/4 miles was all uphill *gasp*, but the cycling paid off and I felt good going up. Ran nonstop (except for a couple of traffic lights) which gives me reassurance that the Disney half-marathon should be no problem. Slow pace today though and am hoping to race below a 12:45 pace. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Updated Statistics: current (starting)
But, my weight is still down 2 lbs. Feels like I'm toning up though and my reflection in the mirror tells me things are still going well. My inner thighs have lost a lot of the dimpling and my lower abdomen is smaller with less folds. So, I'm hoping the increased size is due to bloating or water weight.I did a body fat test online to estimate my body fat. The test is supposed to be accurate to within 3-5%. So with my current measurement, I have 53.6 lbs of body fat. Ewwww! I would consider myself competitively fit if I could get within the 8-10% body fat ratio, but will switch to a maintenance diet once I reach 12% body fat. Last edited on 18 August 2008 08:14 pm by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Feel so bloated and craving sweets. PMS really sucks! Today's exercise:
Legs are a little more sore than usual but not bad. They just stiffen up after I've been sitting for too long. The new compression sleeves seemed to work pretty well. There is very little pain in my calves and almost no tendonitis. Most of the soreness is in my quads - probably from that long hill. Asthma seems to be acting up over the past week and I've had to use my rescue inhaler once a night. So, it's back on the Advair, which means I might have a little weight gain, but maybe not. |
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trimB Distinguished Member 
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mchen01 wrote: I would consider myself competitively fit if I could get within the 8-10% body fat ratio, but will switch to a maintenance diet once I reach 12% body fat. Are you female or male? I am by NO MEANS an expert in the this area... but I think that if you are female the body fat range for competitive athletes is much higher than it is for males. Males, under 10% is competitively fit Females, something more like 15% Someone please respond if I'm off base here.... |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Thanks for checking on me TrimB. I'm female and I understand your concern. I know it seems very low, but I think it is different for long distance runners. I'm mostly going on past experience for body fat. When I ran cross-country in college, I was measured at a body fat ratio of 12%. The coach wanted me to be closer to 10% and the top female runner on our team had a measurement of 8%. Even at 12%, I never came close to even placing in any of those cross-country meets. The girl at 8% almost always placed. I only consider the possibility because when I was in college I was the epitome of the starving student, so my nutrition was poor and leaned towards the cheapest food I could buy, like rice, eggs, macaroni and cheese and ramen noodles. So, I ate a lot of fattening foods which probably kept me at 12%. Now that I can afford to eat fresh, healthy food, I feel energetic and strong despite the lower calories. I'm not saying that body fat is the only way to improve competitiveness, and I will definitely not sacrifice nutrition to get there. Most likely at my age, I'm just doing some wishful thinking anyway (It would be a mondo-accomplishment to get below 12%). What I meant was that once I reached a body fat of 12% (if ever), I would discontinue weight loss mode entirely and switch to a maintenance diet (one high in carbs and more protein over fat). Getting below 12% would probably help with my racing time though. At 12%, the best 5k I could do was at an average of about 7 min/mile. If I could break that barrier and run a sub-20 minute 5k, I would be ecstatic. Last edited on 22 August 2008 08:22 am by mchen01 |
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trimB Distinguished Member
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Okay, well obviously you know WAY more than I do, haha! For anyone else's reference, I am posting this chart I pulled off the following site that Nir recommended to me... http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html The American Council on Exercise uses the following categories based on percentage of body fat: Women Essential fat 10-12% Athletes 14-20% Fitness 21-24% Acceptable 25-31% Obese 32% or more Last edited on 23 August 2008 12:09 am by trimB |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Thanks TrimB! Once I'm done being stubborn, I will admit that at 12% body fat my menstrual cycle was messed up with my periods coming only about 3-4 times a year. So, yes maybe 8% is too low to hope for. I guess I'll just take what I can get and concentrate on getting in good quality workouts. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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I have been remiss in posting my calorie intake and burn for the last few days. I have been keeping track for the most part, but having been on business travel, I found it hard to get online to post. Work was very busy while I was away with 3 of my managers on the same trip. I only got about 4 hours of sleep a night. While I often bow out of after-work dinners, I was coerced by my managers to attend these. So, I didn't eat conservatively, but the high stress and lack of sleep got to me and I fell for the self-medicating-with-food syndrome again. Total caloric intake (8/19-8/22):
I didn't feel very full. But, feeling a tiny bit guilty, I only ate half of my garlic mashed potatoes. Of course, the guilt went away enough for me to order a warm sifter of brandy for desert. One of the cool things about the evening was that we saw Jerry Seinfeld leave the restaurant! He's much taller in person that on TV. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Didn't want the hot dog, but that's all that was available at the time. Wanted to grab a quick bite at home, but mom and hubby were pushing to get out the door. Don't think I will ever be able to find time to ALWAYS eat healthy and am resigned to that fact. So, I'll have to make sure that when I am at home, I work hard at eating only healthy foods there. That way when I have no choice, it won't affect me too badly. Today's exercise:
Compression sleeves are doing wonders for my calves. The achilles pain is almost all gone in both calves. The pain is still apparent when going down stairs, but I walk almost normally now (at least well enough that nobody comments about it anymore). |
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CrimsonAnimus Moderator
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Great job, Michelle! Don't worry - we all need a treat from time to time. Just think - the occasional steak increases you chances of weight-loss success in the long term. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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CrimsonAnimus wrote: Great job, Michelle! Don't worry - we all need a treat from time to time. Just think - the occasional steak increases you chances of weight-loss success in the long term. Ahhh, thanks Nick, I really hope that's true and you're not just being nice. I also keep telling myself that I needed the protein in that steak (just to be nice ). |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Another busy day of errands, so no time to eat properly. Was hoping to make it back home in time for healthy dinner, but no luck. I'm really craving meat these days. Wonder if it's really a need for protein. Today's exercise:
Doing a tempo run was kind of accidental. It was supposed to be easy (13:30 pace), but I felt good today, so I decided to test this thing I read about tempo pace. A simple way to know when you're running at tempo is to count your breathing. A tempo pace is usually two stride for one breath in and one stride for one breath out. Since I'm still running with very short strides at a faster turnover, I figured four strides in and two strides out. It worked! With this pace I should be able to finish the half-marathon within the 2:45 goal. Next half will be in mid-October. I will aim for a goal weight of 165 lbs and a finishing time of 2:30. Another thing to note is that I definitely find running outdoors to be easier for me. I run faster and longer outdoors than on the treadmill. A couple of guesses why would be that one, the breeze outdoors does provide some constant cooling, and two, I am definitely not bored with watching out for traffice, bikes, pedestrians and just noticing the view. Forgot to add that I did do a warmdown but not a warmup. The warmdown was not counted in the run. Last edited on 25 August 2008 05:12 am by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Updated Statistics: current (starting)
My size 16 clothes are really loose on me now. But my size 12 clothes are still too tight. I'm reluctant to buy in-between clothes, because I don't plan on keeping them for long. Hey, so I just thought of something, I'll just have my size 16 skirts taken in and wear those in the meantime. The pants will have to go since the baggy butt thing is making me look like a hobo. I'll miss them, because I prefer to wear pants and these had a nice cut and were wash and wear. At least I get to thin out my closet a little. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Was able to stay within goal calories today. Had a strong craving for chocolate but was able to stay away, which is a first for me. Going to bed with a full stomach thanks to several glasses of water with dinner. Today's exercise:
Feeling a little antsy about not working out, but definitely need the rest. TTOM is giving me some nasty cramps again, and the past two weekends have been pretty rough on my body with the extra running. My calves are feeling hard and tight. Will stretch and massage a little before bed. Signed up for my next half-marathon and want to be ready to do some harder training runs for a better time. Will work in some medium to hard sprints, gentle pickups and tempo runs. Will stay away from HIIT runs and fartleks until I'm stronger. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Forced myself to eat a little more. Cramps are killing my appetite. Today's exercise:
12 lb dumbbells were too heavy for reps of 20, but just right for reps of 15. Arms will be sore tomorrow. Was supposed to run slower, but I'm having trouble doing an easy run. I feel so behind with my slow pace. Run felt good, but breathing seemed a little shallow and tight. Will have to watch asthma since this is my bad time of year. Last edited on 28 August 2008 12:33 am by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Resolution to have no candy or junk food has already been broken. Lunch meeting had lovely chocolate chip cookies screaming at me to eat them - so I did. This was after I had already given in to my chocolate cravings and eaten 1/4 of a chocolate bar. Then I went to a dinner lecture with delicious food including peach cobbler - i love peach cobbler. It wasn't a terribly bad day, but I could have done better.Today's exercise:
Well, not an official rest day, but I gave up my spin class to go to the lecture. The speaker was Dr. Zahi Hawass who is a famous Egyptian archeologist and has been on the Discovery Channel and the History Channel and is currently working in the Valley of the Kings looking for the lineage of Tutankhamun and the tomb of Cleopatra. The lecture was fabulous and worth missing one day of exercise. The man is so passionate about what he does that you can't help but get excited and wish you could join him on his digs. I bought his book and got an autograph. Unfortunately, he autographed it "To Michael" instead of Michelle. Ah well, at least I know who it was meant for.Last edited on 28 August 2008 06:52 am by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Gave into a donut which I've been craving for a very long time (I pass by a Krispy Kreme everyday). Manager's birthday present was a box of donuts which he graciously shared (of course ). A little hungrier than usual today. Waited an hour after dinner before going back for another helping of baked beans. Feel better now.Today's exercise:
Did great at crossfit today. Was supposed to also run easy 3 miles but right mid-back muscle cramped and pulled on me while, of all things, drying my hair. I can't believe that after taking such care with my running and weight lifting I hurt myself doing something totally mundane and benign. Double dog doodoo!! Luckily, I have hope that it will heal enough for me to run my half-marathon Sunday - I hope I hope I hope. I will be so bummed if I can't run. So far over the past year, I've missed 3 races from getting hurt, and that rarely happens to me. I can't believe the bad luck I'm having. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Had lunch at chinese restaurant and ate too much. Still feel full, so skipped dinner. Weight is down to 176 lb and I'd really like to make my 175 lb goal by Sunday. Today's exercise:
Back is till bothering me somewhat. Only hurts with certain movements. Went to the expo today to pick up race packet with the hope that back will be better and I'll be able to race. I'm very excited about this race with all the weight loss and exercise I've been doing, so I'm optimistic that I can push myself for a better time. The weather has been hot and humid, so I'm a little wary of what race day will be like. My plan is to take in water at miles 3, 5, 8, 10, and 12, where I will also stop and take a short walk break, hopefully not longer than 0.1 mile. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Had a bad headache that required Excedrin - something I take only when desperate. Now I'm wide awake, but headache is tolerable now. Very little appetite today. High calorie junk like the frozen yogurt and moon cake put me at my calorie goal for the day. Tried to drink plenty of water to be hydrated enough for tomorrow, but loss of appetite included not wanting to drink. Hope it was enough. Today's exercise:
Back is feeling well enough to run tomorrow - just a little tightness which I've been trying to stretch out. Right calf muscle is up to its old shenanigans again, feeling very tight - probably due to running during crossfit without my compression sleeves. Same stretching and massage treatment as the back. Might have to tape it for tomorrow. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Still have headache and taking Excedrin. Worked up huge appetite after race and treated myself to gardenburger. Also treated myself to cupcake with frosting. So, some bad eating today but soooo hungry! Today's exercise:
Race went better than expected partly thanks to cooperative weather. The day was overcast and cool. Sun didn't come out until last few minutes before finish. Took water breaks at miles 3, 5, 8, 10, 11, and 12 and a gel break at mile 10. Otherwise, I ran the whole way. I beat my goal time of 2:45:00, so my new goal time is 2:30:00. I think this is definitely possible as my time today was slowed down by being stuck behind walkers for the first 3 miles. It seems like a lot of walkers either lied about their predicted times or jumped into the faster corrals. I actually ran an extra half mile running back and forth trying to find openings between walkers holding hands and walking 6-7 abreast. Anyway, last year's Disneyland chip time was 3:14:40 and most recent half-marathon (Surf City) chip time was 2:59:55. So, I had a huge improvement over last year's race when I weighed over 200 lbs, and I had a 20 minute improvement over most recent race when I weighed about 195 lbs. That's about a 1 minute improvement for every pound lost. My best overall time was 2:38:29 when I weighed 165 lbs, but my only training back then was running on a treadmill with no hill or speed workouts and no strength training. It will be interesting to see what improvements come with more weight loss and continued cross-training. Last edited on 4 September 2008 10:31 pm by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Stomach is hurting. Same old cramping at the top of my surgical scar. There's a hard knot, but can't tell if it's muscle or something else. Took a laxative over 4 hours ago and nothing yet. I'm hoping once I have a bm, I'll feel a little better. Today's exercise:
Legs and back are a little sore today but not bad. Quads and right calf hurt the most. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Updated Statistics: current (starting)
Stomach has been very queasy and bloated today. Took some laxatives last night which didn't start to work until lunchtime today. Still not feeling very well, but dinner is helping. I wonder if maybe I didn't eat enough this past week. I may be better off trying to keep my caloric intake above 1400 cals when not exercising and above 1600 cals on days when I do exercise. Today's exercise:
First day of recovery week. Ran an easy 2 miles just to cycle the waste from my legs and work the stiffness out too. Legs didn't loosen up until after 1.5 miles into run. Didn't get to strength train today, because it was the first day of school for me. Had a 3 hour lecture tonight which meant not getting to the gym before it closed. Knowing that I'd be too tired to workout when I got home, I opted to run instead of doing strength. Good thing because I didn't get home until 10:30pm. On top of that, kids have started soccer, so I'll have to be home early on Thursdays for soccer as well as Mondays for violin lessons. Time to redo the workout schedule. I might have to suck it up and do morning workouts. I've reevaluated my running goals and am going to try for a sub-2:30:00 at the next half-marathon in mid-October.  An additional 10 lb loss should bring my time down by 4 minutes and avoiding a bathroom break during the race will save me another 3 minutes. The rest can be done with training over the next 3 weeks. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Felt the need to eat back some of what I'm exercising so had extra lasagna. Also had sweet tooth today so ate a candy bar, but it was close to my workout time, so I probably worked off the sugar. Today's exercise:
Simulated heavy hill workout. My quads are pretty sore. I have 2 more half marathons planned for this year. Next year will be busy with 5 half marathons. If I'm able to bring one of those half marathon times down to 1:49 (quite the longshot attempt), then I'll go ahead and sign up for a Boston qualifier marathon. Otherwise, it will be an entire half marathon year with some 5ks thrown in for fun. With work, school and the kids' activities, free time is getting squeezed pretty tight these days. I'm going to have to start doing morning workouts twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays (starting next week) in order to fit in more running. Since I'll be going to bed late most nights, it's going to be really hard to get up on those days. I'm hoping I can do it. I'm also giving up my rest day to do some light strength training and extra stretching. |
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CrimsonAnimus Moderator
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Wow...5 half marathons... You are the bomb, Michelle! I've always wanted to run at least one marathon in my life. A half marathon would be awesome, too. Go you! |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Thanks Nick! Marathons are pretty tough, but half marathons are not that bad. You've built up a pretty good base and would have no problem training for a half marathon. So, whenever you're ready, let me know and we can train together. Today I ate:
THE STRESS!! - needed candy bar! Other than that, I think I'm undereating considering the exercise I've been doing. Somedays I eat it back, but some days look way too low after subtracting calories exercised. Like today, 1474 - 889 = 585 calories. I worry that I should eat more, but I feel stuffed and dread the thought of eating more. Besides, it's too late to consider eating anything. Maybe I should try to eat a bigger lunch on heavy workout days. Today's exercise:
All those lunges and squats - my quads are really sore now. This class is so intense - I dread it and love it at the same time. My shoulders and trapezius are starting to show some muscular definition which is a nice surprise. I hadn't even thought about those muscles in terms of how I look, but they seem to make a nice difference in my appearance - I'm not so droopy looking it the best I can describe it. Today's run was done on a dirt track while my daughter played soccer. My son and a couple of other boys he was playing with joined me for about 3/4 of a mile. That was a lot of fun, and they were so cute. Since it was a short run, I didn't bother with the compression sleeves, and my calves didn't seem to suffer for it. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Department picnic. Lots of food, lots of fun, and lots of running around. Today's exercise:
Setup party, played and ate for 6 hours, and then cleaned up. I think I burned more, but too much work to list everything. Picnic included games like obstacle courses and balloon toss. Lots of chasing kids with water guns. A very fun day. |
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CrimsonAnimus Moderator
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Lawn bowling? I've never heard of that. Sounds like fun! When I've played ball with the dog, I've tossed it over the fence several times. My next-door neighbor has a picture perfect backyard. I could just see myself trying to roll the ball down the yard, and it slipping out of my hand and into the neighbor's flower bed. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Hi Nick! Yeah, this was my introduction to lawn bowling too. One of my coworkers brought his kit and taught me how to play. Basically, you have one little white ball and some big (bigger than a softball, smaller than a bowling ball) heavy balls that don't quite roll straight. The winner is the one who rolls his/her big ball closest to the little white ball. It was fun. Today I ate:
Look at all the sourdough - that was unintentional. Didn't eat before workout today so skipped breakfast and had lunch first. Fruit was a late afternoon snack. Today's exercise:
Faster pace this time, but route was slightly altered. First, I missed a turn so I didn't go through the hilly section of San Clemente on the way out. Second, I didn't ride the killer hill back home. Thinking I was going to do 60 miles today with some friends, I anticipated not having the energy to make it up the killer hill, so I drove down the cliff and parked. But one of the group broke her bike on the way over, so I rode alone today. Since I'm still sore from the half marathon and the quad workout, I was relieved not to have to prove myself on a 60 miler. So, since I did less hills today, it's possible I didn't ride any faster than usual. I'll have to wait until next Saturday's ride to see if there's any real progress.I had to update the calories to the correct amount. The weird thing about the exercise calories is that I use the activity calculator out of convenience - I hate entering everything manually. But the longer the workout, the more off the calculator is from my garmin. I figure it's not a big deal since I'm not that concerned with exact measurements, just a rough estimate to keep me on track for general weight loss. But to give an idea of how much it's off, my garmin read 1388 calories burned for this workout. Last edited on 8 September 2008 04:50 am by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Oops - I went a little overboard today. Could have done without the garlic toast but I was on autopilot and not even thinking about what I was eating. I didn't even like it. Aargh! Today's exercise:
Ran around the Dana Point Marina and stuck around for the Tall Ships Festival with kids and mom. Saw a bad pirate show which was entertaining nonetheless and an octopus swimming around the rocks of the marina. The poor thing looked scared as it kept turning white when it came out from the rocks. Today's run was supposed to be easy, but I felt pretty good so I went a little faster. The pace falls within a steady-state pace which is a good sign for my aim of a 2:30 half marathon. It's time to rework my training schedule for the next race. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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This is my training schedule for the Long Beach Half Marathon. I may or may not be able to make kickboxing class. On days I miss kickboxing class, I'll substitute a 4 mile race pace run. Last edited on 10 September 2008 07:04 pm by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
The fried chicken had the skin on, which I never even noticed. Mom told me after I had eaten it all. Darn! Today's exercise:
Late workout which means I'm wide awake now. That's bad because I need to wake up early to do my workout tomorrow. I won't have time to do late workout, because I need to watch a lecture and start on first homework of the semester. tonight I had my first long session of stretching. I can't say that I enjoyed it - kinda boring. But, my muscles are pretty sore and I'm hoping this will help loosen me up as well as help prevent injuries. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Pita was a bit much, but it really hit the spot. Besides it was. homemade by my mom and a major treat. Other than that I ate pretty well Today's exercise:
Felt strong and could have gone faster, but since this was my first interval set after injury I wanted to be safe. Next week's interval workout will be set at level 7. Was able to get up early and run intervals at gym before work. The nice thing is that I was able to beat rush hour traffic into work. The bad thing is that I also had to stay up late to watch a lecture. I'm so sleepy now. As soon as I type in the last period, I'm going right to sleep. Last edited on 12 September 2008 06:10 am by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
I'm so hungry! I've eaten so much already and all I want is to go back in the kitchen and finish off the pasta salad. Must resist! Today's exercise:
Really turned up the tension on the bike and I'm hurting now. It felt like every stroke of the pedal sent a burn through my quads. Had to concentrate on pulling in my abs to keep the stress off my back. At least the cycling helps loosen up my calves no matter how hard I push. Instructor was a little late so workout was 10 minutes short. Bummer. Couldn't make up the time because I had to pick up my daughter from soccer practice. At least tomorrow is a double workout day with running in the morning and crossfit at lunch. Now I have to do some laundry so I have enough workout clothes for tomorrow. Last edited on 11 September 2008 07:21 am by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Ate a lot today and feeling full. I think it's ok since I exercised like a demon today. Today's exercise:
Run went well today. Can maybe go a little faster but not by much. Felt sluggish in the beginning but was able to finish strong. I've finally dropped my pace below 11 minutes for a run over 3 miles. The suckfest totally sucked, but it was a great workout. As usual I finished last, but today I found out that some of the new people don't do a complete set. Now I don't feel so bad anymore. My quads are still very sore and they're making my knees hurt. Tomorrow will either have to be a light run or rest day. May be time for a nice, long, hot bath. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Was craving sweets today, but behaved myself. Did not buy the candy corn that was on sale at the drugstore and I substituted a tangerine instead of ice cream for dessert. Too bad I didn't have enough self-control with the pasta tonight. Today's exercise:
Ran around the field at Concordia Elementary while my son had soccer practice. The grass was so thick that it was 3-4 inches above my shoes in some places. It felt like slogging through a bog. My back is hurting now too from all the hidden holes and dips. Will not run on that field again. My kickboxing instructor is gone , so I won't be doing that on Fridays anymore. Since I didn't have kickboxing, I decided to add an extra mile to my run. 4 miles turned out to be pretty easy so, I'm going to go ahead and increase all of my 3 milers to 4 and see if I can handle it. I hope. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Not too bad today. May have eaten too much pizza because my stomach is hurting, but then it could be the exercise, because the abs are sore too. Today's exercise:
Woke up too late to do my scheduled 20+ mile ride. Wanted to see my son's soccer game instead (his team won!) so I cut my ride short. Then I had to meet a classmate for a fun-filled 7-hour homework session on partial differential equations. Got home late and had to cut my run down from 4 miles to 3 miles since it was already 9pm. Today I had this thrilling, close call as I sped down a hill and took a turn too tight. My pedal clipped the road which caused my rear tire to jump and skid wildly. I barely had time to whisper sh** as I saw myself heading towards a somersault over the curb when my bike miraculously righted itself and continued on through the turn. Pretty awesome, huh? Reminds me of my old mountain biking days. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Too much snacking today. Need to spoon out smaller helpings when hungry, and then only go back if hunger doesn't go away. Late dinner waiting for family to come back home meant more snacking. What a disappointing day eating-wise. Today's exercise:
The pace felt easy and relaxed for the most part. I'm happy with the time as this puts me on track to run my next half marathon at a sub 2:30:00 time - a PR for me. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Pretty good job calorie-wise. Too much salt and fat though. I notice this, but I'm not really motivated to do anything about it yet. Right now it seems like enough of a battle just watching my calories and exercise. Just the thought of trying to cut down one more thing stresses me out. Today's exercise:
Another late night exercise, and I still have some work to do to catch up for tomorrow. I'm very tired. I didn't really time my exercise so it could have been for the full 30 minutes, but I decided to estimate conservatively. Last edited on 16 September 2008 07:13 am by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Super sweet craving today. Saw the donuts in the vending machine 2 days ago and held out until today. It was the last packet and I was so hoping someone would go ahead and buy it so I wouldn't be tempted. It's definitely PMS time. Now that I'm tired from school, work and training, I'm cranky too. Today's exercise:
1 mile warmup jog |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Had to stay up till 2am doing homework, so didn't get a chance to post yesterday's log. Yesterday I ate:
Huge hunger! 4 hours watching lecture and reviewing notes. Didn't get home till 10pm so late dinner. Will try to break up lecture into 2 nights. Yesterday's exercise:
Good spin class. Am able to push harder and get a higher cadence even at the higher tensions. Someday in the not too distance future, I'll be able to spin as fast as the instructor! Last edited on 19 September 2008 01:25 am by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Not done eating today, but am so tired I need to post now or I'm not going to log it tonight either. As soon as I get home, I'm going to have dinner and then go to sleep. This week I've been getting only 3-5 hours of sleep a night. Too much going on right now. Will complete the food log tomorrow. Ok, so dinner was huge, but I really needed it. I felt some energy come back to me so that I was able to stay awake until bed time. Today's exercise:
I'm happy with the tempo run. Pace was just about right for me (about 92 seconds faster than race pace for half marathon). Had enough energy left to start a slow acceleration for last 4 minutes. Last edited on 19 September 2008 10:12 pm by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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So, with the weight loss so far, I tried on my old size 12 pants. I was able to pull up the zipper and button the top, but the thought "pork sausage" came to my mind as I stared at the mirror. Oh well, at least I'm down to the first notch on my belt. I have refused to buy size 14 pants because I don't plan to be in them long enough to get my money's worth. I'm so cheap - just call me Ebeneezer! So, I'm still wearing size 16 with a belt to hold them up. Unfortunately, the bagginess in the butt is getting worse and starting to become very noticeable. Good thing my shirts are never tucked in. There's my incentive to hurry up and lose enough weight to fit in my size 12s. My size 12 shirts do fit now! So obviously, I'm a little bottom heavy. It may be the last to go, but I'm going to make sure that my bottom gets back to where it used to be. I'm also able to wear a men's size small in running shirts (I'm still uncomfortable buying women's running shirts because they're so fitted). Now I can give all my large running shirts to my husband. I also got my wedding ring back on my finger! It's still a bit tight but it fits enough that I can remove it without the aid of soap! It stays on my finger most of the time now except when I'm bloated and my fingers start swelling. Then the ring becomes painful again. At least I don't have to have it resized now - something I couldn't stand because I couldn't bear to part with it.This week I took a wellness test that included some bloodwork. My cholesterol was great at 128, although my HDL at 48 was not as high as I hoped. I'll try to eat avocados and nuts more often. My glucose level was also low at 78 and that was without fasting (I had a V8 for breakfast). But, I had also just finished a 4 mile run that morning as well. Blood pressure was a little high, but I think that has to do with my age and the asthma medication I'm on. Still, that reading is enough to worry me so I'll keep my eye on it and measure more often. BMI and body fat were measured with one of those hand-held Omron gadgets. BMI was 27.4 and body fat was 32.5%. That's 2.5% higher than the estimated one I do. Truly though, it's not that big of a deal. All I'm looking for is a consistent way to measure decreasing body fat - not accuracy. Maybe someday I will really care, but otherwise, I just want to look healthy and race fast. |
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CrimsonAnimus Moderator
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I hear you about the clothes. After I had lost a good bit of weight, I bought 2 pairs of Size 42 jeans, and didn't buy any more until recently, when I bought a pair of Size 36 jeans. The belt had enough left over to go close to halfway across my body again. Like you, I see no point in buying them, when I'm just going to keep going down! I was going to invest in the slightly snug Size 34 instead, but I got Size 36 because Mom said she'll take them when I can't wear them anymore. Great job on your results! Something interesting... My blood pressure is typically around 140/78 or so. However, during those two weeks when I stopped doing my official exercises, it went down to around 117/78! So...maybe exercising has an effect on that top number. As I understand it, it's the bottom number which is really critical, anyway. Great job, Michelle! |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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CrimsonAnimus wrote: My blood pressure is typically around 140/78 or so. However, during those two weeks when I stopped doing my official exercises, it went down to around 117/78! So...maybe exercising has an effect on that top number. As I understand it, it's the bottom number which is really critical, anyway. Hmmmm... that is very interesting. I'm afraid not exercising for two weeks will not work for me since I've got half marathons to train for, but I can try taking my blood pressure in the morning when I first wake up. I'll post the new number and that way we can test your theory. Thanks Nick! |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Ok, so today was really bad with my craving for fatty foods. I totally killed my diet with fast food. It was a late night studying, and on a Friday no less! Family had already gone out to dinner without me so I was feeling a little bummed. But, the burger really hit the spot, and it did cheer me up. Today's exercise:
New instructor today. She's very good. The class was more about real kickboxing with proper form and less about aerobics, although there were a few aerobic moves with knee lifts and grapevines. My arms are very sore from the speedbag workout that seemed never ending. Last edited on 21 September 2008 07:28 pm by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Yesterday I ate:
Ok, ok, so I was bad again today! I was out with the family and missed them so much this week that I couldn't deny dinner out at a restaurant. I had ANOTHER BURGER! So, that's two burgers in two days. What is with this sudden craving for red meat? I'm usually not this bad and prefer the veggie burger instead of meat. And the shake too! Geez!Yesterday's exercise:
The ride was pretty good. This was my best avg pace yet, and I've broken 16 mph. Today's course was mostly flat along the river route and the east fork of San Juan Capistrano. Took the hill along the backside of the neighborhood for the return trip. Also the highest max speed at 30.6 which was not done on the downhill of the cliff, the steepest part of the ride. Actually felt pretty sluggish through most of ride so did better than I thought. I've been so busy that I haven't been able to spend much time with them so I gave up my other workout to give the rest of my day to them. Last edited on 22 September 2008 04:40 am by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Good thing I do these heavy duty workouts that allow me to eat over 2000 cals without having to worry. Today's exercise:
A little faster than I intended. I had no problems breathing, but my legs didn't have much left at the end. At least I was able to treat my sore calves to a nice cold soak in the Pacific Ocean - ahhhhhhh! |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Didn't eat enough today and felt nauseous after workout. Went ahead and had a late night snack, but will be up for another hour anyway, so should be ok. Today's exercise:
My version of a rest day is a light workout. It's been one of those days, but I'm glad I got my workout in. Need to get some sleep! Early workout tomorrow and then jury duty. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Yesterday I ate:
Ate too much thinking I would exercise it off in the evening. No exercise means extra 600-900 calories out of range. Being stuck at jury duty didn't help with only Burger King and Starbucks nearby. Couldn't resist temptations of just being in those places. At least I didn't supersize. Yesterday's exercise:
Yesterday was the worse day yet. I only got 3 hours of sleep so no morning workout and then so busy with soccer practice and back-to-school open house that I couldn't do the workout in the evening either. Was so exhausted and tendonitis flaring up again that I decided to not bother with my scheduled run. I did walk a little during soccer practice, but it's hard to count that. So, I'm counting yesterday as an unofficial rest day and then making up the run today. Last edited on 24 September 2008 08:56 pm by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
I'm back on track and hope that my cravings are back under control. Maybe it's an exhaustion thing. I have been going pretty hard for the past 2 weeks with only 3-6 hours of sleep a night. Is it stress eating? I'm not sure. All I know is that I've been very hungry and too tired to care about what I eat. Today's exercise:
Intervals felt pretty good. Pace was just about right. I'll keep these paces until after the Long Beach race and then I'll up the pace. Spin class was also good. For the first time I actually felt like the tension settings were just right. I was able to keep pace with the music for nearly the whole time. My achilles tendons in both legs are bothering me again. I'm back to wearing my compression sleeves but only when not exercising. Since I only have one pair, I have to wait to wear them after they dry from washing. I think it's best if I wear them as long as possible, so I don't wear them during exercise to save washing them until later. I think the tendonitis is coming from tight soleus. The gastrocs feel nice and loose. Maybe I have not been stretching properly. I've found some stretches for the soleus and shins and will do those more often. I'm going to also cut out my Saturday runs and just do the rides until the pain goes away, That takes me back to 3 running days and 5 crosstrain days: 2 days cycling, 2 days strength, and 1 kickboxing day. Last edited on 25 September 2008 07:32 am by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Was feeling really worn out and sick and was going to skip dinner, but mom persuaded me to eat something and I felt a lot better afterwards. I really felt I've had plenty to eat and I've been catching up on sleep so I don't understand why I feel so weak all of a sudden. I haven't felt hungry, just tired. Today's exercise:
Today's workout was a little tough on me today. The good thing was that I was actually able to do full form pushups for the first time ever - 10 of them! Wow. The bad thing was that I ran out of steam by the second set. Blegh! Exercises that have been getting easier suddenly seemed as hard as when I first started. My schedule is a little off since my runs are a day behind. So, today's scheduled 4 mile run will have to be moved to tomorrow. I'm a little worried if I can do it since I'm feeling so low today. I don't want to fall behind as this is a critical week for me. This Sunday is my last long run of 11 miles. If I can just make it through this weekend then I can breeze through my 2 week taper before the race. I hope. |
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MidgeH Distinguished Member
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You are doing great with exercise! and 10 push ups is impressive to me! What is a karaoke run? |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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MidgeH wrote: You are doing great with exercise! and 10 push ups is impressive to me! Thanks Midge! Karaoke is what my crossfit instructor calls this sideways run where the feet crossover front and back alternatively. It's kind of fun and reminds me of something you'd see on vaudeville, but I wouldn't be caught dead doing it by myself. It's a bit of an odd move to be doing up and down a basketball court if you know what I mean. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Bad eating habits resurfaced today. Didn't eat anything except for juice until after 2pm today. Workouts and work kept me running around and busy so that I just didn't have time to eat even though I was hungry. Even though I was feelling it after the kickboxing class with the shakes, I still didn't stop to eat. Today's exercise:
Today's run felt hard. My calves were tight in the beginning, and even though they loosened up later, I had heavy legs the whole time. The run seemed to last forever, and I wasn't enjoying myself which makes me sad. Kickboxing went a little better in part because I had a friend with me, so I had more fun. I did push too hard and now my butt and inner thighs are very sore. The abs portion was killer and half the class left before it finished. Friend and I stayed and then suffered the next 5 hours at work. I am definitely going to take tomorrow's ride at an easy pace or else I won't be able to do the 11 miler on Sunday. I have a feeling the run will also have to be at an easy pace, but that's ok. I'm fairly confident that I can handle the pace I need to meet my goal of a sub-2:30 half marathon as long as my body has recovered from the heavy training I've been doing. Still, I was hoping that I would be able to do this last long run at a fast pace for an extra confidence booster so I feel a little defeated about giving up on that. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Couldn't stand the sweet cravings anymore and went crazy. Two danishes and several handfulls of candy corn later and I'm finally satiated. How embarrassing. Today's exercise:
I've finally reached my point of exhaustion. My legs are still sore - everywhere from my butt to my ankles. I really needed a full rest day and actually took a 3 hour nap this afternoon. I hope I'll be rested enough for tomorrow's run. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
A lot of snacking today with small meals. Not too bad. Today's exercise:
A bit of a tough run today only because I have a head cold and am feeling a little weak. But, I'm glad I got through it. It's my last long run before my next half marathon in 2 weeks. The pace is still good for a sub 2:30 marathon but cutting it close. I'm feeling worse this evening and have a fever now. My head hurts and my eyes are watery. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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I've been sick this past week and haven't posted in that time. I've been trying to keep track, but may have missed a few foods. For the most part, I ate normally and had cravings for sweet things. The fever and exhaustion kept me in bed most of the time and I often slept for up to 16 hours. In four days, I lost 3 lbs, but have put back a pound over the weekend. Part of the weight loss was probably from dehydration too. I had a difficult time drinking water - it made my throat uncomfortable to drink anything. Total caloric intake (9/29-10/4):
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
2 sandwiches today - strange for me. I usually don't like to eat that much bread. My appetite has changed a lot since I've started working out in earnest again. Today's exercise:
The run was difficult today - not surprising considering the recent illness. I was actually breathing hard at some points even though the pace was not fast. I really wanted to quit at 3 miles. At the end of the run, my chest hurt and I had a hard time breathing. I stuck my head between my knees to calm my breathing and felt better after a few minutes. I'm very tired now. It was hard spending 5 hours watching lectures today. My eyes felt heavy and I kept yawning. Strangely, I felt alert enough to take in the lecture, but I just couldn't keep my eyes fully open. I'm hoping the exhaustion will go away soon. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
I don't do Cheetos very often but I just finished reading The Host in which Cheetos have a prominent roll and I've been craving them ever since. Lo and behold, they were in the vending machine at work today. Curse those vending machines! Must remember that Cheetos are an astonishing 350 cals. Today's exercise:
I'm still feeling very tired. I just want to sleep. I'm skipping today which is just supposed to be a light strength day and stretching. If I'm feeling better tomorrow, I can just throw it in after my run. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Yesterday I ate:
Looong day that made me so hungry. Dentist appt.s for me, son and mom had us at the office for 4 hours. In between, I had to shuttle son back and forth from school and then pick up both kids early from school. Went to work to try and get some stuff done in the few hours I had before doing a 5 hour lecture. Dinner wasn't until after 11:30 pm, and I was too hungry and tired to control my appetite. Not a good day for me. Yesterday's exercise:
Didn't mean for this to be a rest day. Was all dressed to run but thought to check appt. times just in case. Good thing because I mixed up the times and had only 40 minutes to get my son out of school and get to appt.s. Got home too late to run. I'm going to try to fit my run in after spin class, and if there's any energy left, maybe 30 minutes of weights and 30 minutes of stretching. I'm feeling pretty anxious about not working out for so long and having my race this weekend. |
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CrimsonAnimus Moderator
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Good luck with your race, Michelle! Make sure you let us know how it goes. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Thanks Nick. I'll be sure to have some nice mile by mile highlights to report. I just wish I could run like  but I'm more like a . Luckily, I have a large margin for improvement so I'm optimistic about this race.  |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Not very hungry today. Potato salad was delicious though, and I probably would have eaten more, but my tummy has been making rude, scary noises. Today's exercise:
Was supposed to do the tempo run yesterday, so had to make it up after spin class. I was pleasantly surprised by how strong I felt and happy with the sub-10 pace. Hope I still have plenty left for Sunday. I also did about 15 minutes of stretching (felt so good) and 20 pushups (knee form). Last edited on 9 October 2008 08:06 am by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Looks like I'm craving protein today. I would have been so happy with a big steak - mmmm. Today was a bad day mostly because the burrito was so high in calories. Today's exercise:
Felt pretty strong today. Yay! The ball toss was fun. I was paired up with an elderly guy who beat my butt by throwing the ball as hard as he could - umph. I was so impressed! Hope I'm that strong when I'm 65.I didn't get my 3 mile run in today. Looks like it might be tomorrow if I have time. Otherwise, I'll just skip it. I'm just too busy right now trying to finish the next stage of one of my projects at work and trying to finish an overdue homework assignment. I hate getting sick - who has time for that these days? The thought of all that work just makes me want to hide under my blanket and sleep. Oh well. Must stop procrastinating and get to work on homework. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Pitiful amount of water today. Way too busy to stop for much. Got home late at 10pm. Stressed and tired and ate too much for dinner again. So frustrating. This week is going to be awful with work, homework and studying for midterm. I spent 4 hours working on homework tonight and only got through one problem - 6 more to go. And, I still have a late homework to finish that I missed while sick. If I survive, I will have to think of a great way to celebrate next weekend. Today's exercise:
First rest day before race. One more to go. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Probably shouldn't have eaten out, but it was so nice to be with the hubby. Staying late at work and school has made me miss seeing him the whole week. He's always asleep by the time I get home and I'm asleep by the time he leaves. The most communication we've had has been a quick kiss on the cheek coming and going. I know I should have carbed up with pasta today, but again I had the protein craving, hence the 4 eggs and burger. Today's exercise:
Race tomorrow - yay!! |
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CrimsonAnimus Moderator
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Good luck! |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Race Summary Long Beach Half Marathon 7:30 am Prerace: Went through the usual routine. Got to race a little early at about 1 1/2 hours before start to avoid parking problems in downtown Long Beach. Napped a little in car and then started to get ready at 6:15. Put race number on shirt and timer on shoe. Put coke, snack and sunscreen in bag and started walking to start. Drank the coke, hit the potty twice, put on sunscreen and then took off sweatshirt and checked in my bag. Continued walking to warm up and then got in corral 15 minutes before start. 7:30 is the latest I've had for a start time so I'm antsy to get going. Goal pace is 11:22 per mile for a finish time under 2:30. Mile 1 (10:30): Nice start with very little walking or maneuvering through slower people. Mostly downhill so I find myself going at a sub-10 pace, so I slack off a bit. Bad thing is the street is all concrete and sloped to the side, and I worry about the harder pounding and the stress to my ankles. Have to pee again but chalk up the urge to nerves and try to ignore the feeling . Mile 2 (10:04): Still going downhill for the most part and still on concrete. Another fast split. Mile 3 (9:43): Finally on asphalt, but sun is right in my eyes. I see red spots everywhere even though I try to keep my eyes down. I must be feeling good as my split is sub-10. Mile 4 (9:39): Stop for first water break at 4 1/2 miles but missed the water and got powerade instead. Tall buildings give my eyes a break from the sun. Split is fastest yet, which isn't smart as I won't be able to maintain this pace. Mile 5 (10:20): I think this is where we have a long gradual uphill that leads to a steeper hill climbing a bridge. Make it up the hill with little strain and pass a lot of people - woohoo! Mile 6 (9:51): Hit the beach path and am on concrete again with the sun back in my eyes. Can't enjoy the view because I can't look up. Was able to grab another water break before hitting the path. Another sub-10 which really surprises me. Mile 7 (10:29): Still on the beach path and my left achilles and both shins are hurting big time from all the concrete. The pain is forcing me to slow down. Mile 8 (10:48): Still on the beach path. Ow. Stop for another water break. Can't stand it anymore and I have to stop for a quick potty break. Luckily, the potty break is very quick and I haven't lost much time. Mile 9 (10:43): Finally, back on soft asphalt. It's a little hot under the sun and I feel myself starting to tire. The sun is now at our backs though - yay! Mile 10 (10:34): Water and gel break. Also get a spritz of some muscle cooling spray on my calves. Hope the gel kicks in soon. Mile 11 (11:10): Ahh, can feel the sugar start to take affect. Picking up the speed again, but it's still over 11 minutes. Mile 12 (11:12): Grab last cup of water, fold the cup into a spout, and drink on the go. No stopping now. Mile 13 (10:35): Still trying to keep the pace up despite breathing heavily now. Mile 13.1+ (9:19): Get a mental boost when I hear the 1st place marathon finisher coming up behind us at 1/4 mile before the finish line. The crowd is screaming and cheering for him and I clap as he whizzes by us. When he passes, I begin accelerating and pick someone about 25 meters in front of me that I want to pass before the finish. It's a lady in yellow. As I come up on her right, she fights me off by surging as well. Hmmm, I like a challenge. I keep pushing to the end and finally get to the finish at a tie with the lady in yellow. Yay! It's a PR by a large margin. My watch shows 0.42 miles past mile 13, a little over 0.1. Postrace: Get my medal, some sports drink, water and a banana and proceed out of the finisher's area. Walk around the vendors' and sponsors' booths looking for the beer garden and bag check-in. Suck down a couple of tylenol in the meantime. Find the beer and relax and stretch while sipping a pint. Afterwards, I get my bag back and head back to the car. Not only have I met my goal pace for this race but I may have met the goal for the next race as well. Will have to wait for times to be posted before I can be sure, but my watch tells me that I ran it in 2:20. Clock time was about 2:22. It's official! I've surpassed my next pace goal as well. Chip time was 2:19:56 - that's 4 seconds below 2:20. Yay! Last edited on 15 October 2008 06:22 pm by mchen01 |
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MidgeH Distinguished Member
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Wow, just wow. You really killed it! Thanks for being an inspiration to my schluby #%@&!! |
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CrimsonAnimus Moderator
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Awesome, Michelle! Hope you had a great time. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Thanks Midge and Nick!! Yes, I had a great time and am still enjoying the feeling of accomplishment. Although, my sore achilles is taking some of the joy away - ouch! I get one week of light workouts, then I start training again next week for the Las Vegas Half Marathon. My new goal time will be 2:15. Speaking of schlubby, I am remembering a half marathon I ran last year when I was over 200 lbs. My time was 3:14:40 and boy did I feel like a schlub then. As proof, here's a picture of me during that race. It's one of many embarrassing photos that I can only feel comfortable sharing here. When you're that big, it's definitely a challenge to run. Every body part rubs and chafes and blisters, and all the jiggly parts bounce uncomfortably. This is me at my worst, and I guess it was my turning point.  photo: Disneyland Half Marathon 2007 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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I have been remiss in posting and am feeling guilty. I've been so busy that there's been little time. I can barely keep up with tracking my foods and I've missed my workouts for the past 2 days. At least I finally got my homeworks turned in last night. I wasn't able to turn in completed work though, because there were so many challenging problems and they took forever. Math homework that takes up 14 pages to write up and 20+ hours to complete is just not right. Midterm is this Friday so I have to watch the last lecture tonight, which I missed doing last night. I also missed a deadline at work last Friday while sick the week before. So, I'm desparately trying to put together my next deliverable by this Friday. I didn't leave work until 11:30 pm last night. I was hoping to get in early to put in more extra hours, but was just too tired. So, now I'm mega-stressed, but I feel better now that I've ranted and whined. I will definitely get my workout in tonight to get rid of some stress. Will also add an easy 3 mile run after spin class to make up for missing it yesterday. At least my calves are feeling better now, so I'm anticipating a pleasant run. Ok - time to dig back into work and start making some major progress. Grrrr! |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Arrrgh, I haven't posted for a week now. At one point I thought about chucking this diary, but then I realized that's what got me in trouble last time. I have a major accomplishment, ride the high by slacking off, and then let other things in life take over. I did really well (for me) in the last race, started my rest and recovery week, but got really busy with schoolwork, studying for a midterm and trying to meet a work deadline (which I still haven't done). The recovery week was practically nil as the rest part lasted longer than it should have. After missing so many workouts this past week and feeling.... I don't know, something between exhausted and confused, I think I'm ready to pick myself back up. I say that with some hesitation because I admit I'm a little tired of feeling constantly sore and having blisters that make it hard to sit (cycling) or hard to walk (running). But, I can never enjoy a recovery workout. Something in me keeps pushing hard because it's so exhilirating to feel strong. Right now I'm still pretty tired - as in, I wish I could crawl back into bed and sleep another 8 hours kind of tired. I've been eating pretty well, probably more that I should given I haven't lost weight in 2 weeks now. Cycling has been going well, but my running has suffered lately. My legs have felt like rubber when I run now. I've also missed a whole week of strength training. I've done a few pushups here and there, but nothing serious. I'm worried that I won't be able to meet my goal for my next race. So, now that I've got that off my chest, I'm going to stop whining. It's time to get past the mental blocks and get back into training. This week I start a new training schedule for the Las Vegas Half Marathon on December 7th. My goal time is 2:15 (was 2:20, but I already broke that goal time with the last race). Total Caloric Intake (10/12 - 11/19):
I'm still aglow over that. But then I hit a series of long hills with one at a punishing 18% grade that had me in tears. Even though I made it through those hills and I'm not hurting that much, the memory of the pain kept me from running yesterday. I'm going to run later today and hope that it's not a total disaster. Ugh, I need to get out from under this black cloud already.  |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
I bought a big bag of chips the other day. I've had a huge craving for salt. So while I was stuck in traffic and stressed about picking up daughter in time to get her to violin lesson, I started munching on the chips. Once I started, I couldn't stop, or rather, I wasn't thinking of what I was doing. It was purely mechanical - hit brakes, stop, grab chips, stuff mouth, munch, hit accerlerator, grab chips, etc, etc. Bad habits sure die hard. I think I'm done with this craving, which is good since I'm almost done with the chips and I don't want to be tempted into buying another bag. Oh, and the chocolates were for TTOM. Today's exercise:
The run felt good today, but it wa a very slow pace. My pace needs to be about 50 seconds/mile faster for an easy pace. I'm not going to beat myself up about it, because I know it's important to not push too hard and to listen to my body. My body tells me that it's tired from the tough 35 mile ride I did Saturday. After all, 11:30 would have been tempo pace for me less than 2 months ago. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Thank goodness I'm done with those potato chips. I have no desire to eat them now and I'm hoping that will be the case for a long time. I wasn't that hungry today, but I think the stress and late night at work makes my stomach upset, and that gives me a false sense of hunger. After I eat, I feel more than full and a little sick. Then again, it's still TTOM and I'm starting the feel the cramps pretty badly. OMG - tomorrow I'm going to the Women's Conference, and I just realized with all those women around me my estrogen level is going to skyrocket and the cramps are going to come on strong. Waaah - better make sure I have the midol with me tomorrow. Today's exercise:
This was a really tough workout for me, but I'm feeling a little better now that I've completed it. At one point I was going to give up the last interval, but I forced myself to do it, imagining my husband and all of my friends cheering me on and running beside me. It's workouts like these that make me really sad for what I've lost over the years. I used to do short intervals like these at a sub-6 minute pace easy and my 10k pace was faster than 8 min/mile. Now, I feel like an unwieldy beast, plodding along on my fat gams. So, there was no way I was going to shortchange myself on this workout. I really, really, really want to be back to competitive racing and back to enjoying the feeling of running as if I was flying. On a happier note, I am officially a size 12 now. Pants fit nice and loose with no overflow happening at the waistband. My project this weekend is to sort through my clothes and toss the size 14s and 16s. Cheers to thinning out the closet. Now if I could just fit back into my boots - stubborn calf fat. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
I spent all day at the California Governor's Women's Conference. I ate what was available at the conference which luckily was all low cal and healthy. My favorite speakers today were Warren Buffet, Cristiane Amanpour, and Indra Nooyi, CEO of Pepsico. They were the only ones whom I felt spoke honestly, frankly, humorously and about the real issues. So many people water their comments down to be politically correct or to just avoid answering the real issues and questions. I'm tired of being spoken to like a child by leaders who would hide the truth or avoid controversy. So when leaders start voicing insightful and honest opinions, they have my full attention. I was so inspired. Today's exercise:
No time for exercise today. Was up late last night and didn't go to bed until 2 am. Then, I had to be up at 5:30 to get to conference. Got home at 7pm, went over homework with kids, ate dinner and now I just want to catch up on some sleep. Won't be able to make up the spinning missed today. Tomorrow is a tough double workout day, so I'll just save my energy for then. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Had a lot of sweets today. I think my blood sugar is low. I'm thinking of getting a glucose monitor just in case. Plus, it might be nice to have for mom since she has been diagnosed as prediabetic. Today's exercise:
Today was a good day. I got in my scheduled workout despite feeling tired. The tempo run was great. I've finally gotten below a 10 minute pace for an extended time. Yeah, it was only 15 minutes, but it's a start. |
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sweet kisses Senior Member 
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Wow, Michelle, I just have to say you totally inspire me. Your workouts really put mine to shame. You take your workouts seriously and work your butt off (literally!) Also, congratulations on your half-marathons. Maybe someday I'll have the fitness to run one. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is your diary has inspired me to get off the couch and get in shape and think "if michelle can run over 4 miles or take a 50 minute class and not complain, then I can at least go for a good walk or do a 20 minute video workout." Good luck on your next half-marathon!  Last edited on 24 October 2008 04:28 pm by sweet kisses |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Fairly good day. TTOM is almost over so no huge cravings for chocolate. Just the mints which are sitting in my car, and I eat while stressed out in traffic. Today's exercise:
Terrible run today! My legs felt like rubber the whole time - no stregth left in them. Today was supposed to be kickboxing, but I got stuck in a meeting and couldn't make it. I luckily had my gym clothes in the car and was able to change and get in a run while my son was at soccer practice. Unfortunately, my legs didn't want to run today. The pace was pretty slow and I made myself push hard on the last mile to bring the pace down. I'm too tired to post the stats from my garmin, so I'll update tomorrow. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Treated myself to a burger today (well, more like one and a half burger since I finished my son's lunch). did a large workout and was trying to fill in the missing calories, but it sure is hard to do sometimes without feeling sick. Today's exercise:
Felt a little better today. Even though the pace was my fastest recorded yet, it was a short ride and I know I can ride faster for that distance. So, I'm not quite up to my top strength yet. I had to cut my ride short since it was all I could fit in between the kids' soccer games. I did the run right after my ride after changing from cycling shorts to running shorts (I'm ok with running on the treadmill, but it's too hot to run with them outside). It's 4 miles from home to my daughter's soccer fields which is perfect. The run was also going well until I hit an uneven patch in the sidewalk and stumbled and twisted my ankle. I continued on with a limp and felt a little better after another mile to a mile and a half. I've iced, but it feels pretty sore and I'm not sure I'll be able to do my long run tomorrow. That really peeves me because the long runs are pretty critical to my trraining. I might just tape my ankle and see how far I can go. It's just 7 miles, so even if I can make it to 5 I'll be ok. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Ate a lot of m&ms while doing homework. I think the sugar helps me think. Today's exercise:
Ankle still feeling a little sore today. Will do long run tomorrow and stretch today. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Yesterday I ate:
I didn't realize I wasn't drinking water yesterday. I was so busy that I kept forgetting to grab some water. I even had to take dinner with me to Tabi's violin lesson and eat in the car while working on the laptop. Forgot to take water with me then too. Today's exercise:
No long run last week. Felt it was better to let the ankle rest a little longer. Will have to adjust workout schedule for missing run by decreasing long runs by one mile. That means I won't get in a 13 miler before the next race, but I'll be close enough with a 12 miler. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I ate:
Wow, sweets overload today!! But, strangely I feel good afer all that candy. I was so tired and hungry. I thought I was going to fall asleep on my feet today. And when I started doing homework I could barely keep my eyes open. Once I started in on the m&ms I started to wake up and was able to get through 3 hours of solid work. So, I'm bummed that I felt I needed the candy, but I think it did me some good. I'm also behind on my water intake so I'm really going to have to work on that. Today's exercise:
Intervals went well today, so I'm confident that I'm going at the right pace - not too fast and not too slow. It still took some effort to finish the last interval. My ankle is still a little sore, but not bad enough to need rest. I just need to keep on wearing the compression sleeves, stretch a lot more, and ice when I can. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Updated Statistics - current (starting, previous): Waist and wrist size is up a little, but that may be due to faulty measuring technique, especially with the wrist measurement. Most other measurements have stayed the same with the biggest decreases happening in the upper arm and thigh area - yay! I now feel comfortable wearing sleeveless shirts, whereas I would try to hide my fat arms in loose hippie shirts with wide bell sleeves. And, now that my thighs have slimmed a bit, I am a solid size 12!! I am back to wearing my old clothes and can now officially thin my closet of all the size 14s and 16s. It will be a thoroughly enjoyable chore this weekend. So, I have 5 1/2 weeks to lose 5 more pounds before the Las Vegas Half Marathon. My past 3 speed workouts went well. I was worried that the pace might be too fast for me to handle, but I feel good - not too easy and not too hard. I haven't had a long run yet as I hurt my ankle on Saturday's brick workout. The ankle feels better today, but it's still a little sore, and I felt it while running intervals. My goal time for the Las Vegas Half Marathon is 2:15:00 and my goal weight is 160 lbs. So, according to the Runner's World article on speed and weight loss (http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-304--11903-0,00.html) I will see an estimated drop of 2:11 from my total half marathon time with a 5lb weight loss. Given that my time for the Long Beach Half Marathon was just under 2:20:00, I just need to increase strength and endurance enough to improve the other 3 minutes. But, to give myself some cushion, I'm aiming for a pace of 10 min/mile. I'm pretty sure this is doable as long as I remain injury free. Crossing my fingers and toes!! On the other side of running, my cyling has improved quite a bit. My last ride was done at an average pace of 16.4 mph. I am now passing other riders on more than just a few occasions rather than always being the the one passed. I've been complemented on my pace by other riders and have even had some people draft off of me. On flat stretches with no headwind I can average about 20-22 mph. But, I know that I usually won't have such ideal conditions and I have to be careful not to get spoiled by this lovely California weather. Cycling has been a great confidence booster for me. My weight does not limit my performance in riding as much as it does with running. Without cycling, it would be hard for me to hope that I could ever reach my goal running times. And, although I continue to have doubts that my pace will continue to improve, I at least have enough hope to keep trying. Last edited on 29 October 2008 07:41 pm by mchen01 |
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CrimsonAnimus Moderator
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Way to go on your progress, Michelle! Have fun with your chore. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Thanks Nick!! It will be nice to pull my old clothes out of storage. Good thing I'm such a pack rat - now I don't have to waste money replenishing my wardrobe. Yesterday I ate:
Still heavy on the sweets. Granola bars just don't do it for me right now. And why is it so hard to drink enough water? Yesterday's exercise:
Ow, ow, ow, ow. The instructor would not stop with turning up the tension knob. Everytime I thought ok, he's going to let us bring the tension down, he'd go the other way. I thought the knob was going to break, it got so tight and hard to turn. But, I got a good workout today and my quads and hamstrings are going to be stronger from it. I really concentrated on the full motion of cycling, including the pulling along with the pushing. The pulling put a strong burn in my hamstrings and glutes. Last edited on 30 October 2008 09:55 pm by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Yesterday I ate:
Was able to drink enough water today. Still eating too much sweets but not as much as yesterday. Yesterday's exercise:
Tough workout today. I think I might be taking this class too hard. I'm going to try and slow it down a little bit until I get stronger and lose more weight. Last edited on 3 November 2008 05:41 am by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Time is a limited and precious commodity these days. I've decided to change the format of my diary since I'm finding it too difficult to keep up with on a daily basis. I'll post a week's summary with some highlights and maybe another post or two about thoughts or special events. Week's Summary (half week 10/31/08-11/02/08):
Kickboxing was very hard this week. I'm still very sore and it has interfered with my weekend workouts. Had to cut my long run short by 2 miles which is bad, because this is my main training workout. Will not work myself so hard in kickboxing next time. Last edited on 3 November 2008 05:57 am by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Bigotry is alive and well in the U.S. and I'm heartsick over it. First, I have to say that I'm glad that Obama won. I admire his intelligence, charisma and kind heart, and I think that he will keep in mind what is best for the country. Thank goodness we have broken that glass ceiling! Second, I am disgusted that the banning of gay marriage looks like it will win in California. The advertisements supporting prop. 8 have been outright lies, and it's sick that they would use children as an excuse to ban gay marriage. I have seen signs that oppose prop. 8 stolen out of neighbors' yards. Now how is that a sign of fairness and openness? As long as marriage is a federal institution, it is a right available to EVERY HUMAN BEING according to our constitution. If it is a religious institution only, then fine, let's get rid of marriage as a federal institution and call all legal unions civil unions instead of marriage. No matter how you excuse banning gay marriage, it is nothing less than plain bigotry. Third, I see that Florida has a measure that would repeal a constitutional clause that can ban Asian immigrants from owning land. It's supposed to be mere formality, but Florida is so far voting to preserve the clause!! Are you kidding me?! How can something that blatantly racist be winning?! I'm so sad, I just want to cry. |
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zenobia Moderator
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yeah, in AZ the ban on gay marriage passed. it is so sickening, isn't it? and i can't believe that about Asian immigrants in Florida! What is wrong with people? |
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wolfmonk New Member 
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zenobia wrote: yeah, in AZ the ban on gay marriage passed. it is so sickening, isn't it? Mostly they just need a good a$$ kicking. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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So, I'm still hoping we can fight the ban on gay marriage either through placing it up for another vote or bringing it before the U.S. Supreme Court. If not, well I guess we'll have to wait another generation for another moment of bigotry to pass on into infamy. Week's Summary (half week 10/31/08-11/02/08):
This weeks caloric intake was a bit too high. I ate about 1600 calories over my average weekly intake. I had two office luncheon meetings which had my favorite foods - italian pasta on one day and chinese the second day. I skipped the first meeteing to go workout, but there was plenty of leftovers when I got back. The second one I couldn't skip and ended up missing that workout. So, having no ability to resist food I was doomed this week. My exercise calories was a tiny bit better than average with about an extra 100 calories burned for the week. I was trying for more, but missed my long ride and run yesterday due to kids' soccer games and errands. I ended up having less than an hour to get in my ride before the sun set, but it was beautiful to ride watching the sun set over the ocean. So, no weight loss this week. In fact, with the way I ate and the reduced exercise time I'm lucky to stay at where I was last week. Hopefully, next week will go better. I really need to lose 6-8 lbs before Dec. 7 to have a better chance at meeting my next goal time. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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I'm finally using a digital scale. Unfortunately, my weight is now 5 lbs higher than it was on the analog scale. Oh well. At least I lost a pound this week. Week's Summary (half week 11/10/08-11/16/08):
My left leg is feeling pretty bad. Not only do I still have achilles tendonitis, but I now have shin splints too. I can ignore the pain for the most part by using my quads more than my calves for running. That means taking fast short strides instead of long strides. The last mile of my long run was very tough though and I had a bit of a limp. I have one more hard week of workouts and then I go into taper. If I can hold out until then, I'm sure the 2 week taper will be enough to help me recover and heal before the next race. I also missed my Saturday ride. I was hoping to get on the bike early, but both kids had early soccer games. I then thought I could grab a late ride, but the kids' teams kept winnin their games which led to more games for the day. Before I knew it, we had 5 soccer games to get to all day and evening. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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This has been an exhausting week - long work days and then several hours of homework afterwards. I had to miss a couple of workouts because of lack of time . Still, my leg has not been doing well, so it was probably good for me to get some extra rest days. Week's Summary (11/17/08-11/23/08):
However, I was pretty bad about getting enough water. In my defense, I was just too busy to get up and refill my water bottle much less get to the bathroom. When I'm working and I get into a groove, it's hard for me to leave in the middle of a thought. By the time I find a good spot to pause, it's usually time to go home. Anyway, I do feel the lack of water has affected my health. My lips are chapped and I've had some pretty weak workouts. My muscles have also felt extra sore. I think I need to make an extra effort with getting enough water - maybe keeping several bottles at my desk instead of just one.This week I only had 4 workouts compared with the 7 I had last week. My left shin was killing me so I reduced Monday's intervals from 6 to 4 and skipped Thursday's run. I would have done a different workout, but no time. At least I got my long run in today. It was painful at first and I didn't feel loose until after 8.5 miles (that took a while!) when I was able to start picking up the pace. My shin didn't hurt at all, but my lower calf almost feels as bad as when I tore the muscle and my achilles is, as usual, my problem child. One plus for this week was that I finally broke the 9 minute pace for my 4 minute intervals. This is also the second week that I've missed my Saturday ride. Bummer! Friday I noticed how fat I still look when standing next to all the skinny girls in my kickboxing class (stupid mirrors in the classroom). It made me sad and depressed, but only for a little while. I'm working hard and feeling stronger and making progress, so what the heck, I won't be fat for much longer. When I needed it most, I got a little ray of sunshine in that I'm finally able to wear knee high boots again. Last year I took the risk of buying some very cute boots on sale even though I couldn't zip them past my huge calves. They fit now! They're still a little snug, but not uncomfortably so. I think I'll wear them to work tomorrow. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Week's Summary (11/24/08-11/30/08):
Once again, I'm not drinking enough water. I don't know why it's so hard for me, especially when dehydration is a problem. I'm constipated and I often wake up with headaches. Ugh, I'll try harder next week. This year's turkey trot was my 8 yr old son's first 5k race. He did so well and I'm very proud of him. He could have run faster, but we ran as a family and my 10 yr old daughter was having a difficult time, so we hung back. Unfortunately, my timing chip seems to be defective as I have no official time, but my kids and husband have a time of 40:45. This year I was unable to train with my kids, but next year I will make more of an effort so they will have better times. I'm hoping that they will get the running bug too. I've had more rest days than usual again this week. Part of this is because my left leg is still giving me problems and the other part is that the gym is closed during the holidays. Running and cycling are my only options outside of the gym and both are too stressful on my calf muscle. While the extra rest has done some good and I had a strong run this morning, it's still not enough. I've got one more week to heal before my next race. If the pain would just go away I'm confident I can meet my next PR goal. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Las Vegas Half Marathon Race Report Pre-Race: I had a terrible night's sleep. I kept waking up to loud sounds of people outside the hallway yelling drunkenly and puking. Woke up at 4:30, drank my coke, and headed to the start at 5:30. The starting corrals were unorganized with no pace markers, and the area was jam packed with runners and spectators. The start includes over 11,000 marathon and half-marathon runners. It's about 50 degrees so the weather is perfect for running. I shed my long sleeve shirt while standing amidst all the warm bodies in the starting corral. Mile 1&2 (9:43 & 9:49): The start is marked by fireworks that seem to go on forever. Mixed in with the runners is a lot of walkers. There was a lot of weaving going on for the first 2 miles. My left leg is still feeling tender, but I'm feeling strong otherwise. Just in case, I'm wearing a compression sleeve on the left calf. The pace is faster than I want, but it's dark and I can't get the light to work on my garmin so I have no idea how fast I'm going. I go ahead and eat a couple of sport beans, which I continue to do every couple of miles. Mile 3&4 (9:41 & 9:40): Somewhere along mile 3 is a group of religious nuts holding huge signs that say we are going to #%@&! and yelling at us to repent while quoting exodus. I'm thinking since when did running become a sin?? I finally get the light to work on my garmin after smacking it. I'm pleased with the pace and figure I'd try and keep it up since I'm feeling so good. I also grab some water at the first station. About this time, I notice there are no mile markers so I'm glad I have my garmin (and remembered to charge it before the race). Mile 5&6 (9:52 & 9:41): The run-through chapel is at mile 5 and a couple of couples are getting married - how cute is that! The crowd of runners, including me, has slowed down to stare at the wedding. Oops! At mile 6, we start turning through some streets that have lots of construction going on, so it's a little hazardous. A runner in front of me suddenly stops and I bump into him, spin around and miraculously right myself. The knucklehead had realized the water station was on the other side and he decided to try and cross a street full of runners to get a drink. Mile 7&8 (10:17 & 10:13): At mile 7 I stop to hit the portapotty, thinking I have plenty of time to get rid of the nervous urge to pee. This turns out to be a mistake I'll regret. I blow a gasket in my left leg as I suddenly feel a sharp pain in my lower calf muscle. Rats! My right leg is still strong so I try to compensate and hope it works. My pace has slowed drastically nevertheless. Mile 9&10 (10:32 & 11:16): The pain is getting to me and I slow down even though I'm trying to pick the pace back up again. I'm thinking, if I can bring it back down to 10:30 I can still make my goal. Mile 11&12 (11:02 & 11:05): I think the pace here says it all. :-( Mile 13 & 13.1 (10:51 & 9:10): I make one last effort to speed up, but it's not enough. The finish is a crowded mess as we are funneled into one lane of the road (the other lane is for marathon finishers). The only mile markers I've seen throughout the whole race were the 25 and 26 markers for the marathon. There wasn't a single marker for the half. I miss my goal (2:15:00) by over a minute although it's still a PR. If I had skipped the bathroom break, I'm sure I would have made my goal. I know, excuses, excuses. Chip time: 2:16:14 Clock time: 2:19:26 Overall place: 3229 / 11264 Gender place: 1411 / 5847 Division place: 209 / 836 Age grade: 51.3% Pace: 10:23.4 Calories burned: 1885 cal Post-race: I limp through the goodies line which has lots of good stuff including orange juice, cookies, and ice cream bars. I find my mom who wasn't able to squeeze through the spectators to watch me finish. I leave her at Mandalay Bay to play with some penny slots while I head back to the Luxor to ice my leg and shower. After I take off the compression sleeve, I see my leg is already bruising so it looks like I tore the muscle a little. That means no running for at least 2 weeks. On the other side of running, I did get to see the Bodies Exhibition which was very fascinating. I also won about $50 playing the penny slots. Except for the drunken tomfoolery every night outside my hotel room and the timeshare salespeople accosting me 5 times a day, I found the Luxor to be a pleasant place to stay. My favorite restaurant was the Noodle Shop at Mandalay Bay where I had Pho one night and spicy curry noodles the second. The rest of my time was spent in the hotel room trying to finish my math homework - blah! I ate a lot, including a trip to the buffet to fuel up after the race. I don't want to report my weight as I've been backed up without a real BM for the past 4 days. I thought the race would have unstopped me, but no luck. I've taken a couple of laxatives about 4 hours ago, but still waiting. So, if I'm lucky tonight, then I'll report my weight tomorrow morning. Otherwise, I'll use the weight I was before I left for Vegas on Saturday, which might be better considering everything I ate. Last edited on 9 December 2008 02:19 am by mchen01 |
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zenobia Moderator
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hey! i like how you broke down the race- very cool sort of play-by-play thing going on. i never understood how people can run so much and so far for so long. i think it's neat when peole pull through stuff like that! i hope your leg ends up ok- bummer about it, though. are you going to be hanging out in vegas for a while, or was it all about the marathon? it's a cool city, for sure; drunks and all |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Thanks Zen! Why yes, I did stay in Vegas a little longer. It definitely is a fun city. I just wish I had the money to buy tickets for shows this trip. I really wanted to see the Chris Angel show with Cirque du Soleil. Oh well, next time. Week's Summary (12/01/08-12/07/08):
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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My year is not starting off too well. I've been sick for the past couple of weeks, and am still coughing. There's also a lot going on family wise, but I'm resigned to dealing with them and trying not to let anything get to me. I've fallen behind on my goals. I think I can still reach a weight of 160 lbs by January 25, but I'm going to need to work hard on it. As it is, with being sick and losing 2 weeks of training, I'm not looking for a good time at my next race. I was originally hoping for a goal time of 2:10, but after injuring myself in the last race I decided to retry for 2:15. Now, I don't think I'll even make that. It still hurts to run and last Sunday I was only able to manage 4.5 miles before the pain made me stop.School totally sucks right now. I had to do so much overtime during finals week that I didn't have enough time to study. I got a C for the class because the final was worth 50% of my grade. I need a good grade in my next class or I'm going to have to pick a different major.Ok, enough of that. I've gotten some things off my chest that were bothering me for the new year and it's time to move on. At least I still have a loving husband and healthy, happy children. At least I still have a good job for which I'm truly thankful. At least I'm still healthy and can be there for those who need me. At least I have another week before school starts so I can still play some video games with the kids this weekend. At least I have my mom to help me keep things going at home. When I look at what I have, it certainly outweighs the bad stuff. Time to get happy again. |
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CrimsonAnimus Moderator
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Glad to see you back, Michelle! Sorry to hear you're not feeling well. Hope you get better soon! Kudos to you for counting your blessings! When things aren't going too well, it's so easy to focus on that and give up, but it takes willpower to stick with it. Also, good luck with your schooling! I've been in a place where I had two jobs to help support a family, and it was tough. I imagine juggling work, school, and family is quite an ordeal. Good luck, too, with your race. It doesn't take me long of not exercising before I struggle to get in the groove again, too. You'll get there! |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Week's Summary (01/04/09-01/11/09):
I very much want to get out of the 160s. I haven't been below 160 in almost 15 years. It would be such an emotional boost just to get that far. I'm going to try to average a daily intake of about 1400-1600 cals. This should give me a loss of about 1-1.5 lbs/week. Plus, I'm hoping that the 2.4 lb gain is mostly water from PMS. I'm trying to drink more water. I have 2 large refillable bottles that I just started carrying with me. One is 20 oz for home use and the other is 30 oz for work. There's no reason for the different sizes other than I bought them at different times. They definitely help... when I remember to fill them and take them with me. I forget a lot, but I'm trying to make it a habit. Workouts have not been great, but I'm still nursing an injured calf muscle and achilles. I'm substituting the runs with the elliptical but they're not the same intensity. Plus, I don't have an elliptical at home and the gym is closed on the weekends, so I miss out completely on my Sunday long runs. I'm thinking of either joining the local YMCA or buying an elliptical for home use. The first option is looking good financially. I also missed my Saturday ride for no other reason except laziness. I was tired after not sleeping well and just couldn't get myself motivated enough to even wake up. I decided to try and take a nap but that was futile as well. I ended up doing the weekly grocery shopping and then playing Spore on the computer after dinner until almost 3am. Maybe I'm having trouble getting out of holiday mode. Or I could be burned out and depressed from not being able to run. Whatever it is, I've been lacking in motivation and commitment. If I want to meet my Boston Marathon goal I'm going to have to get back to the diet and exercise. It's time to hit it hard again starting tomorrow morning. I'm going to get up early and get to the gym for a speed workout on the elliptical. Then it's yoga for lunch. And lastly, my first lecture of the new semester for after work. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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I am bumming about being stuck above 165. So, I'm on a renewed commitment to restoking my diet. I've decided to try calorie cycling and went to freediets.com to use the calorie cycling calculator. This is the daily calorie goal it gave me for someone who does 5 days of intense exercise a week: The first number is for extreme weight loss and the second number is for recommended weight loss. I'm aiming for something in between. The second number looks closer to something I can handle, although I admit I usually eat up to 2500 calories per day. I'm pretty sure I can stick to this for at least a couple months. That should give me a boost to my weight loss and then I can relax and switch to a maintenance diet for a couple weeks if I need a break. Since it's been about 2 1/2 months since I last took my measurements, I thought I'd check to see where I gained the weight. To my happy surprise, I actually lost a couple inches. Here are my latest statistics: The numbers in parenthesis are original measurement and last measurement. It looks like I lost the most in the chest (not bust), waist and hips - all good places. Even though I gained 2.4 lbs, my body fat ratio went down from 29.5%. My arms are a little bigger, but I think that's muscle - all those pushups and pullups. So what's up with the legs? They don't look any more muscular - quite the opposite in fact. They feel flabbier than usual. Maybe it's swelling. Maybe I'm losing muscle from lack of running. I hope not. That would be a huge bummer. I really miss running. One last thing for me to be proud of... I can now touch my toes!! YAY for yoga!!! Last edited on 15 January 2009 09:59 pm by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Last night I joined the YMCA triathlon club. This morning I signed up for my first triathlon!!! I'm so scared and excited. I haven't been so nervous about an upcoming event since I was a child. This is something I've wanted to do for a long time, but have always been too self-concious to approach. I guess what makes me the most nervous is the swim. I'm not a very good swimmer. I roll from side to side a lot. I actually got a C in swim class in college. Plus, I haven't worn a swimsuit in like 10 years. I went to pull out my old swimsuit to see if it fit and it practically fell apart in my hands. Rubber and pieces of thread are breaking off in bits everywhere. Now, I'm going to have to go swimsuit shopping this weekend in order to do my first swim session with the club coach on Monday. I hope I can find a suit in the middle of winter. Someone also made me realize that I can't swim with my glasses and I don't own contact lenses (yeah, I'm a poster girl for female geek). I totally missed that little problem. Guess I'll have to swim blind for now and work on getting contact lenses before the race. Lastly, there's the reason why I haven't bought a swimsuit in so long, and that's because of the way I look. I have a very small bust (practically concave), and my bust is only 2 inches bigger than my waist. I'm a total avocado shape. Then there's the ugly purple stretch marks on my inner thighs. No swimsuit is going to hide those. They make me feel freakishly disfigured more than my body shape. I'm so afraid I'm going to catch people staring at them. What an awful place that would be to catch people staring. At least I'll only be wearing a swimsuit during practice. I can do a tri suit for the race and be nicely covered up. Thank goodness for the cycling portion and cycling shorts.The race is the Pasadena Triathlon on March 14. It's a reverse sprint event with a 5k run, 15k bike, and 150m swim. I'm hoping for a goal time under 1:07:00. BTW, I registered in the Athena division (over 140 lbs) instead of the age group division (40-44 yrs old). Right now my weight is the bigger handicap, not my age. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Week's Summary (01/12/09-01/18/09):
My workouts have been fairly good. My attempt at running was still painful, but then it may have been partly due to the tight muscles of coming off of spin class. My first attempts at coming back to swimming were hard, but at least I remembered how to swim... somewhat. There were times when I tried to concentrate on form and I forgot to breath. Needless to say, there were lots of choking, gasping and swallowing of nasty, warm public pool water - yech. Oh, and I need contact lenses. The combination of being badly near-sighted and looking through water had me confused about where the wall was. I kept coming up short. The people in the triathlon club are very nice. Many of them are close to my age or older and they're not all skinny! I kept imagining these buff, young people who would embarass me just by standing next to me. But they were mostly people like me - normal, chubby, yet trying to be athletic. BTW, my swimsuit fits great. I got one with a moderately conservative fit that covers enough to keep me comfortable. I forgot how tight athletic swimsuits are - they act like a girdle, which is good for my still bulging tummy. Another huge plus to joining the YMCA and having access to the pool is that I can bring my whole family with me. My kids get to stay in the pool with me as long as they stay out of the lap lanes. I've shown my mom how to use the elliptical and bikes so she goes to the cardio rooms for those. My hubby, who runs earlier in the day, relaxes either in the sauna or the jacuzzi. Pretty soon we will all be super healthy and strong. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Current weight is 164.6 lbs! SUCCESS!!! I'm finally below 165 lbs, a weight I haven't seen in over 10 years. I'm so happy!! Somehow, in just 3 days I lost 2.4 lbs. I've never had that big of a loss in so short a time. So now the big challenge is to keep going - don't let it get to my head. I'm at the halfway mark of my goal weight, and it's taken me 7-8 months to get there. That's my sanity check. It's taking longer than I thought to lose the weight. I'd like to lose the rest in about 5-6 months. That way I'll be at a decent weight to start training for my BQ marathon. As an added incentive, I just signed up for my Boston Qualifying marathon. I'll be running the California International Marathon on December 6th. To qualify for the Boston Marathon I'll need to finish in under 3:50. That's an average pace of 8:48 per mile - pretty scary! But, with the weight loss it's a possibility. I don't have much data to work with, but if I use my lowest rate of improvement I can predict a time improvement of 17.1% with a weight loss of 22.2% (37 lbs). That would give me a half marathon pace of 8:37 based on weight loss alone and maintaining my current fitness. Of course, this prediction is frought with errors, but they could be +/- in the way of errors. I did injure myself at mile 7 of the last race, so it's possible I could have done better. But, I can't expect that all of the improvement was based on weight alone since training plays a big part as well. Also I can't expect the same rate of improvement as I know my rate of improvement will decrease as I reach my plateau. (Someday I'll do a full analysis so I can fit an eqaution to the weight loss vs. pace.) Still, the idea that losing another 37 lbs could bring me very close to my goal race time gives me enough hope to carry on. Here are the stats of my 2008 races:
Total loss and predicted improvement:
Last edited on 23 January 2009 09:37 pm by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Week's Summary (01/19/09-01/25/09):
The rest of the week went pretty well. I over ate a little today, but considering the calorie burn from the marathon I think that was a good thing. Well, the race went pretty much like I thought it would, but that's not to say I still wasn't disappointed. My watch time was 2:34 - that's 18 minutes slower than December's race. Even though I took it easy, by mile 6 the pain in my leg came back and I had to start walking. The pain would ease as I walked, but come back after every quarter mile of running - very annoying. I taped my achilles for the race, and it helped a lot. But, when I took the tape off, the achilles started to swell and hurt. I've iced twice today and am wearing a compression bandage, but it looks like I'll be making a trip to the doctor's soon. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Carlsbad Half Marathon Race Report: Prerace: Drink a red bull before the race. My stomach was too upset to eat anything so no breakfast. Got to race at 6am. Race didn't start until 7am. Went to the porta potty and then hung out in the registration tent to stay warm and stretch. Mile 1 & 2 (10:08 & 9:27): The wave start was great. Very little weaving necessary so it looks like people were honest about their expected finishing times. Short steep hill at mile 2 was no problem. In fact, I got a little overexcited and broke out of my pace for a bit. Mile 3 & 4 (10:05 & 10:06): Reached the ocean and the views are gorgeous. The course is mostly flat. I take my first water and mile 4 and feel an energy boost immediately. Uh oh - looks like I started this race a little dehydrated. I decided to stop at every water station to try and keep myself hydrated. At least I'm keeping on pace. Mile 5 & 6 (10:32 & 10:23): My left achilles is really starting to hurt and I have to start walking at the end of mile 6. Mile 6 would have been a lot slower if it weren't for a downhill portion where I took off my brakes and coasted. Mile 7 & 8 (11:55 & 12:31): Finally reachd the turnabout at mile 7. I'm walking more and more. The uphills and downhills are way too painful, but the flats are doable. I eat the second shot blox at mile 7. I also stop around mile 8 for a shoe adjustment. Either my sock was doing some weird wrinkling or I had something in my shoe. I took off my shoe, shook it out, and continued on with the race. Even though I knew going into the race that I wouldn't meet my goal time, getting confirmation by these mile splits still bummed the heck out of me. Mile 9 & 10 (12:47 & 13:03): Walk, jog, walk :-( Mile 11 & 12 (14:08 & 14:27): Ok, now run... aagghh, I can't - it hurts too much. Walk, walk, walk... Stop for 3 orange slices at mile 11 - easier going down than the gel, but not the same rush of energy. Mile 13 & 13.1 (13:11 & 12:04): I want to kick in the finish, but I know that could be a potential disaster. The last thing I want is a torn achilles. A few people sprint past me at the finish, but I'm so disappointed with my time I don't care. Postrace: My legs don't hurt very much except for my left achilles. I have a small blister on the little toe of my right foot which I think may be due to new socks which are thicker than what I usually use. The lack of muscle soreness is a good sign though. I like to think that if I hadn't gotten injured I'd have no problem running a sub 2:15. Not starting off well hydrated did leave me with a headache later in the day. But, I never had the urge to use the porta potty which was nice. Couldn't get out of the parking lot so decided to hang out at the mall for a little while. Found a place that gave table massages and decided to try it out. OMG, it was so painful, but I felt pretty good afterwards. Race stats:
 Followup: I saw the doctor. He's diagnosed me with achilles tendonitis and put me on prescription anti-inflammatories. I'll also be going to physical therapy 3 times a week for 4 weeks. He has told me no running for 4 weeks but I have the race next week. I asked him if I could do it and he said he wouldn't advise it, but he didn't say absolutely not. I'm going to go anyway, but I'll make myself go really slow this time. I really think I'll be ok. Further Followup: I saw the physcial therapist. It turns out I also have plantar fasciitis in both feet, but worse in my right foot. That would explain the constant but mild heel pain. I've also been doing some bad stretches so the therapist has given me the cure-all stretch which I will be doing religiously. She understands why I still want to race on Sunday and has made an appointment with me for Monday morning to fix whatever I break (as long as it's not badly broken) during the race. I'm soooo happy I will be able to run one last time before I go through recovery. I've been very depressed these past few days with not being able to run. The elliptical just does not give me the same high I get from running. Last edited on 29 January 2009 11:49 pm by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Today I had fast food for the second time this week. And then tonight I overate, because I couldn't stand to throw away the leftovers. I feel so guilty. I hate it when I lose control or overeat for the dumbest reasons. I haven't lost any weight this week. In fact, despite being so good with the diet other than today, I've gained a couple pounds. That's so frustrating! Hopefully I will run everything off tomorrow. Hopefully I will FINISH tomorrow. Hubby is sick and I am lame so we will make for good company during the race. Crossing my fingers and hoping all the inflamed tendons stay intact. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Week's Summary (01/26/09-02/01/09):
Well, at least I survived yesterday's race. Actually, I did better than I thought I would and finished 8 minutes faster than last week's race. Yay! At one point in the race I was passed by a woman who looked to be over 100lbs overweight. I decided to try and hang with her for a while to see how strong she was. I was extremely impressed. I watched her pass one skinny young person after another. She looked so focused and determined that I knew a lot of her power came not just from physical strength but huge willpower as well. I know a lot of people criticize fat people as having no willpower, but I don't think it's true. Watching this woman run confirms that for me. As for me, I'm going to lay off running for the next 4 weeks. I'm already bummed about it, but I'm going to keep working out in other ways to stay strong. Hopefully, by the next race in March, I'll be a few minutes faster and more than a few pounds lighter. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Surf City Half Marathon Race Report: Prerace: No caffeine today. Tried out an electrolyte supplement which I mixed with water because it was way too salty to swallow outright. I drank about half the bottle and ate a banana. I decided to tape my left achilles and my right foot for plantar fasciitis. I decide to be a little on the optimistic side and get in the corral for a 2:20-2:25 finsh. Mile 1 & 2 (10:19 & 10:32): The start was a bit confusing. As the waves moved forward, volunteers would arbitrarily yank up a rope to stop us. This resulted in several runners getting roped right between the legs and almost stumbling onto their faces. So far, everything feels ok and I'm taking it easy as planned. I go ahead and eat a shot blox just because I felt like it. Mile 3 & 4 (10:19 & 11:12): We start heading uphill at the end of mile 3. By mile 4 my achilles is protesting and I have to start walking. The good news is that I don't need to walk for long before the pain disappears and I can run again. Mile 5 & 6 (11:03 & 11:16): I continue the run/walk. Each walk session is about 10 seconds. That's just about 5 steps before the burning in my achilles goes away. It seems like forever before we can see the turnaround point. Mile 7 & 8 (12:41 & 11:03): Finally, the turnaround at the middle of mile 7. Up until now, my achilles was really starting to bother me, but I get a psychological boost by reaching the turnaround and hitting mile 8. I eat another blox at mile 8 because I finally remember to. Mile 9 & 10 (11:09 & 11:35): Watching the marathoners running on the bike path while we stick to the streets. Obviously, the half marathoners hugely outnumber the marathoners - no surprise there. I continue to stop at nearly every water station since mile 4. Mile 11 & 12 (11:38 & 11:21): Two more walk breaks at mile 11. By mile 12 I'm thinking that I can push through to the end if I keep the pace slow. There's no water at mile 12 so I take it as a sign to keep running/jogging. Mile 13 & 13.1 (10:55 & 10:32): Mile 13 seems like a breeze. My achilles hurts, but I feel strong otherwise. Postrace: I meet Monet in the finishing chute. What a wonderful experience to meet in person somebody you have been conversing with online for months. She's beautiful and sweet and I wish we had more time to chat, but hubby was not feeling well and wanted to move on. Plus, we had to get home to take our boy to a birthday party. As we walk through the chute, we see food and joint juice in the marathon chute, but all we get is water in our chute. We keep walking towards the beer garden, but find it packed and a line waiting to get in. Forget that! We keep walking, noting that most of the free stuff is gone, taken by spectators and the 5k runners. Ugh, I'm so hungry. We keep walking past the booths and finally get to a tent where they are giving out food and joint juice to the half marathoners. Too bad a lot of runners gave up and left before getting to the food tent. We get a banana, apple, and fig newtons. I wasn't feeling up to eating another banana and I'm allergic to apples, so I settle for the fig newtons, which I don't really like. The walk to the car seems to take forever (20 minutes), but we converse with a few of the runners along the way and see some of them already have the California Dreamin' medal. The medal is huge! I can't wait to get mine at San Francisco. I'm so glad I decided to go ahead and run despite the injury. I did better than Carlsbad (I'm sure the diclofenac helped a lot) and now I'm still eligible for the California Dreamin' Series and the Longboard Legacy Club. Race stats:
Last edited on 6 February 2009 06:12 am by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Week's Summary (02/02/09-02/08/09):
Saturday and Sunday were horrible overeating days. I didn't get any real workouts done either. Sometimes I feel I just come home from one errand only to pick up people and take them on the next errand. I hardly get 5 minutes to relax. By the time I get a minute to myself on the weekends, I'm so exhausted I just want to nap - which I did on Saturday... for 4 hours! Sunday was all day at Disneyland. My ankle was swollen and sore by the end of the day. Workouts were going great, but I was putting too much strain on the achilles still. My P.T. has told me no more workouts that put stress on my ankle for a week. So, it's going to be mostly easy stationary bike and swimming. I couldn't swim this weekend because of thunderstorms however, and the thought of spending 2 hours on a stationary bike was not appealing either. Besides, with my daughter having a sleepover for the weekend, I felt guilty leaving my husband with the kids while I went to workout. At least my other workouts went well, especially spinning and swimming. I'm able to go longer distances nonstop in the pool. But with missing a couple swim workouts, I'm going to redo this weeks swim workouts. Still not losing much weight, but I feel bloated and my legs feel swollen. I'm hoping it's all water. |
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Nancy_in_GA Senior Member 
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mchen01 wrote:
Over 2 lbs in 8 days seems great to me! Good job! |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Thanks Nancy! Hey, I used to live in Georgia - very beautiful state. I used to go to Athens to watch live REM shows all the time. Normally, I would be very happy with a 2 lb loss for the week. Unfortunately, I've been gaining and losing the same 2 lbs since Thanksgiving. |
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Nancy_in_GA Senior Member
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Yes, I think REM put Athens on the map, otherwise no one ever heard of it except maybe football fans. Here's hoping you never find those 2 lbs again, and lose a different 2lbs next time. Then you're at your goal, aren't you? Your activity level is truly awesome! |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Thanks Nancy! Looks like your good wishes worked, cause I finally dropped below 164. Yay!! Week's Summary (02/09/09-02/15/09):
I had 3 bad overeating days. The major culprit was chocolate. Monday and Tuesday I was in full-blown PMS and couldn't help myself. Saturday was Valentine's Day and after eating one of the chocolates from my heart-shaped box, I couldn't stop. Shamefully, I ate 6 chocolate truffles and barely stopped myself from eating the rest of the box. And what is up with the lack of hydration!? I need to cut that out - it's so unhealthy. On the plus side, I did lose a pound. I think I might not have been eating enough for my activity level. I boosted the caloric intake last week to match someone who exercises everyday. So, even though I don't always get in a workout everyday, I think the double workout days give me the equivalent. These are the calories I'm aiming for:
The achilles is healing and I'm hoping I'll be able to do more soon. The stationary bike is very uncomfortable and boring. Riding the shop bike around the parking lot reminded me of how wonderful it feels to ride outdoors - like flying. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Time to do my monthly measurements: Current (Starting, Last) Nearly everything is down - yay!! The weight loss has also picked up after two and a half months of no change. I can see muscle replacing the fat and that makes me feel very, very happy. I still have a long way to go as I'm only about half way to my goal weight. With the half marathon training, I feel that I've done pretty well building endurance. So, it's time to start working on power. That means more strength and interval training, which I can do on the bike and in the pool, but it looks like no running for another month. I'm also starting a new strength challenge. It's a combination of 100 push ups, 200 sit ups, and 20 pull ups. These involve 3 workouts a week of progressive building. Weeks can be repeated when necessary, and I have a feeling that's going to happen more often than I like. Tonight will be the pull up test. Considering I have to pull up my weight, I don't think I'll be able to do even one. That's ok though, because the test will account for completing zero pull ups. Tomorrow will be the situp and pushup test.The extra strength will help me in the cycling and swimming portions of the triathlon. I plan on being ready when I get to Olympic distances and then half iron distances. In the meantime, it will keep me occupied until my achilles heals enough to start running again. Then it will be back to trying to qualify for Boston. Last edited on 20 February 2009 10:00 pm by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Week's Summary (02/16/09-02/22/09):
Two bad overeating days. Not sure if it was good or bad, but I needed to feed the hunger. I may not lose weight as quickly, but I need to keep my body as strong and healthy as possible. Swimming is going well. I think I'm swallowing less pool water so my form might be improving. I hope I get to the point where I'm not gagging on nasty public pool water soon, because I do feel a little ill afterwards. Maybe it's just in my head, but it does taste and feel gross.The pull-up test did not go well. While I knew I wouldn't be able to do a pull-up, I thought I could at least do a negative pull-up. No such luck. So, it looks like I'll be doing assisted pull-ups until I have enough strength (or lose enough weight) to do at least one unassisted pull-up. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Week's Summary (02/23/09-03/01/09):
This has been a horrible week. Having a kidney infection meant absolutely no exercise this week. The infection has been painful. I stayed in bed for two days with a fever and aches. On top of that, I had homework due that I had a hard time working on because of the pain. I ended up missing lectures this week and working all weekend in order to finish my homework. The stress has been too much for me. Because of the lack of exercise I tried to eat less. Unfortunately, this proved way too difficult for me. I was only able to meet one day of my goal. Tuesday and Wednesday, my sick days, I pigged out on ice cream because the cold food felt so good and cooled me down. But, in my defense I thought I would be up and exercising by Thursday or Friday. When I found out about the kidney infection on Thursday I knew I wouldn't be able to exercise the rest of the week. Friday, Saturday and Sunday were my marathon study days which led to stress eating. Sitting for 5-10 hours/day at Starbucks was too much tempation. Green tea frappucinos and fast food meant high calorie snacks and meals. I'm going to pay for it at next week's weigh-in. I have to admit though, that I don't feel guilty for this week's indulgences. It reduced the stress and kept me comfortable enough to finish my work. Now that my homework is turned in, I can get back to concentrating on my diet. I'm taking one more day of rest, then I'll start working out again lightly since I still don't feel completely well. This coming Saturday is my first triathlon and I'm crossing my fingers that nothing else happens and my health improves enough to race. |
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CrimsonAnimus Moderator
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Hi, Michelle! Just thought I would check in on you. Are you feeling better? You do so much, juggling school with marathon running and everything else - remember to take care of your health. |
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mynda1250 New Member
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Hello Michelle, So nice to meet you. I am new to forum and have been reading your diary. I am soooo impressed with your attitude and workout habits. I am a 37 yr old female that is too struggling and is focusing on fitness. I do crosstrain five to six days a week. I am so amazed at your knowledge about fitness. My dream is to run a 1/2 marathon. I have been working at losing weight and becoming healthier since the 1st of the year and still going strong. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Wow, it's been a while since I've logged on here. Nick, you're back! I'm so happy to see you in my diary. Thanks for checking on me. Hi Mynda, thanks for dropping me a note. I'm so pleased that you want to do a half marathon. There are lots of great training programs for beginners. Let me know if you'd like some advice on getting started. So, I've been crazy busy again. School got really hard and my last homework was just confusing and frustrating. I turned it in a week late. Phooey . Work is stressful - the bad economy is having an impact in my group, and while I'm pretty sure I won't lose my job, the emphasis on getting more done in less time is hanging over my head, and it means working on my own time to get things done.Last month I did my first triathlon. I was hoping for a top 3 placement in my class (the Athena class is for women who weigh over 140 lbs - yep, that's still me at 161 lbs ), but my achilles pain flared up during the run. Because I had to lean so much on my good leg, the calf muscle in the good leg cramped up hard during the bike and I had to pull over for several minutes to massage it out. I ended up with a middle of the pack finish. Still, it was such an exciting race that I'm sure I'll be doing more once I'm healed. Here's a picture of me during the bike leg. Since it was a sprint event, I stayed in my running clothes. My swimsuit is underneath for a quick transition to the swim leg. 2009 Pasadena Triathlon (Reverse Sprint - 5k run/15k bike/150m swim) Because my achilles refuses to stay well after 2 months of pysical therapy, my doctor had me get an MRI. It turns out I have a low-grade partial tear. I'm waiting for an appointment with an orthopaedic specialist to find out what that means for me. I'm anxious about the treatment as I have my next half marathon in July. I've already cancelled the half marathon I was supposed to do this month and I don't want to cancel the next one. Now for a report on my diet. As usual, I'm great at exercising, but a miserable failure at dieting. This explains the extremely slow weight loss. From the end of December until now I've only lost about 4 lbs. That's about -1 lb a month. Looking over my diary it makes sense. Of those 16 weeks, 8 weeks had a net daily caloric intake of 100-300 cals over maintenance and 5 weeks were pretty close to maintenace (after exercise). So, even though I avg about 400-500 cals per day in exercise, I eat an average 1900-2000 cals.I'm pretty sure my bad eating habits come from stress and boredom. Now that I have a slight lull in my work load, I'm hoping I can get back on track and at least get below the 161 lb threshold by the end of this week. Nah, I can do better than that. How about below 160 by the end of next week? |
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CrimsonAnimus Moderator
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Yay! Welcome back, Michelle. Congrats on your triathlon, and congrats x2 for doing it even though you weren't at 100%. That takes dedication. Hope your legs get better. With all the exercise you do, have you had your body fat tested? You really should - I'm willing to be that your muscle to fat ratio is considerably higher than most women. Plus, with all the exercise you're doing, gotta have the energy! Maybe rather than eating less, you could try to adjust your carb:protein:fat ratios around a bit, and try different foods. Good luck! P.S. - I might have asked you this before, but is your avatar a Lego? It's cool. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Yeah, you're right that I need to take a look at my carb:protein:fat ratios. I already know that I'm high on the carb and fat intake. My biggest flaw is a ginormous sweet tooth. Once I start, I can't stop. This past week I went through 2 bags of Keebler Fudge Sticks. And yes, my avatar is me as a lego. I've had a love of legos since I got my first set out of the Sears catalog when I was 8 yrs old. My cubicle is covered in legos and my family and I usually have an annual pass to Legoland. So, I'm going to try to keep up my weekly summary again (minus the water intake since I'm doing better at that). Looks like I start out the week well, and then I peter out towards the end of the week. This has been a bad week overall. Week's Summary (04/20/09-04/26/09):
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CrimsonAnimus Moderator
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Hey, Michelle! It looks like you struggle more on the weekends, as do a lot of people. Perhaps you might consider joining the Weekend Challenge in the Challenges forum? It just might help. I also noticed that you tend to eat more on the days you do not exercise, and I am the same way. I've noticed that often when I exercise, my appetite is curbed a bit. Ideally, we would eat a bit more on the days we exercise more, but alas, this isn't an ideal world, is it? Still, you do more exercise than what a lot of people are willing to do. Does it tire you early in the week, or do you lose motivation through other means? I'm the opposite - often, I tend to start the week out with less effort, and work a bit harder toward the end of the week, because of my weigh-in. Maybe you can find someone to look forward to at the end of the week, something you can do for yourself that makes you feel good for putting forth the effort. Keep it up! |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Nick, you are so right! I can't believe how I'm ignoring the obvious. I'm making the same mistakes by making excuses for not eating properly. I've been so used to eating heavily on weekends because it used to be a huge calorie burn for me with my long rides and runs. But, now that I'm injured and can't do this anymore I need to scale back my eating. I keep thinking it's only temporary and I don't need to change, but you'd think that after 3 months I'd get it by now. I've had another terrible weekend. I'm going to join the weekend support group as you suggested and hopefully they can help keep me in line and better behaved. Thanks Nick. Week's Summary (04/27/09-05/03/09):
Last edited on 4 May 2009 11:16 pm by mchen01 |
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CrimsonAnimus Moderator
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Yeah, when you've done something a certain way for so long, it can be really difficult to adjust. I noticed in the challenge that your Saturday intake included a sushi buffet. Well, there are definitely less healthy foods than sushi, but buffets are purely and simply evil. Many of the buffet restaurants here have gone up in price, and it fills many people with a desire to "get their money's worth," which leads nowhere fast. I've only went out to eat a few times since I started eating healthy, but I've tried to make it about the social aspect rather than the food. Of course, the food presses on my mind, but I want to try to savor the whole experience, not just the food. Best of luck to you. You'll get there! |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Buffets are definitely evil, especially when they have foods that you love. And I love a lot of foods. It's a good thing that I don't go to the feeding trough type restaurant too often. But, restaurants in general are a bad thing for me. No matter how many times I tell myself to order the healthy, low-cal foods, it rarely works. For a while, I was compromising by eating only half the plate if I ordered something fattening. But, my appetite has been huge lately, and I haven't been able to stick to that strategy. I'll be going through another adjustment period. I got Invisalign braces last week and they've messed up my eating habits. I no longer have a morning and afternoon snack to keep my appetite in control. I'm reluctant to eat because I have to take out my braces and then brush them and my teeth after I eat (yeah, I admit I don't brush after every meal so shoot me for poor dental hygiene). So, now I don't get to leisurely graze, because I have to hurry up and put my braces back on (I need to wear them about 20 hours a day). I also got put in a big leg brace and have to use crutches for the next month. I have a partially torn achilles, and the orthopaedist said if I didn't want surgery, then I could try immobilization and see if that worked. Surgery was supposed to be a better fix with less chance of a recurring injury, but the doctor couldn't guarantee how long it would take to recover. He was looking at 2-6 months for the best possible outcome, but up to a year if there was more damage than he thought. Well, the year long recovery scared me considering how hard I've been training. Losing 6-12 months of exercise time meant I was probably going to gain all the weight I've lost and lose all the muscle I've gained. So, here I am, stuck on crutches and not able to do any leg workouts, but hoping that this alternative works and I won't lose too much fitness. Week's Summary (05/04/09-05/10/09):
This is not a very good week, and it's about average for me. I ate over 2600 calories more than my goal. The week's net calories is only about 1450 cal below maintenance. I should have lost about half a pound, but I ended up gaining 1.2 lbs. Maybe it's because it's nearly TTOM and I've been bloated with water weight... wishful thinking maybe. Hopefully, I'll see that come down over the next few days. In the meantime, I'll be working hard to keep my diet in check over the next month of limited exerecise. Sigh. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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I'M FREEEEE!!! I turned in my final project at 4am this morning and am now officially on summer vacation from school. Now, it's just work and fun, fun, fun. Today is a happy day, because, as I suspected, I had a lot of water weight, and this morning my weight was back down to 160.4 lbs. So, there's my 1/2 lb (almost - down 0.4 from last week) loss. Yay! |
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CrimsonAnimus Moderator
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Way to go, Michelle! Enjoy your free time - you've certainly earned it. |
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artistjohn Distinguished Member 
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Hi Michelle Thought I'd pop by and say hello. Skim read your diary from start to finninsh. Youv'e come a long way and the photo's are what shall we say "Improving" The last one you look like a true athlete!! Looking at your 1/2 marathon races. I have a bit of fun and start at the back of the race and try not get overtaken. I also aim to make the first mile the slowest and increase the pace continously making the last mile my quickest. I did the 2nd London marathon back in the 80's. I also did the 1st London Triathlon way back when, 80/90's can't remember. 1/2 marathon is my max these days. Anyway keep up the good work and thanks for the achilles support and advice. Much appreciated. artist john |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Thanks Nick and John! Well, my first week on crutches has not been fun. My arms and hands are terribly sore, my hips hurt, and there's a sharp pain in my good knee sometimes. I really miss my workouts. Ugh, 3 more long weeks to go. Week's Summary (05/11/09-05/17/09):
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Yikes, it's been a couple weeks and I haven't been watching my calories that much. I've been sick and have a cough that just won't go away. But, I have good news to report and that is that I've finally reached a size 8 . Yay - I'm no longer a double digit size! Going from a tight size 16 to a size 8 in one year is acceptable and I'm happy with my progress so far. I wish I could have lost it faster, but as long as I continue to go down I guess I'll be satisfied. So, I spent the weekend cleaning out my closet of more oversized clothes. I got rid of 3 garbage bags worth of clothes. I kept a lot of my size 12 work clothes though. They're loose and baggy, but they don't fall off my hips so they're wearable. I just don't have the funds to buy a whole new set of expensive work clothes right now. I can wait until the Thanksgiving/Christmas sales to get some. I actually considered buying a tankini type swimsuit. I'd love to have a bikini, but the big brown 8 inch scar on my abs is not attractive .8 more days on crutches. Whew! I can't wait to start my workouts again, even if it's mostly walking and easy cycling. I'm also going to try a new calorie cycling schedule that I read on BFFM. I'm going to go for a moderate diet to start. If I don't lose weight, I'll try decreasing the calories. It's going to be 3 days of 1700 cal and a 4th day at 2000 cal. This week didn't go too well. I probably shouldn't have started my big calorie day on Monday since it's not my usual schedule. It's going to take a little time to adjust from my old schedule to my new one. Week's Summary (05/25/09-05/31/09):
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artistjohn Distinguished Member
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Hi Michelle Question if you don't mind. I had right achilles pain which cleared up. Then for no reason over weekend I developed pain in left achilles and now stiff calf. From your experiences have you any ideas. I have read that this is all caused by problem elsewhere ie lower back or tight hip etc. Of which I have both. I am resting now and will cycle and swim. How is you recovery going? John |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Since there's been a change, I can now answer your question John. I'm off the crutches - YAY!!! I'm still in a walking boot - BOOOOO!!!!! Diet was sucking for a while, but I'm better now. I was totally PMSing and eating everything I saw, especially chocolate. I feel so uncontrollable during these times. The cravings are so strong that I can't sleep at night. It doesn't matter if I eat something else to fill me up. Even full, I can't reduce the cravings. I will eat past a stomach ache and I hate that. Maybe it's better to just satisfy the craving instead of letting it get so bad that I overeat like a starving person. I think I was averaging about 2400 cal/day for a week. Luckily, I didn't gain much. I'm back down to a manageable 1600 cal/day. The exercise progress is mixed. I've really improved on the swimming and can now do an 1800 yd (a tiny bit over a mile) freestyle non-stop. I think it took me about 35-40 minutes which is not too bad considering I was doing a pull only with the buoy. I didn't time it because I was supposed to only do 1000 yd so the mile was totally unintentional. It just felt so good to be doing something after 2 weeks of being sick. I did do a timed 500yd pull on Monday, but I was a little tired and sore. I averaged 2:14/100 yds - yes, very slow. But, now I have my first benchmark for measuring improvement. My goal for swimming will be to get that average down to 1:45 by the end of the year. On the other end of my body, I can tell my leg muscles have suffered from the crutches. The first few days my calf and shin in the bad leg has been cramping to the point that I was unable to sleep. It's getting a little better though, and I've been walking a little more. I'm going to try walking on the treadmill later today. My next race is happening in less than 7 weeks. I plan on doing it. I definitely won't be able to run the whole thing. My plan is not to race, but just finish. Why is it so important? Well, it's really stupid, but it's the third race of a series of 3. Finishing the series gets me a special medal. But mostly, it's because I planned the whole series with my husband and a group of friends and we're all traveling to San Francisco to finish it together. I don't think I can handle sitting on the sidelines, watching everybody have such a good time without me. I know that's an immature reason, but when you've planned something a year in advance and are so close to finishing, it's really tough to be the only one who doesn't complete it. So, I'll just keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best. Last edited on 12 June 2009 08:06 pm by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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I skipped a week of reporting just because I was having such a horrible week. I was sick so no exercise and being on cortisone and TTOM at the same time made my appetite skyrocket. I'm back to normal this week so here we go: Monday was bad and Tuesday was a little over, but not horrible. The rest of the week was great and I stayed within my goal and ate mostly healthy foods. Since I'm off the crutches I started testing what I could do in the way of exercise. My doctor refused to discuss exercise with me until he the next office visit. I guess I'm not willing to wait that long. I can tell I'm not ready to start walking without the boot yet. I tried swimming without the pull buoy and found that the top of my foot at the ankle was very stiff - a result of not being able to flex my foot for so long. My achilles felt great though. I had no problem on the stationary bike as I rode with the boot. I can tell I've lost a lot of cardio and strength in my legs. Whereas a 2 hour ride would have been no problem before the injury, I could barely manage 30 minutes my first try. The second try though, I was able to go 45 minutes so there's hope that I'll be able to gain back the cardio quickly. Week's Summary (06/08/09-06/14/09):
I was hoping to get back to my double workout per day schedule by including some treadmill walking, but it looks like that was too ambitious. The goal now is to up the cardio and leg strength with the stationary bike but staying with the boot. I'll be building strength with a modified yoga - limiting the balance poses on my bad leg. The swimming will continue without the pull buoy but no kicking drills. If I feel stronger later in the week I will test some running/walking on the treadmill again. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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(Past) Time for updated measurements: Last measurements were done February 10, so these are 4 months later. Current (Starting, Last) Only a 4 lb loss, but a total of 8.5 inches gone. It's still a bummer that I'm continuing my 1lb/month loss, but it helps to know my size is decreasing faster than my weight. There is no reason as to where the fat comes off. Sometimes the majority comes from the waist, sometimes the thighs, sometimes the arms. This time it was the chest. My biggest loss was at the chest (2 inches) - no wonder my bras won't stay down. Of course, the bra fit is also due to weight loss in the bosom area, but I refuse to measure that since it's just too depressing. Another big, but unwanted, loss was in my left calf. I lost a half inch more in the left calf than I did in the right calf. I'm sure this is due to being in the walking boot and crutches. But, it's only been 5 weeks. I can't believe I lost that much muscle in so short a time. I'm sure I'll get the muscle back, I just need to work harder. Gotta keep looking at the bright side of things. Since I started, I've lost 7 inches from my waist and 5 inches from my hips. I'm slowly going from buddha back to a woman, and that's something I can smile at. Last edited on 17 June 2009 09:30 pm by mchen01 |
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MichelleP Senior Member 
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Hi Michelle, I'm another Michelle on here and I was reading through some of your last diary entries. You're doing great and have lost a lot of inches. Keep it up. One pound a month really is something to cheer about. Most importantly the inches you've lost tell more than the scale weight. I struggle with the scale weight not going down as fast as I want at times too. But when I have that issue I can always go to the tape measure and see bigger losses than the scale. I hear ya about losing inches in the chest/breasts. I have been losing a lot in that area and it is depressing. I wanted to keep my breast size but like you said you can't control where the fat comes from. I have plenty of fat on my thighs and arms that my body needs to dig into before it takes anymore from my chest. It is depressing but I figure that I'd rather be thin with smaller breasts than be fat with bigger breasts. But still it does kind of bite. Keep up the good work. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Hi Michelle, Thanks for the note, you had me laughing. Yes, I'd rather be thin with small breasts too. Still, it's time to go back to padded, underwire bras. Week's Summary (06/15/09-06/21/09):
So, this weekend was really bad with a trip to Las Vegas. I wanted to control myself, but I just couldn't do it. I have no idea how much I ate, just that it was a lot and all of it bad. I estimated on the high side in my food log to be safe. I also didn't get a chance to exercise. The trip is mostly to keep my mom company since we go twice a year to put flowers on her husband's grave. She gets a little sad so, I stay up late with her to keep her company. During the day, we take the kids around to have fun. We went ice skating and to the m&m museum, but I was stuck on the sidelines with my foot still in the boot. After driving 6 hours on Sunday, I was too exhausted to make it to the gym and ended up sleeping 12 hours. I have started working out on the treadmill as I ease myself out of the boot. I've been spending about a third of my day without the boot and decided to give myself a short jog/walk. I was able to jog for 6 minutes at a 12 minute pace at one minute intervals. It's not a lot, but I was very pleased that I could do this much without any pain. I was also able to ride the stationary bike for 60 minutes, so my cardio is building back up as well. My very ambitious plan is to be able to ride 3 hours and walk/run for 2 hours in the next 4 weeks. My next half marathon is in 5 weeks and I want my body to be ready to at least finish the race, and that means spending time building cardio on the bike and taking some pounding on the road. I'm aiming for a 13 min/mile pace since the time limit is a 13:40 min/mile pace. So far, my current pace is approximately 15 min/mile, but I'm hoping for major improvements this week as I spend less time with the boot on. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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My absenteeism is showing again. And, the weight has consquently gone up. I've gone from 158.2 back up to 163.2, a gain of 5 lbs. Ugh! I hope it doesn't take me another 5 months to lose it. I'm hopiing most of it was maybe a physiological response to the reduced activity for 2.5 months instead of the monster appetite I had from being so bored and bummed out. But, I'm almost back to normal now. The boot has been off for a month and I've increased my running greatly, using the run/walk method to give my body time to adjust. My last run/walk was 10 miles at 12:00 min/mile. It was a very easy pace and will easily see me through this weekend's half marathon in... beautiful San Francisco! Yay - I'm so excited! I get to run across the Golden Gate Bridge! I'm thinking of carrying a camera for the whole event since I'm not going to be able to race it.I've got 2 more weeks of restrained activity - easy run/walk on the treadmill only and easy rides on the stationary bike. I have to stay on flat surfaces, so the treadmill and stationary bike work for me. After that, I'll be increasing my time on the road and reducing the walk. I wish I could say that the diet has been going as well as the exercise. I am eating healthy foods for the most part, but I'm also indulging in sweets more often than I should. Instead of my allowed 1-2 cheat days a week, It's been more like 4 cheat days a week. One week even had 6 cheat days! I've been abusing my tracking system. Sure I've been tracking what I eat, but I haven't been setting my daily limits. It's time for me to kick myself hard and get back to the plan. |
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Hisgal Distinguished Member
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Why can't this be easy..................and permanent? |
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MichelleP Senior Member
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Hi Michelle, I think we all get off track from time to time. Just pick yourself up and get going again. I'm rooting for you girl! |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Hisgal wrote: Why can't this be easy..................and permanent? Thanks for the support Pat and Michelle! Yeah, why is this so hard?! I'm back from vacation and found that I'd gained 5 lbs in one week!! How is that possible?! I even ran a half marathon, plus 2 more days of running 4 and 3 miles while on vacation. Yes, I ate foods that were a "little" rich and heavy in fats, but with all the walking and sightseeing (5-8 miles a day), I thought it would be ok - I guess I thought wrong, way wrong. I almost cried when I saw the scale back up to 170 lbs. So, I'm back on track and have lost 3.8 lbs in the past 4 days - whew! That's the biggest fluctuation in weight I have seen yet. I'm still very disappointed with myself at having gained back so much weight when I had just reached normal weight status. My goal is to lose at least 3 more lbs by next Friday, when I go the the Navy Ball with my hubby. I need him to have a nice memory of me before he takes off to Afghanistan. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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No fooling around this time. I'm so mad that I gained back 7 lbs since reaching a normal weight of 158. No more being a bonehead with all my excuses for not eating right - I'm done with vacation and my achilles is on the mend. I've been increasing my exercise and am back to counting calories everyday. My goal is to lose 16 lbs by the end of the year - final weight of 149 lbs. I'm changing my week's summary by counting net calories in place of food intake. The reason is explained below. Week's Summary (08/03/09-08/09/09):
I have a new calorie cycling goal. I'll be working on net calories this time - stupid me, I just found out I've been doing it wrong all this time. I notice that when my net calories are too low I inevitably overeat the next day. Hopefully, getting the right amount of overall intake will keep me from binging. The plan is to do a 4 day cycle with 3 days at a net of 1260-1360 cal and 1 day at 1500-1600 cal. I'm also adding back the base calories I would have burned without exercising so that I'm not double dipping on calories burned. I'm crossing my fingers that I've finally got it right this time. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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This week was bad exercise-wise, and as a result my diet was screwed up too. I ran out of steam on Friday and wasn't able to complete my full workout. The exhaustion lasted through Saturday and Sunday. I think the lack of sleep caught up with me. Work had been so busy with a sudden deadline having me scrambling to complete my usual work plus some. This is why I rarely take vacation - I always get so much #%@&! when I get back. The achilles is still not at 100% I get small twinges of pain towards the end of my runs. I have to keep reminding myself to be patient. Week's Summary (08/10/09-08/16/09):
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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This week was a challenge to try and balance my time and energy between work, studying and training for my next marathon. I'm also feeling a little down about the slow progress in my achilles recovery and my weight gain. Still trying to practice patience with the achilles and am considering cancelling the current marathon and trying for another one a month later. As for the diet, I finally bought a food scale ($5.99) so that I'll be better at estimating the foods I've been eating. Last night my mom and I got almost everything out of the refrigerator to measure and see how far off I've been. For the most part I've been off about 1 oz., which adds up to a lot when it's 100 calories in that ounce. I'm still going to have trouble when we go out to eat, but except for those 2-3 times a month, I'll have a pretty good grasp on calories otherwise. Oh, and don't look at Sunday - it's totally embarrassing! Week's Summary (08/17/09-08/23/09):
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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It's been almost a year since my last wellness test, and the lovely thing about having this diary is that I can retrieve that entry and compare with this years test. 2009 Wellness Test Results:
Cholesterol - Looks really good. I've rasied my HDL (good cholesterol) to an ideal level. I guess eating 1/3 avocado 5 days/week and nuts 2/week has helped. Glucose - Normal, even by fasting standards. This year I broke the fast by having coffee with chocolate coffee-mate. Last year, I drank fruit juice but then did a 4 mile run. Next time, I'm going to try running right before the test again, but with fasting as well. Blood Pressure - High both times, but really high this time. Asthma is definitely a contributor as August & September are difficult months for me. This is when I start back on the Flovent and have to start using the rescue inhalar more often. Even now, I'm experiencing a little shortness of breath and pressure in my lungs. When I checked my blood pressure several months ago, it was 117/60. I think I'm ok. BMI & Body Fat - WTF!! How can I have a lower BMI but a higher body fat?!? Does it really mean that I've made so little progress on the fat loss? This makes me want to cry!! My first reaction was to totally deny these numbers as a mistake. Now that I've calmed down a little, I'm trying to think how this could've happened. When I'm honest with myself, I admit that my fat intake is always high (usually 30-40% of my daily intake). So, even though I exercise a lot, I'm probably sabotaging my progress with my poor diet. Well, this has been a shocker and an eye opener for me. I'm a little depressed, but glad I had some sense knocked into me about deluding myself that I can eat whatever I want. I'm going to do some heavy rethinking about my food intake and try to plan better meals (so much for thinking a salad a day would be good enough). It's going to be very hard, and I don't know how I'm going to be able to do this. I'm not a good dieter. I'm going to go cry into my salad now. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Did pretty well this weekend. A few days were over my goal, but not by much. Besides I had one day that was pretty low since I had burned a lot on my run, but just couldn't eat enough to replace it. It's been a pretty exciting week for me. I finally decided to give ocean swimming a try after practicing in a pool for the past year. I've been a bit of a scaredy cat about swimming and hadn't even been in the pool for 20 years let alone the ocean. I ordered and received my wetsuit in the mail on Thursday. So, I left work early on Friday to head to the beach. The surf was really rough, but I just couldn't wait to try out the new wetsuit. Turns out I really should have waited for the water to calm down. I got rolled by a couple of large waves and ended up tearing my wetsuit and losing my swim cap. It was really scary as I couldn't tell which way was up. But, I was able to keep my cool and wait for the wave to pass over before I fought my way to the surface. The tear is not bad and I should be able to fix it with some glue. The next day I did a practice triathlon with my triathlon class. It was great because I got some help from a volunteer triathlete on how to get through those waves, which were still a little rough but not as bad as the day before. She held my hand to give me courage and help me dive at the right time. I finally got it right at the third try. Yay! I finished 3rd overall in my class after beating a bunch of people out of transition and passing 2 others on the bike (there were 20 people at the race). Week's Summary (08/24/09-08/30/09):
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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It could have been a great week if I had gotten myself out of bed early enough to do my Thursday and Friday workouts. When changes happen in my schedule, I need to make myself flex my workouts around those changes. The best time would be mornings, because I'm usually exhausted by evening. It was a busy week at work with two presentations, one of which I had to prepare on my own time. Lots of last minute priorities kept me late, and trying to get personal errands done before the hubby deployed ate up all other free time. By Thursday, I just wanted to sleep. Sunday's half marathon went very well in most respects. It was supposed to be a low priority race - more like a training run than a race. But, my hubby pushed the pace, wanting to beat the sun before it burned through the marine layer and started to get too hot. So, I kept up with him, getting a PR but ending up too sore to workout the next day. I'll post a fuller report with pictures later. Week's Summary (08/31/09-09/06/09):
Last edited on 8 September 2009 10:11 pm by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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It's been an good week on the diet, but a bad week on exercise. I feel tired and a little on the depressed side. Hubby is leaving this Friday and I've been wanting to spend as much time with him as possible, so I've been skipping my trips to the gym. It feels like it becomes harder to say goodbye at each new deployment. I will miss him dreadfully. Week's Summary (09/07/09-09/13/09):
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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This past Sunday was my second sprint triathlon. This one was the normal format, not reverse and the swim was in the ocean. The anticipation of the swim had me at a very high anxiety level, but I concentrated on visualizing the race from start to transitions to end. It kept me focused and helped calm me down a bit. Turns out the swim wasn't as scary as I thought it would be and it ended sooner than expected. I did get bumped and kicked through the start, but with all the excitement and the adrenalin rush, I hardly noticed it was happening. I ended up finishing with a time about 3 minutes faster than my goal time, so I'm pretty happy overall. I just with my Pookie had been there to cheer me on. Anyway, I ate terribly this past week and didn't record very diligently. So, I know I'm missing some foods that I've forgotten about since eating them and finally recording it 4 days later. That and the lack of exercise meant a weight gain this week, but I knew that was going to happen. It was planned that I get to indulge this week to relieve some of the stress. Now that we're settling down to our deployment routine, I'm going to work harder than ever. The weight absolutely must come off in order for me to make my goal of qualifying for Boston. If I could just please, please, please remember this goal when the urge to overeat hits me. It's so easy to commit when my stomach is full and so hard to stay commited when the cravings come.Week's Summary (09/14/09-09/20/09):
Last edited on 23 September 2009 12:34 am by mchen01 |
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oneday New Member
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Hi Michelle, I would sometimes wish my hubby would go out on a deployment b/c I have this alter-ego superwoman attitude while he is gone! I get so much done, it is almost like a frantic energy to pass the time till he gets home. I did some of my best weight loss during those times. I hope you stay sane and meet your goals...there is nothing better than seeing his eyebrows shoot up when he gets home to a hot happy lady! |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Hi Oneday! You are so right! I am much better behaved and work harder when he's away. I think it's like you say - to keep busy so the time will go by faster. Thanks for the reminder and the support. It's very much appreciated. |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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I did pretty well on the diet this week, and best of all, I lost 3 lbs this week. I haven't seen a number that big in almost a year - yay! Exercise has been so so though. I've been feeling very tired, and my right heel has been bother me from the plantar fasciitis. Also, I still contend with weak achilles in both ankles. After doing two races in September, I think I might have stressed these injuries a little too much. I've slowed things down and am trying alternative exercises to let things heal more and recover a little better. Week's Summary (09/21/09-09/27/09):
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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This has been a rough week emotionally. We lost one of our beloved dogs - my mom's Cavalier who watched over her while she grieved over the loss of her husband. His illness was sudden and unexpected, and even though we caught the problem early, his condition deteriorated rapidly and we decided to end his suffering. He was a special dog and we will miss him greatly. So, with the sadness of his passing and watching my mom grieve afresh, I have actually lost my appetite. I tried to make up calories with dense foods that were bad for me, but I didn't care - I needed the comfort. I expect to recover my diet either later this week or next week as I've also been sick with a stomach bug that was followed quickly by a head cold. Grrrr! Of course, when it rains it pours, and I also have to repair the floor of one of our bathrooms which flooded over the weekend. At least it gives me an excuse to get rid of the carpet sooner rather than later. Who puts carpet in an upstairs bathroom over a wood subfloor?!? That's just dumb! This week's accounting may be off, as I failed to record during the tough days, but I think I'm pretty close. Week's Summary (09/28/09-10/04/09):
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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This cold is alingering. It's settled in my chest so no exercise for me. I'm drinking tons of tea to ease the cough and it seems to be helping. At least the cough is productive. The calories were a little low on some days, but everything seemed to average out ok. Besides being tired from the cold, I feel ok. So, I may not be able to do my usual workouts, but I was able to get outside for a nice walk in the sunshine and work on repairing the bathroom. The bathroom floor has been completely stripped of carpet and old linoleum, gouges and holes have been patched, 2 coats of Kilz and 2 coats of polyurethane to waterproof the wood subfloor have been applied. I just need to do one more coat of polyurethane tomorrow morning and wait 3 days for it to cure, then I can put down some vinyl tile and caulk and the kids will have their bathroom back. That ought to hold it together until we can afford the badly needed renovation. Week's Summary (10/05/09-10/11/09):
157.6 is a new low for me! I just need to lose 8.6 more pounds to get to 149, my goal for end of 2009. I've only got one more year left to try to qualify for the Boston Marathon so I need to lose as much weight as possible as soon as possible.Last edited on 12 October 2009 05:36 am by mchen01 |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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 Well, it's a little late, but here's my Long Beach Triathlon race report. I had a blast and wish I could have fit in one more triathlon before the end of the year. Racing has been a great motivator to help me lose weight and stay on track. I love the adrenaline rush and enjoy seeing my improvement every year. I may still be a little on the chunky side and definitely no spring chicken, but I beat a lot of people skinnier and younger than me and that for me is showing results better than any mirror or scale could do. The swim in the ocean wasn't as scary as I thought it would be, but it still took me a while to get over psyching myself out for the swim. The fear kept me from going all out, but I did the best I could maintaining a good stroke. I also hung in the back of the group at the start and found that was not a good idea. People who did not start swimming right away were blocking my way and I had a hard time trying to get around them. There are a few bruises on my arms and legs from where people kicked and elbowed me. Actually, I hardly felt being hit by the people around me. The adrenaline was so high I had very little awareness other than concentrating on the course and trying to stay on it. The water was stinky from the red tide, but the temperature was great and it seemed that the swim went faster than I thought it would. Oh, and side note on the swim, I need to remember to take off the goggle and swim cap before they take a picture of me - I look like a total dork! Transition from swim to bike included about a 200 meter run through really soft sand. Running on soft sand did not feel good on my achilles or arches of my feet - ouch! The run up to transition seemed to take forever and I ran out of steam to continue the run. Getting out of my wetsuit was a little tough, but everything else about transition went smoothly. I definitely could do it a little faster since I noticed other faster times were about 30 seconds faster than mine. The bike went pretty well, except I dropped my water bottle like a knucklehead - sorry to all the cyclists behind me. Getting off to go retrieve it cost me about a minute or two. We got a little crowded at the turnarounds, but most everyone was courteous and handled it safely. Trying to pass on a bike is a lot more tough than running. So many people, especially those very new to the sport, were reluctant to stay to the right even when they were slow and not passing anyone. There were two hills going over a bridge which we repeated once. I wish I had a faster time for this part of the race, but I think I did well riding smart and leaving enough energy to continue with a good run. My legs were wobbly at the start of the run and I was already breathing hard coming out of transition. It feels really weird to start a run already winded, but I kept telling myself to just keep moving because everyone else is also feeling bad. I was worried at the start of the run and really didn't think I could get through it, but as I started passing people, I thought maybe I could keep going by just passing one more person. It worked! I was doing well, alternately passing and getting passed, but feeling good that I was making progress and not keeling over. I did catch a woman whom I thought I could pass, but she did a great job fending me off. I tried making a move on her at the start of the third mile, but as soon as I passed her she kicked in hard. She only got about 15 feet ahead of me before she slowed down again so I thought I could catch her again. Unfortunately, she had more leftover than I did, and she surged ahead of me with about a third of a mile left to go. Still, I did better on the run than I thought I would, especially since I haven't raced a distance smaller than a half marathon in a couple years. I was hoping for a 9-9:30/mile pace, but actually averaged 8:55/mile. Overall, I beat my goal time of 1:28:00 by several minutes, so I'm pretty pleased overall. :-) Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, THE Chris McCormack was at the race! I didn't see him in person which is a big bummer, but I ran in a race that had Chris McCormack, world champion triathlete, in it. That's so cool! Total time: 1:25:07 Swim (0.5 mile): 18:09 - 2:04/100 yds T1: 2:27 Bike (11 miles): 36:51 - 17.91 mph Run (3 miles): 27:41 (includes T2 time) - 8:55/mile Age group place: 15 out of 41 Gender place: 72 out of 317 Overal place: 390 out of 947 |
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MichelleP Senior Member
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Great job on the triathalon Michelle! I admire your strength and tenacity and you inspire me. You are so very close to your weight loss goals. You will get there very soon. Congrats! |
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mchen01 Distinguished Member
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Thanks Michelle! I was on a great losing streak for a while there, but it figures that I couldn't last that long. While I did lose a teensy amount of weight this week, I could have definitely done better. I was a total P-I-G this weekend and will pay for it next week on the scales. The only thing I can do is to stick hard and fast to my diet and exercise this week. Week's Summary (10/12/09-10/18/09):
*TMI Alert* My stomach hurts really bad. I'm not sure if it's from all the coughing and air that I've swallowed, or if it's because I'm super constipated. When I look at all the food I've eaten over the weekend, I'm hoping it's constipation. It would be great if I could easily shed a couple of pounds by just, well, you know. I really need to get back to drinking more water. I got into a bad habit while I was sick when it hurt to swallow water with my sore throat. I also need to stop drinking coffee everyday and just get some good sleep. So, goals for this following week is to get 64 oz. of water a day and sleep at least 7.5 hours a night (in addition to the usual dieting and exercise). |
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