Follow Through Friday - Training is Over!

Let's just pretend I'm posting this on Friday and not Saturday. This week has been kind of crazy/busy for me. As I mentioned last week, we had some friends over for Valentine’s Day and has planned I did some indulging. I actually didn’t drink that much, maybe 4 or 5 beers total, but I did snack on some cookie cake (we were also celebrating a birthday)! Instead of burgers and hotdogs, I made a better choice and ate my Apple Chicken Sausages without buns, so I bet that helped a little. On Tuesday, I had my DietBet weigh in, and I didn’t make it (by less than a pound). Since they give 48 hours to weigh in, I decided to pack up a scale and give it another shot on Wednesday morning. I didn’t think I was going to be able to do it, with traveling across the country on Tuesday to California, and eating out/at the hotel for all my meals, and drinking very little water due to the circumstances  (probably drank less than 40oz and normally drink closer to 100). Surprisingly, I hit my goal with a little bit of margin.  This is my 2^nd Transformer DietBet and it overlaps with my other one and this was the Round 2 weighin. After missing Round 1, I would have been extremely upset with myself if I missed Round 2 as well. The pay out was $35.92 ($18.42 profit after $17.50 buy in), which was much more than I was expecting considering Round 1, that I missed, was only $21.29 total.

Of course though, after my weigh in on Wednesday, like the typical sabotager that I am, I made bad food choices. I ate muffins, cookies, waffles, and some heavy Italian food. There was some good stuff mixed in as well, green beans, grilled fish, and oatmeal but of course all that bad stuff definitely overpowered the good.

The only thing I was good about this week was my running. I did the 10k race on Saturday and then ran a 5k on Tuesday when I got to California. The hotel I stayed in was right next to a nice residential area and I decided to run through that instead of on the hotel treadmill. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. I met up with a friend, I met through my online Mommy group, on Thursday, and we ran 4+ miles along side the pacific ocean. It was such a nice run and we chatted the whole way. The mileage is a little questionable because I accidentally paused my RunKeeper for what I estimate to be .75 miles and she was pausing her Garmin during our walking intervals, so between the two of us, we aren’t 100% sure the total distance. It was definitely a total of 4 miles running though according to her watch, but I think the overall distance was around 4.75 miles. That was my last official training run, and I'll be tackling the Disney Princess Half Marathon on Sunday. We're leaving at 3:10am... shoot me now! I'm proud to say I actually completed my half training. This will be my 6th Half Marathon and only the first one I've ever successfully trained for, so that makes me feel good!

Weight: 166.4

Half Marathon training:

     Run 1: 6.33 miles in 1:07:40 (10:42 pace) 

     Run 2: 3.1 miles in 33:36 (10:51 pace)

     Run 3: 4.75 miles in 50:44 (10:40 pace)

 

Other:

     Walk: Friday – 4.11 miles

     Walk: Sunday – 1.61miles 

 

 Total Weekly Miles Logged:  19.90 miles

Overall Weight Lost since "Starting Point" 10/24/14: 10.8 lbs

Plan for Next Week: 
Half Marathon on Sunday, then my training is officially over! I do plan to keep up with 3 runs a week after that though, so at least another two 30-45 mins are the goal for the week! 

Winter Garden 10k Race Recap

Last weekend, I ran the Winter Garden Valentine’s Day 10k. It was once again a chilly morning for a run, but I’m growing to really love the 40-50 degree temperature range for running. 

I loved that this race is local and only a short drive from home. It meant I didn’t have to get up super early. The race started at 7:30, I left my house at 7 and was parked and meeting up with the MRTT Mommas by 7:15. I really wish Tri-n-Run would host more races that had medals as I love how close to home the races are. They host a decent amount, but normally don’t do the medals, and you know me, I’m a sucker for a medal. 

Moms Run This Town

My only complaint about the race was it was a timed race, but they didn’t have a starting mat. This meant that everyone’s start time for the race was based on the gun time vs. the time they actually crossed the start line. Granted it was a small race, so there weren’t all that many runners, but when trying to get a PR, even the few seconds it took me to cross the start line made a difference (and prevented me from getting my PR by seconds!). I just don’t understand why they go through the hassle of chipping the race if they aren’t going to have a start mat as well.

Anyways, the course was wonderful! We ran through Winter Garden and along side Lake Apopka.  They had 3 or 4 water stops, which is perfect for a 10k (and were nicely spaced out so that when my bottle was empty I could refill it at the last water stop). They didn’t have any formal entertainment (that I recall, apparently being on business travel for 5 days post race has done a number to my memory!), not even a school band or anything, which surprised me. I don’t necessarily “need” it for a race, but it is always nice and encouraging. A (very) few residents were outside cheering us on, but that was really it until you got to the finish line. You’d think with it being a local race, there would have been some local organizations supporting the runners along the way.

According to my RunKeeper, I did get a PR, but according to the official race results, I did not. That’s two races in a row where the chipping has messed up PRs for me (well last week it worked opposite as it gave me a PR, but I can’t honestly count a course that was that short). This was only the 3^rd year they’ve done this race, so I’m hoping next year maybe they’ll do the start mat. Overall, I enjoyed the run and plan to do it again next year (well, if they have a medal again!)

My Stats:

Official Chip Time: 1:07:46 (overall pace of 10:56)

Place: 232 of the 365 Finishers

Place: 129 of the 225 Women Finishers

Place: 16 of 23 in my Women’s Age Division (25-29)

My RunKeeper stats (which accounts for the zigzagging):

6.33 miles in 1:07:40 (overall pace of 10:42)

Fastest Mile #1: 10:27 pace

Slowest Mile #5: 11:06 pace

Follow Through Friday - Just Another Week

I hit my Round 4 DietBet weigh in on Saturday morning (yey!), although I struggled a little during my races that morning due to lack of carbs the day before because of it. (I normally carb load the day before races/long runs) The payout for this round was $38.31 so between the 4 rounds, with losing round 3, I’m still up a total of $35.71 (payouts of $85.71 vs buy-ins of $12.50/round).  Since I hit my weigh in, I let myself indulge on Saturday, and indulge I did. Let’s just say I didn’t get home until 3am… it was a good time! I jumped right back on the wagon though on Sunday and have continued all week.

I have my Round 2 DietBet weigh in on Tuesday (or Wednesday if I’m not there by Tuesday) for my other Transformer which is a goal of 164.9 lbs. I’m confident I should be able to hit that with today’s weigh in. But of course, we made plans to have some neighbors over the house tomorrow and I know there will be some good (bad) food and alcohol. Sorry if I sound like an alcoholic, but we like to drink socially. In reality, I should refrain from drinking 100%, but I know myself well enough to know that I will probably have a few, the key will be limiting it to JUST a few.

 

I will also be on business travel from Tuesday – Friday in California. I already have plans to run one of those nights with a friend who lives out there and I made sure to book a hotel that has a decent gym so I hope to be able to get both my runs in while I’m there.

 

My runs this week were lacking. I just wasn’t “feeling” them. Surprisingly, my total miles were up there still because I did a lot of walking (having a TV in front of our treadmill at home really helps because I want to catch up on my TV shows and exercise and this allows me to do both). I’ve kind of been in a blah mood, where I just wish I didn’t have to be “always” on a diet and could eat and drink whatever I want and not have to worry about it. Or at least be able to eat whatever I want, I don’t mind the exercising part. I know it’s supposed to be a lifestyle change, but I don’t think there will ever be a time where I’ll throw my nose up at pizza and beer just because it’s “bad for me”.

 

Weight: 165.6

Half Marathon training:

     Run 1a: 3.14 miles in 33:21 (10:38 pace) 

     Run 1b: 6.02 miles in 1:07:09 (11:09 pace)

     Run 2: 1 mile in 11:28 (11:28 pace)

     Run 3: 2 miles in 21:40 (10:50 pace)

 

Other:

     Walk: Sunday – 1.64 miles

     Walk: Monday – 1.84 miles 

     Walk: Tuesday– 2.33 miles

 

 Total Weekly Miles Logged:  17.97 miles

Overall Weight Lost since "Starting Point" 10/24/14: 11.0 lbs

Plan for Next Week: 
For Friday through Monday it will include a 10k race (will be a nice taper for the half the following weekend) was supposed to be a long run, but I know I can do a half again since I just did one, so I’m not too worried, one 30-minute run and a 45-minute run.

East Orange County Kiwanis Run for the Kids Race Recap

This weekend, I ran the 5^th Annual East Orange County Kiwanis Run for the Kids, Distance Dare Event. I participated in their 5k event back in 2011 and when I saw they were offering a Distance Dare event WITH medals, I decided I’d sign up again. I knew it would be a rather small event based on the location, which I prefer to larger races, but wasn’t expecting it to be THIS small. I think based on the results, there were only about 100 people participating between the 2 races. Regardless though, they did put on a decent event.  

The races were out and back on the Cady Way Trail. Since I was doing both the 5k and 10k, I went out and back twice. When I was in college, I live in the apartments that backed up to this trail, and had been on it a few times back then when I used to roller blade for exercise. It was nice to kind of reminisce a little about my time when I lived over on that side of town. My only complaint with Distance Dare events is you have to wait in between each race. This has been the case with all Distance Dare events I have ran as they give other runner/walkers a chance to finish before starting the next leg of the race but also gives my muscles time to tighten back up. I really wish they could make it possible to just continue on to the next race as soon as you finish the first. They had one water stop which you could hit twice for the 5k and then two water stops for the 10k which means four total stops for the 10k which was the perfect amount. (although I didn’t need any until the last stop when my water bottle ran out)

I ran this race with my friend Kelsey. She just started running in January and this was going to be the furthest she had ever ran in one day (she signed up for both the 5k and 10k as well) so I went into the race without really trying for any special times, just was kind of running and making sure she was doing ok. Well she completely impressed me and at times I felt like I was holding her back, she was such a champ! Towards the end of the 10k I told her to go ahead and finish strong as I was struggling a little bit towards the end and she finished about 30 seconds ahead of me. I’m so proud of her and her accomplishment in such a short period of time! I definitely see her with some fast running potential!

Kelsey and I ran the 5k together and then another girl joined us during the 10k. I always say this, but it really is nice to run with others. Having someone to talk to make the time go by so much faster and then it also helps keep up the momentum as you are less likely to take an extra walking interval when you are with others.

I struggled towards the end of the 10k, probably because I’ve been really strict about my diet this past week knowing I had a DietBet weigh in on Saturday morning. I’m proud to say I hit my goal for round 4, but because I didn’t “carb up” the night before the race, I think it played a factor onto my fatigue Saturday morning. Regardless though, I’m happy with my times. I even kind of, sort of, PR’d the 10k. I’m hesitant to “count it” because the course was short. The turnaround point on the 10k just wasn’t out far enough and I was using both my Garmin and Runkeeper and they both measured really short. The Garmin said only 5.92 miles and Runkeeper said 6.05 which is pretty dang short for a 6.2 mile race. That could have been up to another 2ish minutes on my time, hence why I’m hesitant to really call it a PR. A lot of the other runners said their tracking devices came up short as well. My Garmin had low batteries so I’m thinking Runkeeper was probably a little more accurate as it was in line with most of the other people’s measurements. Although, since I did do so well with a light diet the night before and a 5k before, it makes me feel like I can probably try for a PR at my 10k this weekend, so that’s what I’m going to try for! Ironically, my 5k PR was also from the Kiwanis race 4 years ago, and I’m pretty sure that course was a little short too. For chipped races, that’s kind of discouraging though, I feel like they should try to be a little more accurate, especially with an easy out and back course, it’s not THAT hard to make sure you have it measured correctly.

Anyways, the weather was perfect. For a “late” starting race, 8am, you always worry about it getting too warm. (yes, even in February – it’s Florida). Started in the high 40’s/low 50’s and after the 5k was over, I took off my long sleeve shirt and just wore my short sleeve shirt for the  10k and never once felt too cold or too warm.

My Stats:

5k

Official Chip Time: 33:09 (overall pace of 10:40)

Place: 32 of 85 finishers

Place: 14 of 50 Women Finishers

Place: 14 of 30 Distance Dare Finishers

They didn’t break it down by age division

My RunKeeper stats (which accounts for the zigzagging, although there  really wasn’t any in this race since it was so small):

3.14 miles in 32:21 (overall pace of 10:38)

Splits:

Mile 1: 10:26

Mile 2: 10:53

Mile 3: 10:44

.14 Mile: 9.31 

10k

Official Chip Time: 1:06:56 (overall pace of 10:46) <- which would have been awesome if the distance was really 6.2 miles!

Place: 28 of 52 finishers

Place: 14 of 32 Women Finishers

Place: 14 of 30 Distance Dare Finishers

They didn’t break it down by age division

My RunKeeper stats:

6.05 miles in 1:07:09 (overall pace of 11:09)

Fastest Mile #1: 10:22

Slowest Mile #6: 11:22

Follow Through Friday - Hosting My Own DietBet

My latest 4% in 4 week DietBet (hosted by Heidi and Chris Powell) ended on Monday, and I made that goal (although had been  a higher starting weigh in due to holiday bloat, so I wasn’t really worried about not making it – although had I fallen off the wagon much more, it’s possible I may have missed it) and the payout was $41.24 (so only $11.24 profit after the $30 buy in). This particular DietBet had a higher % of winners (and the most participants EVER apparently) than previous DietBets I’ve participated in, which I can assume has to do with the fact it was at the start of the New Year and majority of people usually stick to their resolutions the first few weeks of the year. Regardless though, I’m always happy to win a few extra bucks for the weight I’m trying to lose anyways!

Hoping to hit my 6 Month Transformer DietBet weigh in goal tomorrow of 165.6 (for Month/Round 4) but a little nervous considering today’s weigh in was still higher than that. They give 2 days to weigh in, so if I don’t hit it tomorrow, I can always try again Sunday, but I have a Ladies Night planned for tomorrow night with some friends, so I told myself I would allow myself to have a few drinks IF I hit my goal. So here’s hoping, otherwise it’ll be torture to go and not indulge in some yummy food and drinks (especially since it’s at a neighbor’s house and I can walk home!).But that’ll be my “punishment” if I don’t make it. I missed last month/Round 3 and I do NOT want to miss this month too! Especially since the payout each month keeps getting higher since less people are making their goals (and since this one went THROUGH the holidays, some people probably fell off the wagons too which I’m hoping means an ever bigger pay out, but it’s also possible that they got back on the wagon with New Year Resolutions, so who really knows what the payout will be, I’m just hoping I get a piece of it!) – Overall I’m still “up” with my winnings from this bet, even with missing last month.

And because I'm clearly OBSESSED with DietBets, I decided to host my own! It starts on 2/15 (the day after Valentine's day) and is only a $20 buy in. As of this morning, the pot is only $80, but I'm hoping to get up to $200 before the start of the bet. If you'd like to join, go to http://www.dietbetter.com/games/61629  to check it out and join! Remember you only have to lose 4% in 4 weeks to win your split of the pot!

I let myself do a little bit of food indulging on Saturday and Sunday (did say NO to alcohol and Mickey Ice Cream bars though) and it pretty much took the rest of the week to lose the gain I saw on Monday and I ended up staying even with last week. 

As for my running, I only had a short race instead of a long run on Saturday. I’m definitely improving on my speed, which makes me happy since I use to be able to consistently run about a 10-11:00 pace (at least for up to 5-6 miles) and I hope to get back down to that (and faster) after I’m done half training.

Weight: 166.4

Half Marathon training:

     Run 1: 3.16 miles in 38:45 (12:15 pace) 

     Run 2: 4.06 miles in 46:32 (11:28 pace)

     Run 3: 3.10 miles in 33:50 (10:55 pace)

Other:

     Walk: Tuesday – 1.93 miles

     Walk: Wednesday – 2.48 miles 

     Walk: Thursday – 2.66 miles

+ Walked around Disney for hours on Saturday – had over 28k steps, but wasn’t a designated “walk” where I formally tracked my miles

     

 Total Weekly Miles Logged:  17.39 miles

Overall Weight Lost since "Starting Point" 10/24/14: 10.2 lbs

Plan for Next Week: 
For Friday through Monday it will include a 5k AND 10k on Saturday (doing a distance dare race event, was supposed to be a 12 mile training run but I think a 9.3 mile RACE will do me good), one 30-minute run and a 45-minute run.