Good Run

Wow! That was a pretty fun run. I did 7 reps of "run 1:30/walk 2:45" and it felt ok. I think I'm gonna stay with this one for a week or two, and then we'll see what happens. Oh...cool...I just did the math on that and if I'm not too far off it's 29 minutes 45 seconds. That's perfect, so that means that I still did a 30 minute run. Great.

I made a bad food choice tonight and filled up with junk. Now I'm not hungry for my real supper (probably just as well). I don't do that very often, but I am not 100% at my diet either. That's ok. I guess I'm doing better than I was a month ago.

The kids start school next week, and I'm going to go to the lake and ride my bike. I can't wait. I'm going to run every other day when I first get up and then on the other days, I'm going to ride my bike. Riding my bike clears my mind (running just makes me pant! but I'm sure that'll change soon).

Oh! Guess who I saw on my run tonight...Oh c'mon guess, it'll be fun! Oh ok, I'll tell you! I saw Hal. Remember Hal from the other day...the nice man that gave me the glass of water? He said that he wants to exercise everyday like me! Hey...that was cool! He walks 2 blocks and he wants to go further soon.

Well, my poor kids are starving to death because their mommy hasn't fed them yet (Don't look at the clock please!) It's really late to be feeding kids...any good mom would have done that before she ran, but by the time I got back from the store tonight, it was almost dark and I wanted to hurry and run.

Ok...Have a great night and I'll see you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Victoria

Let the eating begin!

Ok...It's official...we have a sitter for the children for tomorrow night, and my husband and I are going out to dinner! I have been (about 80%) dilligent with my diet for the past 3 weeks, and tomorrow, I will EAT!

We are going to my favorite place (Chili's) and I already know what I'm going to get. Shrimp Fajitas and a Presidente Margarita! Oh my GOSH! I am sooooo happy.

I don't know if you can tell, but we NEVER get a sitter. I think the last time we had a sitter was 4 months ago, and before that, it had been like years!

I am going to run tonight and I'll let'cha know how it goes when I'm done.

Have a great afternoon.

With Great Anticipation of a Great Meal,
Victoria

Having A Hard Time Finding Myself

My run last night was a bit confusing for me. I started with intentions of doning my "run 1 minute/walk 2:45" but after the first run, I didn't want to stop at 1 minute, so I continued to 2 minutes, then I didn't rest for 3 minutes, I rested for 2 minutes. I continued after that with "run 2/ walk 3" for 5 reps. I ended up only exercising for about 24 minutes instead of 30 because the increase is too much.

I know I should probably stick with the "run 1/ walk 2:45" for a few more times, or maybe "run 1:30/ walk 3:30 X 6 reps." It funny about me...I'm not a competitive person with other people, but I am with myself. If I am playing a game against someone and they win, I am genuinely happy for them, and I don't feel like I should play harder next time. I don't really care if I win or if they win. I lack a competitiveness in regards to other people. I dont know...it's a quality I've never had. I'm just not competitive w/ other people.

However, I am very competitive with MYSELF. I want to beat my old record, or do better in things than I did last time. I always push myself to do the best I can. It's not a bad way to be, but I think I just need to be more patient with myself when it comes to running. It's still very early in the game for me as a runner. I think I'm just having a hard time finding a pace that feels good and a distance that feels good right now.

The good thing is that I am not quitting any time soon so I'll have plenty of time to figure it all out.

I hope all is well with you and yours

Sincerely,

Victoria

Short Run Tonight

Usually when I do my "run 1/walk 2:45", it takes me 2 miles. Tonight, the bottom fell out of the sky right before the end of the first mile. I had my phone with me and my walkman so I stopped. Most of the time, I am looking for an excuse to stop at the end of the first mile, but tonight, I was moving right along. I toyed with taking off my walkman and bringing it in and continuing my run, but I'm glad I didn't, because it started to lightning a minute or two after I stopped.

That's all 4 2nite.

I hope all is well with you.

Sincerely,

Victoria

This is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life

...there's just no other way to say it. It is just HARD. I have to talk myself out of quitting from one minute to the next during the first half of my run...I always feel better on the 2nd half, because I'm almost done.

My workout is not set too high because I can run the 1 minute ok and I'm not out of breath anymore when it is time to run again...it's just that this is something I've never really done before, and it is so different from what I am accustomed to (which is nothing).

I didn't get a chance to get my bike tire fixed yesterday, so I'm going to go by there tomorrow, and I'm going to ride. I love riding my bike. I feel like I am flying. Maybe one day when I can run a long ways, I'll do a duathlon. THAT sounds like fun.

I don't want to sound like I am a whiney baby, or a complainer or anything because I am probably one of the toughest people I know. I've been through a lot in my life, I have a great attitude, and I know that this is going to get better once my body gets conditioned to it.

When I started this blog, I promised myself that I would always be 100% honest with myself and with whoever chose to read it, and that I would never cut corners. If it's hard, I'll say it's hard, if it's a breeze, I'll say that too. If I skip a bunch of workouts and eat a bunch of cheeseburgers, you can look for me to write about that as well. I want this blog to be an accurate depiction of my journey from couch-potato fatgirl to half-marathon runner (and beyond!), and the truth of it is that I am very out of shape and getting into it is not a lot of fun...the benefits will be great, but I don't think anyone ever told me it woud be easy...and it isn't.

I hope all is well with you and yours tonight. As always, thanks for listening.

With Sincerity,

Victoria

WEIGH To Go FatGirl

I have been running and eating properly for 2 weeks now. I weighed this morning and I have lost 4 pounds! I now weigh 207. Hardly down to my supermodel weight, but I'm 4 pounds less than I was 2 weeks ago. I didn't gain it all in 2 weeks so I won't lose it all in 2 weeks but I am very proud of myself. Plus, I can walk/run for 30 minutes without dying...in just 2 short weeks.

I want to go ride my bike today. I have to go get my tire fixed. When I went riding Sunday, something must have happened because my tire is busted. I have to go to the bike place and see about it. While I am there, I am going to ask him if he can show me what is wrong and how he fixes it, that way I can know more about my bike. I plan to ride a lot, and I need to know what to do if something goes wrong. I don't have any idea what is wrong with it. The only thing I can think is that while I was riding Sunday, I stopped and put air in my tires and I might have put too much. I don't know. We'll see what the guy says today.

Ok. I'm on my way to start my day.

Have a great day,

Victoria

Back in the saddle again

I just got back from running. It felt SOOO good. Oh man! I haven't run since Saturday. I rode my bike Sunday and Monday and Tuesday I felt awful. I hate to say it in mixed company so I'll just say that there is one week out of the month (sometimes a WHOLE week, sometimes just 3 or 4 days) when I feel so awful that I am almost incapacitated. I don't know why it is so bad for me. Some women just breeze through it, but not me.

The diet that I am on now should help me because it was designed by a nutritionist for PMS and PMDD specifically and she helps a lot of women with this. She says that usually after about 90 days on the diet, you can feel a change. I'm hoping that's true.

Apparently the rest did me some good though. I really did have a great run. It was hard but not unbearable. I did my 8 repetitions of "run 1 minute/ walk 2:45" and it really felt perfect. After the 4th repetition, my recovery was about 7 and a half minutes because I looped back by my house and came in to get my walkman wires untangled and get Thunder some water. I think it made the 2nd half of the run much easier.

I really can't believe that I don't feel exhausted or anything. I feel good. I am so proud of myself.

Has anyone tried the Asian Salad at McDonalds? I ate one today for the first time and it was downright enjoyable. Usually I just suffer through a salad, but this one has all kind of stuff in it, and the dressing they give you is so good too. It filled me up from lunch to supper. It was great.

Well, I'm gonna go tuck the kiddos into bed.

I hope all is well with you.

Sincerely,

Victoria

Look Out...Fat Girl Coming Through

I went to the lakes today and rode my bike. I rode for 4.3 miles. It was SOOOOO much fun. When I ride my bike, I am not fat, I am not out of shape, and I am not slow...I am sleek and aerodynamical!!! I feel so "in control" of my bike (most of the time!)

I had my earphones on and I completely lost track of time. I felt like I was playing a video game called "Dodge the Runners"!! There are a lot of runners at the lakes, and I was just flying past them (very carefully, and always with a very pleasant "hello" as I passed). I really do like the freedom of riding my bike.

This is not to say that I do not enjoy running, it's just that, at this stage in the game, I'm so slow and the bike goes so much faster. Tomorrow is my running day. I'm looking forward to it.

I'm putting a picture of me on my bike today. It's a blurry one, because my little boy took it of me with my camera phone. I just wanted you to get some idea of a visual (as unpleasant as it may be right now...documentation is important!).
FAT GIRL ON A BIKE


Ok. I'm gonna go now. I hope you have a great day.

Sincerely,

Victoria

Wow Cool...I just found something out

I just found out that on December 2nd, there is a "Baton Rouge Beach Half Marathon". That'll be great! I can do that one and get some experience before Houston. I'll get to see how I'm progressing. That's awesome.

Cool...Just thought I'd let'cha know.

V

I did it...It wasn't pretty but I did it!

Alright, heres how it went: It was hard! It was really hard, but I did it. I think that the "run 1 minute/walk 2:45" is the perfect starting point for me. I'll do this for a week or two, until it gets easier, and then I'll tweak some more. I'm sure that the more I do it, the easier it'll get.

I'm going to have to figure out how to bring a water bottle with me. I hold Thunder with one hand, and I've got this big, bulky "Walkman" in the other (yes, I am from the Ice Age, thanks for asking!...I know that no one has a "Walkman" anymore). I had to stop and ask a neighbor for a glass of water this morning. That sort of thing has great potential for disaster, so I should definitely figure out some way to keep water with me. It takes priority over the Walkman if need be. Thank goodness though, that the neighbor was very nice. He was a Vietnamese man named Hal. He is always working on his flower bed everytime I bike or jog or drive by. He has a beautiful yard.

I'll bet the inside of his house is beautiful too, because as I was waiting under the carport, I noticed that he keeps his shoes outside. He takes his shoes off and leaves them outside. He had 2 big shoe rack thingys on his carport, and there must be about 50 pairs of shoes there. I guess that's a good idea, to not wear shoes inside...it probably keeps his floors from getting dirty, but I hope no one takes his shoes. I don't guess anyone will. I don't know though, sometimes people steal some strange stuff.

Ok...enough about that! Just...bring a water bottle next time Victoria!

I sure do feel good that I was able to accomplish that. That's a big thing for me.

I'm off to start my day now, I'll talk to you later. I hope your day goes well.

Sincerely,

Victoria

Planning Ahead to Avoid Failure

I got to ride my bike today, but just for about 10 minutes. My husband does emergency-response work, and he has a call to go on, so I have to be at home with the children. I enjoyed my bike ride.

I think that when the children start school in mid-August, I might ride my bike during the day on the days when I don't run. There are some lakes around here that have bike paths around them, and even if it's hot during the day (which it definitely will be), I can ride there because there are lots of trees.

I'm just trying to think of a way that I can maintain my running and biking schedule during school. When school is in, I can only really exercise early in the morning before school, or during the school day itself. I work in the afternoons at my children's school, and the evenings are too hectic. I have to cook supper, and get everyone bathed and fed and tucked in, and uniforms have to be put out for the next day. Also, it gets dark earlier during the winter months.

So, the bottom line is, I think that on the days when I run, I'll do that before school. That will get me up and moving, and it'll ensure that I'm at school on time. On the days when I don't run, when I ride my bike, I'll do that during the day while the kids are at school.

I'm just trying to ensure that when the time comes, there will be no excuses! I want to make sure that I am all lined up, and know what I'm going to be doing.

Ok...tomorrow morning, I'm gonna do my "walk 2:45, run 1 minute". We'll see how that goes, and if need be, I'll tweak some more. I'm going to put my clothes and shoes and Thunder's leash by the side of my bed, so that it will be easily accessible in the morning. (I read that little tip somewhere and it really works for me).

I took a night off from cooking tonight. The children and husband wanted pizza (he had to take his with him and eat it on the way to his call). I think that after the kids finish eating their pizza, we'll run to McDonalds and I'll get a Grilled Chicken Sandwich no mayo, extra pickles and a side salad and a parfait. They put the Chicken Sandwich on a wheat roll of some sort. I don't think that it's whole-wheat, but it's not the regular white bun either. It's not 100% healthy but it's not junk, and I won't have to cook either.
I hope you have a great night.

Be good,
FatGirl

Tweak tweak tweak

I Googled some of the "run/walk" programs, and none of them were exactly what I had used before. Some of the programs call for you to "run until you are tired, then walk until you feel like running again, and then run until you are tired...repeat for 30 minutes". This might be good for some people, but I want exact numbers so that I can see if I am improving.

After I looked at some of the programs, I sat down with pencil and paper, and came up with this:

Run 1 minute
Walk 2 minutes 45 seconds
Repeat 8 times

It works...it equals 30 minutes. I'll give it a shot on Saturday. Tomorrow I get to ride my bike!

Alright, lemmie go get my shower and get the rest of my day started.

Bye 4 Now,

FatGirl

Tweaking until I get it right

I just got back from my morning run. I am still having a hard time finding a good starting point. The 8 reps of "run 60 seconds, walk 90 seconds" didn't work, so this morning I tried 6 reps of run 60 seconds, walk 2 minutes" and I only got through 5 of those, and I was in moderate to severe distress when I finished, so I'm not sure where to go with this. I'm sure if I keep tweaking, I'll find the perfect starting point, and then increasing will be a breeze.
I did one of these "walk/run" programs about 4 years ago, and the first week was much easier. I'm going to try to find it again. I can't remember exactly where I got it from. Everything I had at that time was published by Runners World, so I'm sure I can just look on their site or something. I almost think the first week was "walk 3 minutes" and then something. It probably wouldn't be too hard to figure one out mathematically, since they are all based on a 25-30 minute workout. I'm going to keep trying.

I experimented with eating before I ran this morning, and that was not a good experiment at all. I tried to eat 1/2 of a peanut butter sandwich. I can't really swallow that early in the morning, and peanut butter was asking a bit too much. Maybe a half of an energy bar or something. I really don't know.

Ok...I'm off to the Runners World website to see which "walk/run" program they recommend.

Thanks for being such a good listener!

Have a Great Day,

Victoria

What A Trip

Wow! Guess what I just did..............Go ahead..............GUESS..............Nope, Wrong, Guess Again...........................NO SILLY...NOT THAT!!!!!!!!!! I decided that I want to be active every day, but the "Couch to 5k" program suggests that you rest every other day. So, I aired up the tires on my bike, and I rode! Oh My GOSH that was fun! I had SO MUCH FUN!!!! It was amazing. I forgot what it was like. I felt so free!

I don't know how far I rode, I don't know how fast I rode, I just rode! I think it must have been about 40 minutes. It was the greatest thing EVER! It beats running because when I run, I can only go as fast as my body will let me go, but when I bike, I can go as fast as I really want to go.

That was a blast. I don't, at all, mind doing that every other day. I listened to music in my earphones too. (Yes, I know that is not safe because if I get hit by a car I won't know it until I go flying into the air and not when the car starts to skid.)

OK...So, I needed a good day after yesterday. I'm going to see how the running goes tomorrow morning. Maybe I'll just breeze through it. We'll see. I'm not so frustrated anymore. I think that even if I have to adjust the amount of time that I alternate the running and walking, it'll still all work out in the end.

Thunder didn't get to come along on this trip. I have seen people biking with their dogs, but I'm not that brave! I'm afraid Thunder would take off at a dead run and I'd be tied to the other end of his leash...WITH WHEELS UNDERNEATH ME!!!!! Not a chance!

Alright, I feel great. I ate supper before I rode my bike tonight. I wonder if that has anything to do with why it was so easy. I wonder if I should eat something before I run in the mornings.

I hope you have a great night. I'll see you in the morning and tell you how my run went.

Sincerely,

Victoria

I think I'm just not cut out for this

I was discouraged that I could not complete the run this morning, so I thought I'd try to run the other 4 repetitions of "run 60 seconds, walk 90 seconds" this evening. Thunder and I went out tonight and gave it a try. I only was able to do 3 of them. What is wrong with me? The stupid program calls for me to do 8 of them. I could only do 4 this morning, and I couldn't even do that tonight.

I just want to be good at this. It really kills me when I try to do something and I don't get it right away. It is sooo frustrating.

Ok...here it goes. You were bound to hear this story sooner or later. I'll wait here while you go get the tissues! When I was in high school, there was a cross-country team. I don't remember if it was 3 or 5 miles that they ran. You didn't have to try out for it, you just showed up. There were some of the people who were really fast, and some of the people who were really slow...and...yep...you guessed it...then there was me!!!!!

I LOVED the cross country team! I absolutely ADORED the cross-country team! I couldn't wait to get there in the afternoon and lace my shoes up. Ok...so as I look back at it, after we ran each day, I must have arrived back at the school about 10 or so minutes behind everyone else. Nobody was ever mean to me or anything, I think they just didn't ever pay a lot of attention to me (probably because they only saw me when the coach said "go"!!!!!)

Ok...moving right along...so one day, I arrive back at the school, and all of the other girls had gone home. The coach was there waiting for me. She called me into the locker room and told me that we needed to "talk". "Oh, wow", I thought "this is so great, I'm a real track runner, and I'm having a talk in the locker room with the coach. This is really cool :)" (You see where this is going, don't you?)

She looks at me and she says:
"Victoria, do you like being on the cross-country team?"

"Yes ma'am" I said to her, with no idea that she was like a snake, slithering in for the kill.

"Is this something you really want to do?"

"Oh yes ma'am, I really do". (I had no idea what was coming.)

"You know Victoria, sometimes people really like to do certain things." ,

"Yes ma'am" (Wasn't it cool being on the cross country team and spending time talking one on one with the coach? We might even become friends or something)

"You know, Victoria" she began, "I have always wanted to be a dancer."

"Cool Coach P."

"You know the dancers I mean? The ones in Las Vegas...the ones that all stand in a line and rest their arms on each other's shoulders, and kick their legs up real high all at the same time, and then they turn the other way and kick that way?"

Now, I must tell you that this seemed kind of strange to me, looking at Coach P and thinking about this. You see, Coach P was about 5 feet tall and about 150 pounds and she cut her hair real short like my Dad. He even told me that she actually went to a barber shop to get it cut. She had been a P.E. coach for about 20 years. She was very square, and she had short, stubby little hands that reminded me of a mechanic. The nails were very short and they always had black stuff under them like she had been working on a car. She had very short dumpy little legs, she didn't shave the hairs off of them, and she wore her socks very high, which gave the illusion that her legs were even shorter than they were.

I looked at her kind of puzzled, and said:
"I'm really sorry about that Coach P, maybe if you went over there to Las Vegas and spoke with them..."

"Victoria?" she looked kind of mad or something.

"Yes ma'am?"

"Sometimes we have dreams, things we really want to do, but we are just not cut out for them. I don't care how hard I try, I'll never be one of those dancers in Las Vegas. I'm just not cut out for it. You really want to be a runner Victoria, but sometimes, no matter how much we want something, or how hard we work, it will never happen for us, and it is better for us to know that upfront than to be under the delusion that we are something that we aren't."

She got up and reached into my locker and took out my clothes that I had folded so neatly that morning in anticipation of track practice, and laid them on the bench. She gently and thoughtfully removed my lock and laid it neatly on top of my clothes. Then, she walked out of the room.

I went home and told my Dad that I wouldn't be going to cross-country in the evenings anymore, I explained to him that it was interfering with my studies and that I just didn't like it as much as I thought I would.

Since then, I have always thought that I could do anything that I wanted, but I really feel like maybe I just can't do this. I'm not giving up. I'm still going to train, but I think the ultimate failure for me would be having to walk in Houston.

You know what I think? I think Coach P never really wanted to be one of those kind of dancers.

One Step Forward And...

Well, today was the day that I started the coolrunning "Couch to 5K" program. The plan called for 8 repetitions of "jog 60 seconds, walk 90 seconds". I was only able to complete 4 of the repetitions before I had to stop and call it a day. I was so tired, I couldn't even WALK the rest of the time. I am a little disappointed about this but I'm not going to let it kill me. I have a goal of completing the Houston Half in January, and I am going to do that. I am proud of myself and this is just one little-bitty part of the journey. I will have many improvements and pittfalls along the way.

I think the best way to handle this is just to try it until I get it. Even if it takes 2 weeks to complete this step. It'll be ok.

Ok... UNOFFICIALLY...I weighed myself this morning. It is the one week mark for me, and I had said that I was going to post my weight every 2 weeks so that I won't get discouraged, BUT...I took a sneak peek this morning and...and...and...I lost 4 pounds!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I weigh 207. It still qualifies as "moo-cow" but it's 4 pounds less moo-cow than I was last week!

I am also proud to report that Thunder is moving right along with his fitness plan as well! He LOVED running today. I mean he absolutely LOVED it! He was loving it, and I was dragging behind him trying to slow him down!

Ok...I'm gonna sign off now. I've got a few things to do, and then I have to go get my teeth cleaned this afternoon.

CUL8R,

Victoria

An Afternoon Walk

I have been having "the jitters" all day long. All day long, I felt like I drank a thousand cups of coffee, but I didn't drink any. This is a "female" issue. It's much too early in the month for this to start happening, because I think I have something like 11 days before my cycle starts. I missed 2 BC pills the last week and now my body thinks it's time to start. (Note: My tubes are tied but I use the BC pill to regulate my periods.)

Anyway, the jitters were horrible. I was grumpy and nervous. It really stunk. We went to the lake and Andrew caught 6 fish. When we got home, I was a little snappy with the kids. I remembered something Debra had told me once about that. She told me that if I get real grumpy, to exercise. Something about the oxygen or going fast or something is supposed to help. I figured it couldn't hurt, so Thunder and I took a little walk. We walked our mile.

I feel a little better, not a whole lot. I don't know. I'm gonna go take a bath and try to eat some supper. I haven't even fixed supper for my husband and children yet (bad mommy!).

I'm going to go for a run in the morning and I'll let'cha know how it goes.

An Amazing Run

Thunder and I just got back from this morning's run. It was the most amazing run ever. The mile only took 16 minutes...before you laugh, you should know that my first day, it took almost 25 minutes (now you can laugh!). During a few parts of it, I felt like actually running today, and not just walking. It wasn't just running by my standards, anyone who saw it would have said it was a fast jog or a run! I didn't do it very often, but I'd say that, on and off, I ran about 1/4 of the mile!!!! I am SOOOOO proud of myself, and I don't feel like I've been dragged behind a truck!

Thunder liked the running part, but not the walking part! He wishes we could run the whole thing. Don't worry Thunder, you'll get your wish, maybe not so far in the distant future.

CUL8R,

Victoria

Rained Out

Well, my evening "run" was rained out. I was going to wait things cooled off, but the rain came. So, I guess I'll have a day of rest and I'll just get up and run in the morning.

It wasn't a great day anyway. It's getting to be my "grumpy time" and that always brings my energy level down and my grumpus level up! We'll see how it all turns out.

I hope you have a great night, and I'll see you in the morning.

Victoria

Let Me Clear Something Up...

I slept a little late this morning, and had a few errands to run, and by the time I got back home, the sun was high in the sky and it was too hot to run. So, I am going this evening when it is a little cooler. I never really thought I'd say this, but I can't wait for my run this evening.


Let me clear something up right now. When I say to you that I am going for a "run", I don't want you to get the impression that I am actually going to "run"!!! (I can see how you might get confused!!!) Ok...let me explain. What you see, and what I feel are two completely different things.

What you see: A big, fat, woman walking, and holding tightly a leash that is connected to a big dog. Her feet are not lifting very high off the ground, she is not going very fast, she appears to be in mild distress, she is panting, her walk is not a slow walk but not a jog and certainly could never be considered a "run". She appears to be holding onto the leash for support. Is that dog actually holding her up? You're thinking "I wonder if she needs some assistance. Perhaps she needs a ride home! Maybe I should help!"

What I feel:
I have my earphones in, I am gripping Thunder's leash, I am happy and smiling, my music is making me feel like I am going pretty fast. I feel like I am really moving at a fast clip! I look ahead and I don't see the houses of my neighbors, I see a lot of people on the road, they are cheering for me. I look good. I am really moving now! I think I am running a marathon. I am very confident. When I run, I am not fat. When I run, I am not slow. When I run, I am not unsure. I am happy and confident and moving fast. You might think I am walking, but I know that I am running. I love to run. I love the music, I love the time away from the husband and kids, and the time in my own head, and I love to watch Thunder run. He looks beautiful.

So, when I say that I am "running" , now you'll know what I mean!

I'll talk to you this evening after my "run".

Sincerely,

Victoria