Wait-Did I Really Just Decide To Turn A Training Run Into An Ultra???

The blog has been silent for awhile for no other reason than I am too busy to update it.  Also-not much to say!
I am presently working on training for Nike Women's Marathon (NWM) that is held every year in late October in San Francisco.  This year is the 10th anniversary and I had to intentions of getting in, but surprise surprise-My group was selected in the lottery!!
This is truly just a fun run for me to run with few of my girlfriends.  This will be marathon #2 for me and #1 for both of them.  It's weird that I am the veteran this time around!

Right before we were selected for NWM, I had started a 60 challenge group for the Insanity workout program.  I was about three weeks in and was feeling fantastic!  All my tweaky injuries seemed to have been resolved by the head to toe workout Insanity was giving me.  There was a running/Insanity hybrid program I could have followed, but I knew that time was not going to favor that type of training.  SO-I decided I would try doing Insanity workouts during the week (no runs or only one run) and then I would do a long run on Saturday mornings.
The girls and I had already decided to go with the Hal Higdon Novice 1 program as it fit with my time and realistic goal of finishing the race-not necessarily setting out for a PR.

With that in mind-Last week we ran our 18mi training run and this week was going to be our 14mi step back week.  I had found a local 50k put on by the Seattle Running Club that sounded like a blast!  Beer + Running = Great Times in my book!!!  I talked one of my training partners into going for the run.  The Fat Glass 50k  works quite simply-Start with a 12oz beer, run 5mi, drink another beer, then record your lap time.  The goal was to do as many laps as you see fit.  Michelle and I had decided we would do three laps and call it good.

Let's interject here a few facts.  First and most important-I really know nothing about Ultras.  I know that anything over the marathon distance is considered an Ultra and a 50k is generally thought of as the shortest Ultra distance.  I also know most of the time they are run on trails.  I also know a lot of food is generally involved.  After that-I'm clueless.  That also goes for official training for Ultra distances.  I have heard that it frequently goes by time rather than miles but even that is something that I'm "pretty sure" I heard rather than something I have actually researched.  So let it be known I DID NOT train fro this as a race!

The week leading up to the run had me thinking about 5mi laps.  Thinking about doing six 5mi laps for some reason seemed like a realistic thing to do.  Running 30mi seemed overwhelming to even begin thinking about, but 5mi at a time-that I think I can do!

Friday night I had the most crazy dreams and after my mind telling me with increasing certainty that I was for sure going to run the 50k it seemed to make sense.  I won't bore you with the dream except the end which is where I finished the 50k but had to jump off a bridge into a river below-which of course I did.  My mind woke up and decided that meant it was time to take the leap of faith and see what I actually could do!

Michelle and I get to the race and I'm not even sure she was prepared to be in the drinking division, I of course told her there was No chance we Wouldn't be drinking!  So after our first delicious 12oz of Mac And Jacks (which they so kindly donated) our day of drinking and running was on!!
We ran, we chatted, and we finished our first lap in a pretty happy place!  By the time we got to mile 4 we were ready for beer #2-amazing how that worked!
Back out on the trail we start talking about how good we are feeling and Michelle asked me "You going to try to run the whole thing?" which I honestly don't think I had talked about, but maybe I did.  I was like "I'm not sure-maybe?"

Michelle and I priming for our run!

Then we got to talking about the rest of our training plan.  Next week is our 20mi culmination of our training plan-but Michelle will be out of town.  We had been trying to figure out how to run that run together as that is just a REALLY long time to run alone.  Our options were looking ok but not great.  So we got to thinking maybe running four laps for just over 20mi would be a good option and then just doing an nice long taper.  At some point this turned into Well if you (Michelle) run four laps I will run six-maybe.  Michelle has been having a little knee pain so we decided to go out for lap 4.  Michelle was in quite a bit of pain, so she did an out and back finishing her day with 20mi.  I finished the loop with the host of the event and we just were talking and he said this would be his last lap.  I decided that yeah I was done too.  I didn't have anything to prove other than having a good time.
After the lap we were sitting around and it was brought to my attention over and over that no woman was going to finish the 50k this year.  I think they could tell that I have a slight competitive side and I just couldn't leave that alone.  About that time our host said he needed to go out for one more lap because he couldn't let another guy best him.  Well that was all I needed!  I was two beers and a hot dog in, so I was feeling great on the break-shoes and socks already off-but just like that, I was putting on my shoes and socks and getting ready to go! What The Hell!!!  Who is this crazy woman!!
I also knew that I had a volunteer pacer for my last lap if I truly was going to do this!

"Is This Really Happening???" Was all I could think as I took those first steps.  I'm not going to lie-I still felt great!  A few twinges here and there, but nothing that was painful or new or strange.  For sure NO red flags saying "STOP!!"

This is where I need to talk about the timing of things.  This was NOT fast.  My running was consistent and comfortable and not super slow-but-between each lap was a half hour to an hour break.  From beginning to end I think it was 10hrs 32min for me to complete this whole thing.  I know my running time was 7+hrs.  Not quick. Frankly I am NOT letting time effect how I feel about finishing!!

So the wrap up-Michelle had been kind enough to wait for me through 5 laps, but she really needed to get home and I couldn't blame her.

My little group of three headed out to the trail-Chris who had offered to pace my last lap as he had only run 4 previous and another guy-whose name I forgot-who was going to to be the "sweeper" to pick up the trail markers because yes-I was going to finish Dead Last!  I knew I kind of had to get out of my mind a bit so for the first time that day I was going to listen to music-which by the way I DETEST doing on a trail!  It goes against everything about trail running to me.  This was going to be the exception though.
Chris was in front pacing a nice pace, but then he walked up a few of the hills which is of course normal, but at that point I just had to get this done.  After we turned a corner at some point I got out in front and I took off.  I just had to run the way I needed to and that was not conservatively at that point.  I felt bad because I had a small flashlight, and I knew Chris had nothing, but if he and Mr. Sweeper hung together they would be fine because he had a headlight.  I really did feel bad about dropping him after he so nicely volunteered to pace me.

I came off the trail and hit the pavement which is all downhill to the finish and even though there was no finish line to cross, I of course had tears of happy in my eyes.  Everyone was gone except for the host family, but I didn't care-I knew I had run every stinking mile and that is all that counted!

So for $20 entry fee-I drank beer all day, ran 50k, ate a yummy hot dog, won a blaze orange beenie, a Bud Light beer tap, and two empty growlers.  Not a bad Saturday.

That is how pretty I look after 34mi!

I also need you all to know how amazing my husband is.  He spent the whole day keeping our kiddos safe, happy and fed while I went out acting like a crazy fool.  The poor guy had no idea that I may even try this and he got a little nervous when I didn't call or text around the time he thought I should be done.  At the end though he is so proud of me and I am so glad he supports me fully.  This is not something you could do without love and support from all around!

So now you know how I became an Ultra Runner :-)

Doubting Thomas? How About Skeptical Sarah

I'm frustrated.
I have been for some time now.
I feel blah, my running is blah, everything is blah.
I'm irritated that my body isn't responding-but why should I be?  I'm not really doing anything to change it if I am being honest with myself.
So what am I really irritated at? Myself.  Isn't that the hardest thing to do-point the finger back at yourself and realize you are the reason everything is wrong.  I so want to blame someone or something, but I can't.
It's time to man up and admit to all the pitfalls I have fallen into. Of course it started when I got pregnant.  I am going to admit something here which embarrases my deeply-while I was pregnant with Ryan I craved and ate Mc Donald's cheeseburgers, Big Mac's and chocolate shakes like it was my job!!  If you knew me in person you would understand that equates me saying I am the Devil Incarnate.  Seriously-I detest everything fast food stands for!!!
Then Ry was born and I went back to healthy eating.  You all know the story-along came Elise three months later and pregnancy took over once again.  I was so tired all the time and to make up for my lack of energy I ate.  I basically ate anything and everything I could get my hands on!  If I could not shovel it (not sit down savor and enjoy-but straight up shovel and inhale) I did  not eat it.  So not much preparing of healthful foods.  I didn't crave the Golden Arches (thank God) but I also wasn't paying attention so I overate-All. The. Time.
What next-PPD UGH!!  Need I say more.  Dealing with depression is a whole other thing in itself.  For the first time in my life I found myself comfort eating-or to be more clear Comfort Shoveling High Cal Food.  Doughnuts, Bacon, you name it.  If it was rich and tasty I ate it.  Not that I believe those foods are bad for you by definition, they are just what I tell my kids in regards to snacks "Sometimes Foods" not everyday make you grow food.

Part of this is what lead to running the marathon-I wanted to lose the last of the weight. Yet again though I made a grave mistake.  I started to "diet" while training.  If you know anything about healthful eating, you will know this was just about the dumbest thing I could have done.  I felt all the negative affects; poor training, long recovery times, low energy, on and on. In the end I didn't lose a single pound and instead gained five more back!!

Then I went hardcore-Bob Harper "The Skinny Rules" which I think should be retitled "How To Screw Up Your Metabolism In One Month Or Less".  Seriously, I used to respect Bob, but have a hard time with someone who promotes How To Be An Anorexic.  I may be a little harsh here but after sticking with him and not only not losing weight, but after three trips to the Dr's I figured out I was just starving myself!

I've had quite a bit more success by eating more and doing Boot Camp at the YMCA etc. but the kids weren't cooperating when it was time to go to the gym, and let me tell you sometimes fighting with SUPER headstrong, SUPER spirited three and four year olds just isn't worth it.  They drained the life out of me just getting them into the car let alone getting the car seats belted.  So again I flounder.

Then I decided to try something I previously would have been totally against.  I feel like anything marketed to the masses as fitness, health, diet, etc should be considered 100% suspect and avoided at all costs.  But, I started to ask questions and opinions of those who I trust.  They all had similar impressions and advice and none of it was negative exactly.  The biggest thing I found was No One finished the entire 60 day program-BUT that is because they all were trying to keep up their running at the same time and they just plain old got exhausted.

So I'm diving in.  I am committing to the Insanity 60 Day Challenge.  I luckily got the videos from another awesome running friend and she also gave me the nutrition guide.  So far I have had the guide one day.  It suggests you eat five meals per day.  I have known for awhile that I am not eating constantly throughout the day and my blood sugar  is dropping like a bomb!  So far I have been sticking to eating 2-3 hrs with the suggested foods and I have already felt more "even"  The amount of suggested daily cal intake for me is about what I would suspect is right on target.  Not too few to keep my internal engine running.  For me that's about 1900-2100 per day.  Very realistic, not even close to starvation.  I also am going to add the Shakeology product to my diet as well.
I am also being guided through this process by the lovely Rhonda at Motivation Rhonda  who is a runner herself.  She too was a midpack runner (and diet product skeptic) who integrated Insanity into her running and also the Shakeology products.  She later went on to qualify for Boston!  I'm not saying that just because you do Insanity workouts and drink Shakeology drinks that you will BQ, but how awesome would it be if it helped get my body back to start so I could really focus on my running again and achieve the goals I have set for myself.

There is just one small problem.  I have NO problem giving up running for two months-it's just not that fulfilling right now anyhow-but I do have a bib for the Seattle Rock N Roll Half that I'm not sure what to do with.  I guess I will just play it by ear and see how it all shakes out.

One last thing, for the first time ever I have taken a "Before" picture.  It's not pretty and I am not quite ready to share it-maybe after some results?

Happy Mother's Day!

I'll be honest-my running has been...let's use my husbands term "Manic" lately.  Either I'm all in or I'm not running.  Finding balance has been super hard right now.  Coupled with my recent trips to the PT, I just have been, well-frustrated with my beloved sport.  Here's the thing, I like to run long, but I don't have time to train right.  So-I don't run much at all.

In the meantime, I have been diligently trying to support other Mother Runners (and runners in general).  I started a Mom's Run This Town Chapter for the Eastside/Kirkland, WA.  So far I haven't connected with other mothers in my neighborhood, but I have helped other mothers meet one another!  Bonus!  As a Chapter Leader, it is my job to just keep the ladies informed etc.  In general it is just a place to share running info.

One of the lovely ladies lives close-but our life schedules hadn't yet jived for a run together-posted that she had a bib for the Mother's Day Kirkland Half Marathon and was wondering if anyone wanted it.  I messaged her and  asked How Much? and She replied that it was free.  She was having some medical issues that were preventing her from running.  After a few conversations it became clear that distance running is not going to be something happening in her future-at least not easily.  I don't know all the full details of her diagnosis and I don't feel I should share what little I do know here as that is her story to tell and not mine.  I will tell you this part of our conversation though (kind of the Cliff Notes)

Me: I haven't trained at all, are you ok with someone running with your bib that may not finish fast?
Her:  I just want someone to run with it.  I have so many races I won't ever be able to run that I wanted to run-a full, more half's (etc) that I just say you do it.

That was it.  It was all the encouragement I needed.  I had been putting off my running for all kinds of reasons for far too long!  I embraced the challenge and decided I would run a half marathon for my Mother's Day gift to myself and to my lovely new running friend (or maybe walking friend)

So in the words of another mother runner "Training?  What's that?  I'm sure I can run that far right?"

I also kind of wanted to run this race for all the other lovely ladies out there who can't run for either Medical or physical reasons.  Or maybe they were just taken from this earth before they had a chance to run.
So here is my list of ladies I ran for:
mile 1: Kami
mile 2: Erin (BW)
mile 3: Erin (MRTT)
mile 4: Kristi- a mother who has passed leaving behind a son and husband
mile 5: Susan
mile 6: Elspeth
mile 7: Bonnie-was killed by a drunk driver while training for her first full marathon
mile 8: my Grandma Germaine who until recently walked a mile every day.  I fancy she could have been a runner if she wasn't so busy raising 13 kids (plus a few more that she would take in here and there)
mile 9: This one was for all the ladies in my life who are Mother's in their own way.  You don't have to birth children to be a Mother.  Women nurture in many ways.  Some are blessed with other ways of nurturing without having kids in their home day in and day out!
mile 10: Denise-a young mother who has rheumatoid arthritis who is willing to suffer the pain of running just a few miles (2-3 max) just because she loves the sport so much.  She plans on the pain-can you imagine?  I can't!
mile 11: Elisabeth-she was "almost" my sister in law and I still think of her as a sister even though our paths never cross anymore.
mile 12: Diana-My Mom.  I pray everyday her pain goes away so she could walk down the street with me.
mile 13: Gladys-My Grandma who was taken WAY too soon from this Earth.  I know in my heart how proud she would be of me.  I knew I would need her help bringing it home.
mile .1:  Well that last little bit was all for me.  I am proud of my body for putting up with my demands

Now the race right:

At 7:08 I left my house (for a 7:30 start) and walked/jogged for my warm up down to the starting line.  How perfect is that!!
I arrived just in time to line up-no time to nervous pee!!  I have to say it was kind of nice.
The field was small and I lined up very near the back-or so I thought.  My pace started off easy around 10:30-11mm nice.
Hills?  Check-right off the bat, of course, of course.  Then between mile 1 and mile 2 the race went Right.  By. My. House.  Seriously it was a close as you can get when you live on a dead end street!.  The plan was for the kids and the hubby to cheer me on right there as rain was in the forecast and believe it or not my PacNW kids don't like rain either!!  I got to the rendezvous point and wouldn't you know it-no kids or hubby in sight!  So off the course I ran scaring the life out of the volunteer-got to my front door and there was hubby frantically trying to corral a 4 &3 yo out the door (not even kind of easy-I get it!) I thought what the heck-while I'm here I'll pee, so a quick stop in the house and back out the door I went!

I ran back onto the course and was feeling pretty good about things. This continued until about mile 7.  Right abut this time you go  through an industrial area and you guessed it no spectators and lots of hills.  I changed up my music, stopped, retied my shoe, stretched and just kept running.

Somewhere around here I caught back up with people I had passed in the beginning and I was feeling pretty proud of myself around that time for passing them yet again!

I just kept slogging on-not feeling great but not feeling bad.  Around mile 9 things were getting a little harder.  On yet another hill (I overheard someone say there were 13 of them-figures) I overheard a man say to his wife "You're doing it-this is further than you have ran non-stop yet!" I had slowed to a walk to take a GU and just happened to fall behind them for a few minutes.  The wife was struggling-BAD.  The most beautiful thing though-her husband was holding her hand helping her to slowly keep momentum running up the hill.  I tried to stay behind and get their pic, but I couldn't get the phone out in time.

Here they are just after letting go of hands.

I ran by them kind of energized from that show of love-but I'll be honest, I was really struggling.

We ran through downtown and I was kind of in a zone thinking about my body and keeping everything in check.  I knew I wanted to run smart which meant I had to pay very close attention to my form and how I felt.  If I went out all crazy I knew an injury was immanent.

Just as I was about to hit mile 11 it was bad.  Not bad enough to quit-but bad.  It's hard to describe.  I knew I would finish, but still I was wondering where I was going to get the last push from.

Then my white knight in a black 4-Runner showed up with two awesome kids strapped into car seats.  Yup-hubby found me on the course.  I ran to the truck in a pile of tears.  "I needed you so bad right now and here you are" is all I could say.  I kissed my man and waved at my babes.  I started running and there was no traffic so Mike and the kids drove along side of me until almost mile 12.  That's all it took!  Game Back On!!

One mile to go and I knew Gladys was with me.  Me feet were light, my heart was overflowing with happiness.  All was perfect in my world.

Hammer down-Korn jamming in my headphones I kicked it up for the final push.  I looked at the Garmin at one point and I was running 9:30mm-and I felt GREAT!

Just as I was rounding the corner to the finish-Mike and the kids were there!!  I was so torn-I wanted to finish in under 2:30 but I wanted to hug my kids and hubby too.  Kids and hubby won, and I am ok with that.

My bib, list, Garmin, and Medal at home after the race.

PR for slowest 13.1 to date-good way of thinking!

Selfie with my Medal and my Pooh Bear checking me out!

I finished super happy with what I had accomplished and proved to myself that running doesn't have to be all or nothing and not every run needs to be a training run for some other run.

I will however say I will be running a few more miles before the Seattle Rock N Roll.  Even though I finished, this was by far the hardest 13.1 I have run to date!

Hot Chocolate 15k Race Report

No fancy title today.  Seeing as though I barely blog anymore, I figure I should skip the fancy title.
This was a pretty good race for me and I am going to try to keep it short and sweet-not likely, but a girl can try.

First of all, I am still struggling with fitting my runs and life together.  It feels like a puzzle with a few pieces missing and I can barely make the border much less put the whole picture together.  Having said that-it has been two weeks since my last run and a full week off with NO workouts at all.

Let's start at last night-I didn't even start prepping for the race until 900pm after the kids went to bed-not my norm.  I threw a few things in a bag, got out some running clothes and thought "good enough".  I did decide to make a last minute playlist.  It was pretty good actually but it kept me up until after 1030 and funny enough I didn't plan enough songs!  No big because I got sick of music by mile 7 and ended the race "naked".  It did however keep my pace fairly reasonable at the start of the race so that was cool.

I liked that they had a gear check-I hate standing around cold so I keep my stuff until the very last second.  This was also my first corral start like this.  It wasn't pace based but rather when you got your bib number.  We were then sent off in 2min. wave intervals.  Nice spacing and no one was running over one another.  Again a plus.

I started off maybe a hair too fast-but not nearly as bat out of hell as I tend to go.  This is even more amazing as it was a downhill start.  I kept it under control and felt super good for the first 4mi.

At mile 4 it got really bad. By that time we had been climbing a hill for quite some time but at this point it got really steep and I could see there was no end in sight.  In fact we climbed for over two miles!!  My calves were screaming!  I slowed the pace and kept running, but somewhere near the top I had to walk about 50 yards.  I felt good about it though as I knew there was no way my legs were going to hold up if I didn't give somewhere.

This was the first time the race came to Seattle and I have to say it was managed well.  Plenty of water and gatorade-about every 2-2.5mi.  Not much for spectators, but seeing as though we were running along the Aurora Hwy which normally doesn't have much foot traffic it was kind of to be suspected.

For some reason I thought with all the climbing we would end on a downhill.  Nope.  The climbs continued.  Right about mile 8.5 another lady who had been going back and forth with me stopped in front of me.  I said "Don't stop-we're almost there!!"  She started back up and we chatted (very briefly-we were both dying) about not expecting all the hills.

With about 300 yards to go, I pulled away from her.  I really wanted to sprint to the finish and truly try to "empty my tank".  I can tell you folks, I ended that race with a totally empty tank.  I was "that girl" gasping with every footstep from my toes to the top of my head.  I truly sounded like I was going to die.  Grunting-gasping-the whole thing. Good Lord how embarrassing! I will say it felt great though.
Even though this wasn't my fastest race, I truly left it all out on the course for the first time ever.

Post race I was walking to get my Hot Chocolate and noticed a cute little Filipino girl who looked really familiar.  After a beat I realized it was Catherine who is a contestant on the Bachelor this season.  I kind of laughed to myself as I frequently watch said program while running on my treadmill.  As it so happened, she got in line in front of me to get her treats.  So of course I tapped her on the shoulder and asked "are you Catherine?" she gave me a shy smile and said yes.  I told her "I have to thank you because I watch you every week while I run on my treadmill"  She giggled and said thanks and then said she wished she had something to motivate her on the mill.  Then she complimented me on my race shirt choice (my favorite too).

After finding my car and driving back home, my hubby and kids took me out for a burger and a beer at the Red Hook brewery.

Not a bad Sunday and I realized I can't go another two weeks without running.  I just don't feel the same!

In the end here are my stats-not pretty, but I'll take em'!
Total time: 1:32:06 
Total distance:  9.32
Avg. pace:  9:53

			Split Time Moving Time Distance Elevation Gain Elevation Loss Avg Pace Avg Moving Pace Best Pace Calories 1 9:17.9 9:16 1.00 29 83 9:18 9:16 5:41 94 2 9:05.6 8:49 1.00 81 83 9:06 8:49 4:33 97 3 9:39.0 9:31 1.00 120 60 9:39 9:31 5:55 95 4 9:06.5 8:51 1.00 76 54 9:07 8:51 7:26 95 5 10:13.8 10:09 1.00 84 238 10:14 10:09 7:18 93 6 10:32.3 10:30 1.00 273 0 10:32 10:30 8:46 95 7 1:47.6 1:46 0.16 7 0 11:14 11:04 9:15 14 8 10:33.3 10:08 1.00 0 276 10:33 10:08 8:21 93 9 10:31.8 10:31 1.00 234 65 10:32 10:31 8:43 92 10 9:49.8 9:49 1.00 78 99 9:50 9:49 8:06 94 11 1:26.2 1:21 0.16 0 0 8:59 8:27 6:30 15 12 :02.3 :03 0.00 0 0 9:44 12:32 7:03 0

Goals and Those Last 10 LBS

Seeing as though my blog is mostly about running but also about goal setting I try to write about that.
The problem has been that I have stated several goals over the last few months and none of them "took" because none of them feel right.  I do have a goal though.  It is a secret that I let out now and then almost tongue in cheek.  Secretly though-it's my only goal.

I want to qualify and run Boston.

There, I've said it-out loud and to a lot of people.  The thing is, I know I can't commit to the training I need to do right now to get there anytime soon.  I know me-I am not the type to overextend myself.  I'm just not happy when I do that.  So Yes-I am am one of those moms who says NO to people and will not overload my schedule just because "some people" think that is what you are supposed to do.
I don't do soccer leagues with my kids.  I do almost NO play dates.  My kids aren't in gymnastics or karate.   So far I can get away with doing that.  The kids get plenty of time to play with other kids by using our abundance of unscheduled free time.  We have time to read books, paint pictures and play with playdough.  We have time to do laundry together and make beds together.  They also get to help me make at least one meal per day-often more.
Frankly we are busy!  I couldn't imagine how we would fit in all of our fun stuff if we had to run off to this or that lesson or class.  I would be a stressed out mess trying to fit it all in.  Nope-I can't do it and I don't even want to try!!
Now-I don't judge, I know plenty of moms who do all those things that I don't do because they would go nuts with all that free time and they would go bonkers trying to fill up that time.  You have to do what works for you.  Period.

That is how I know I won't even attempt a training plan for Boston until one or both my children are in school full time.  It is just me and how I know I operate.  This is good information to acknowledge though as it lets me relax and work on what I know I need to do first to achieve my goal.

I need to build a solid foundation so I can safely execute a strenuous training plan.  Basically this is my goal for now.  It's the goal that fits and it's the goal that feels right.

I decided first I would get serious about losing the "extra baby squish" that is left behind.  I am not too caught up in numbers on the scale, I am more worried about inches and fluff.  Having said that, numbers do count for something on the scale so I basically am trying to lose the last 10lbs.  Everyone seems to want to lose the last 10lbs, so this is nothing new.
I have had a good relationship with food most of my life-a fact for which I am grateful.  However, after children I did try to "diet" with some nasty consequences.  I blogged about it HERE.  I have been back to simply eating when I was hungry and not eating when I was not.
Immediately I gained weight.  My metabolism was beyond messed up!  Even with the holidays I started to lose the weight again.  I changed nothing other than I ate more calories.  Not JUNK-real food.  Meat, Veg, Carbs, Fat.  Not much in my diet is processed other than breads, some cereal (once a week or so), maybe some chips-I don't deny, but I also don't crave them or feel bad when I eat them.  I simply eat what I want when I am hungry and stop then second I feel full.  Not in one more bite, or after I finish this little bit-but when I feel full.
I still was not convinced though I had enough information.  I am a numbers girl.  I feel the answer to everything is there if you just take the time to look at all the information.  This led me to a product by BodyMedia.  It is called BodyMedia FIT LINK Armband Weight Management System formerly known as a BoddyBugg made popular by The Biggest Loser contestants.  This is not only a pedometer, it also reads how many calories you are burning just by existing.  It also "reads" your body and lets you know how you are sleeping etc.
I Love This Thing!!  I have used it for just about two weeks now and like I had hoped, I have gleaned a  lot of information.  Most shocking I burn as little as 1700 cals/day (only once and let's just say it was after the sad Packers loss which included drinking a lot of beer) and as much as 2700 cals/day.  Most days I hover between 2200 and 2400.  This means that like I thought-I can easily eat 1900 cals a day and still lose weight.  That my friends is a lot of food!!  It's no wonder I was struggling when I was restricting to only 1400-1500cals/day!!!!
I have lost 2lbs. the first week I have worn my band.  I was not expecting to lose quite that much, but that also came on the heals of our trip to WI where something fried is eaten at every meal and several Old Fashioned's are consumed daily.  I suspect I will be closer to a pound or so per week for a bit and then I will level off.
I have changed up two things.  One of them is specifically calorie based.  I realized that I was drinking a lot of my calories in wine.  I haven't made a conscious  decision to not drink-but instead of just having a glass of wine just because, I have started to view it like food.  So I question "Do I really feel like having a glass of wine or do I just like the idea of having a drink?"  The answer almost always is I don't really want it.  Huh.  So weird!  I'll be honest, I've been a pretty big drinker most of my life because that is the culture I have grown up in and lived in.  I never really thought about whether or not I really wanted to drink or not.  So-that takes care of about 200-500 cals/day I am not consuming (No I didn't drink daily, but more than not some weeks)

The biggest change-I'm running less and trying to strength train more.  I just want to have a stronger leaner body and while running helps, my little bodybugg (as I still like to call it) tells me, I burn more cals doing strength and sprints than I do going long.  For example:  I had an average day of activity on Saturday and ran 6mi.  That day I burned 2700+ cals.  On Monday I had an average day of activity and ran for 25min at a pretty quick pace for me.  That day I burned 2600+ cals!  So after an hour of running I only burned 100 more cals than after 25min of running!!  Crazy!!  I also looked into why this is.  Come to find out that the longer/further you run, your body becomes more efficient and "adjusts" so you burn fewer cals.  When you do sprints and strength it is tricking your body into burning more as it doesn't know what it coming next. (Pretty sure I read that in Runner's World, but I can't find it to link it-sorry)

Phew!  That is a lot of info for one blog post.  If I would be better at blogging, I could keep them nice and short. or at least split up
Thanks for reading though and thanks for always supporting my goals by simply reading my random thoughts!  Good stuff is always in the works and I promise to bring you along for the good stuff if you want to keep reading through the boring stuff