<p>I succumbed to a bad habit today: slept too late, had an early work phone call, and never got around to eating breakfast, which is an essential meal for me, energy-wise. Plus I’m coming down with a cold so my head feels like a balloon, and I had no desire to accompany my H to the gym as we had planned.</p>
<p>Wegman’s is starting to open stores in our area. We’ve been thinking about a field trip there. So far, a friend has told me about the crab (or shrimp?) bisque, and now sewhappy has me dreaming of potato pancakes. Uh oh.</p>
<p>Week 2 of walk/run is done (well, I still have to do exercises tomorrow) and I’m up to 3 minutes of running, times 3, and the knees are still doing ok.</p>
<p>How does this work… I’m tracking my calories on livestrong.com, and had it set up to lose a pound a week. Now I am at my goal weight, so I switched it to the maintain current weight setting. My calorie allotment went up by 500 calories. How can this be? I’m pretty sure that’s about what I cut out in order to get to my current weight.</p>
<p>That makes sense. A pound of fat is 3,500 calories. If you eat 500 calories fewer than your body uses, then you lose a pound a week (7 days * 500 calories/day = 3,500 calories). If you stop the 500 calories/day deficit, then you will maintain your current weight.</p>
<p>Ran 25.5 miles this week (still one day to go - I might do an easy mile or two tomorrow). A check on the scale says that I am down 3.5 pounds over the last two weeks. This week I’ve been very hungry and have been eating more calories than before. I was a bit worried checking my weight as I thought that I might be up a pound or two. I’m running a bit more distance and a bit faster but something else must be consuming the calories. Maybe the metabolism has been bumped up.</p>
<p>Life has gotten much busier with the new month and that means more stress and less time to exercise so I’m setting my sights lower for the fall semester. Current goal is to get to 200 pounds (7.5 pounds to go).</p>
<p>Update: just updated my running log. I’m running an average of ten miles more per week. That’s not a lot of calories but maybe it makes the difference.</p>
<p>Hi everyone, I just wanted to check in. Since I’ve gotten to college I have done a lot more walking and have been watching what and how much I’m eating more carefully. I haven’t weighed myself, but I feel better. I sprained my ankle so I haven’t really been able to exercise, but I’ve been doing some upper body stuff at the gym and I’m planning on going swimming soon.</p>
<p>iPod workout for me this afternoon. I cheated and did the Airdyne intervals at the end. 80 degrees in the house and 91% humidity. I was sweating just plugging in the iPod. I knew that I’d never get all the exercise circuits in if I tried to do Airdyne intervals first.</p>
<p>Got all three sets in, strong, then did the Airdyne intervals and now I’m toast. Chicken Caesar salad for dinner. I’m gonna splurge and have an extra anchovy!</p>
<p>I must have died and gone to heaven the weather was so beautiful here in New England today after Hurricane Earl petered out overnight. 74 degrees, blue sky, puffy clouds, steady breeze. </p>
<p>I did a wonderful 5k walk over hill and dale, through fields, along the river, over the footbridge at the old mill, and up the half mile hill to the state park, through the woods back down to the river. Even did a little 1 minute jog for MOWC when nobody was looking. No turned ankles today.</p>
<p>The iPod even shuffled to one of my favorite songs of all time, South Texas Girl by Lyle Lovett, all about a hot summer day car ride in Texas:</p>
<p>I also got Surfin USA by the Beach Boys. Who was it that said, “Life is like a box of chocolates…”</p>
<p>I’m sore all over from lifting dumbbells yesterday. Those squat presses are tearing me up. I also did 36 big boy pushups, nose all the way down to the ground.</p>
<p>Did my 62 mile bike ride (organized event) yesterday and did pretty well. I couldn’t keep up with my company teammates (all men) or my husband (H did 80 miles), but even with a pretty annoying wind, I averaged 16.3 mph. It was a beautiful day (except for the wind) and the course took us into Kentucky farmlands. I’m getting a lot more comfortable on my bike in terms of not being afraid someone is going to crash into me any second. I enjoyed the PB&J sandwiches at the rest stops, too!</p>
<p>Played two sets of doubles this morning. We had a swirling wind which made it quite difficult - it’s easier to appreciate what the players have to deal with at the US Open. Swirling wind is the worst because you the direction frequently changes.</p>
<p>Also ran a half-mile on a track yesterday. I went because my son wanted to run and I wanted to end the week on an even number. The weather is nice out there but the wind is a pain for some activities.</p>
<p>Another beautiful day in paradise. 72 degrees at 4 pm. Steady breeze. So, I went for the long version of my walk – 1 hour 25 minutes. Seven hills to climb. With the lower temperatures came lower heart rates. I only averaged 65% of max and saw a peak of only 79% on one of the hills. What a difference a few months of exercise makes. </p>
<p>New Englanders are cold blooded. I’m walking in shorts and a t-shirt and thinking how nice it is to not be totally pitted out sweating on my hike. As I look at other people out walking in the park, they are all wearing sweat pants and long-sleeve hoodies. Go figure. </p>
<p>I’m taking my hat off to MOWC for a 65 mile bike ride. Pretty impressive.</p>
<p>Mixed bag re: the 10K this morning. My goal was 1. to figure out how to enjoy these events without having major anxiety and dread in advance 2. run comfortably and 3. not get hurt worse than I already am. It’s a difficult course (not mountainous, but lots of smaller hills) but weather was good this year- for the first time in history. I planned to run just under a 10:00 pace so I could be comfortable. Well, it’s a race and I’m…well, a racer. I didn’t wear the Brooks uniform because my feet are doing better right now in some non-Brooks shoes. I wore my Swamp (internet running forum team) racing singlet.
My first mile was my slowest at 9:06. I averaged 8:55 for a 55:11 or so. Last year I ran 52:31 but it was complete and total misery the whole way. I won the age group last year and was 2nd this year. I was really pleased with how I felt- never was “on the edge” and never had those “I’m going to quit” moments. HOWEVER- in the last .2 down the finishing stretch my entire left hip grabbed up and I barely made it. I am in pain now and can’t reach down for a toe-touch and get past my calves. I hope I didn’t really mess something up. Not good. I’ll do some of my PT exercises and hope it relaxes. I have not had this happen through this whole injury, so I’m not sure what went wrong. I had just very minimal discomfort through the race which didn’t affect my running until that last stretch. If it had happened earlier I would have needed to stop.<br>
So- I won a neat medal water bottle with the name of the race on it and a $10 certificate to Dick’s Sporting Goods.</p>
<p>Same leg- started as hamstring but became sit bone/upper leg and diagnosis was small tear L4-5 and pinched nerve, so I had the 2 epidural injections. The first one helped a lot- especially with the left leg weakness. My PT still thinks the left side should not be as weak as it still is. Not sure why it grabbed at the end of this race, but it is still really sore.</p>
<p>LongPrime- I have many running friends in their 60s, 70s and 80s. Not in wheelchairs. Most of us have been through various injuries, but manage to get back on the road. Quality of life is pretty good. I have never heard anyone say “I wish I had stopped running sooner.” Never.</p>
<p>I do all the exercises- Concept II rower, Nordic Track, Versa Climber. Eliptical, Bike, Stairmaster, walking etc. There is absolutely no exercise that gives you the same feeling as a good run.</p>