Square Roots, Two Gomers, and a Half Marathon?

I despise square roots, quadratic formulas and factoring.  That's why I majored in Political Science and French - no math.  So why am I relearning something I sucked at hated so badly 20 years ago?  Because I love my daughter and she has a test tomorrow.

I love Two Gomers.  They're in the second season of their podcast called "Two Gomers Run a Marathon."  The first season was cleverly named "Two Gomers Run a Half-Marathon."  What I particularly love about them is that they, as newer runners, are willing to ask all the questions I wanted to but was afraid to.  They mention things like "Code Brown."  A Code Brown involves the need to use a bathroom while running.  Despite shingles, being hit by a car, all sorts of various and sundry obstacles, the Gomers continue towards their goal.  It's a blast to listen to.  If you Facebook, find them by searching under "Two Gomers Run a Half Marathon."  Give it a try.  I promise you'll find the podcast well-organized, informative, and entertaining.

So why do I randomly mention the Gomers?  Because I love the marathon training plan they're following from The Fitness Motivator.

Week	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Total
1	2	Rest / XT	3	Rest / XT	2	Rest	4	11
2	2	Rest / XT	3	Rest / XT	2	Rest	5	12
3	2	Rest / XT	3	Rest / XT	3	Rest	6	14
4	2	Rest / XT	3	Rest / XT	3	Rest	7	15
5	2	Rest / XT	3	Rest / XT	3	Rest	8	16
6	2	Rest / XT	3	Rest / XT	3	Rest	9	17
7	2	Rest / XT	3	Rest / XT	3	Rest	10	18
8	3	Rest / XT	3	Rest / XT	3	Rest	11	20
9	3	Rest / XT	3	Rest / XT	3	Rest	12	21
10	3	Rest / XT	3	Rest / XT	3	Rest	7	16
11	3	Rest / XT	3	Rest / XT	3	Rest	14	23
12	3	Rest / XT	4	Rest / XT	3	Rest	8	18
13	3	Rest / XT	4	Rest / XT	3	Rest	16	26
14	3	Rest / XT	4	Rest / XT	3	Rest	9	19
15	3	Rest / XT	4	Rest / XT	3	Rest	18	28
16	3	Rest / XT	4	Rest / XT	3	Rest	10	20
17	3	Rest / XT	4	Rest / XT	3	Rest	20	30
18	3	Rest / XT	4	Rest / XT	3	Rest	11	21
19	3	Rest / XT	4	Rest / XT	3	Rest	12	24
20	2	Rest	3	Rest	2	Rest	26.2	33.2

So, I think I'm going to try to up my mileage on my Sunday runs now with a goal of running a half-marathon this fall.  The farthest I've ever run is 7ish miles so this is a great goal for me.  There are two half-marathons in the Atlanta area this fall and one of them is geared towards women.  The best part is that it's only about 10 miles from my house.  How cool is that?

It's All Good

• My fastest run - a 9:18 pace!  One of my best runs.  No hip pain.  It was awesome!  I was flying and it felt like I was flying.  Windy, cool - 49 degrees.  Nice.  I wore my new $15 running tights.  They were a steal.  I wish I'd had them all winter. That was Wednesday.  Todays's run was similar.  Maybe I'm getting faster?
• Bonefish Grill - our 19th anniversary was on March 23rd but we celebrated this past Friday.  Bonefish is my absolute favorite restaurant but can be a bit pricey.  I love my husband so much.  I'm such a lucky woman.  Now which to choose?  I had the Ahi Tuna appetizer as a dinner - about 20 pieces of sashimi with wasabi and soy sauce, sauted spinach on the side and another side with spinach, tomatoes and garbanzo beans.  That was interesting.  Good, not great, definitely interesting.  We ate with friends, had a cosmo and some wine, and wonderful conversation.  
• Reviewing my running over the past 12 months.  Looks like I don't like to run when it's cold.  But it also looks like I've got my groove back.  Woot!

Cha Cha Cha Changes

So many changes!

1. Quit smoking. Again. Really. I didn't just cut back, I cut it out.  I feel much better. (I dreamt I smoked last night. I was so glad to wake up and find that it was only a dream!)
2. Gained 5 pounds. (See #1)
3. Got a new grandprincess. Isn't that the best? She is adorable. Spent a week in Omaha, NE visiting with her, and my grand boys and kids.
4. Started taking anti-depressants to treat night sweats. Side-effect? I'm not depressed. Didn't realize I was depressed to begin with. I think I must have been because I LIKE them.  
5. Started running again. Hoping to reverse #2. So far so good.  Hip pain, not not so good.

Beck's Diet Solution, Running Again, FatSecret.com - Originally Posted 1/8/10

So I started getting serious about my health and fitness again after Christmas (once all the Christmas cookies were gone).  I've lost at least a pound this past week.  I probably could claim a higher loss but I know anything over that 1 pound is probably water, artificial, temporary.  So what gives?  Something is working, after all.

First, I'm running again.    I will have run about 28 miles in the past 2 1/2 weeks.  Not a lot but much more than the six weeks prior which was zero miles.  I also have been doing push ups, sit ups, stretches on off days.  It's amazing how your level of fitness can change in 6 weeks of inactivity.

Second, I'm tracking my food at www.fatsecret.com.  It's a clean site, no ads, and it has an iPhone app.   Very convenient.  Even more importantly, I'm keeping my calorie intake at a reasonable level.  Which brings me to my third change.

I've been reading two books by Dr. Judith Beck.  The first is the Beck Diet Solution and the second is the Complete Beck Diet for Life.  The primary difference between the two is that in her first book, she allows you to choose any diet but recommends a healthy, well-balanced one.  In the second book, she gives much more guidance on what makes up a healthy, well-balanced diet.  As for the rest of the content of the book?  The subtitle is "Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person."  That's the key.  

In her book, you look at your goals and your behavior and see if they are congruent.  My goal is to lose 10 lbs.  My behavior and thought process is "I deserve this cookie, it won't matter."  My behavior and my goals are incongruent.  Dr. Beck helps you change your thought process by replacing self-defeating thoughts with goal-affirming thoughts.  "This cookie might taste good now but I'm going to be upset with myself when I'm done.  I want to lose weight more than I want this cookie."  "Exercise is not an option.  If I want to be thin, I must exercise.  No Choice!"  She relates this behavior to "strengthening your resistance muscle" and "strengthening your give-in muscle."

She includes exercises to help you recognize hunger and be able to differentiate hunger from cravings or simple desire.  She includes an exercise to show you that hunger is not an emergency.  You will not die if you have to wait an hour or two for lunch. Hunger comes and goes and it's not life-threatening.  You can deal with it.

One thing I really noticed is that I wolf down my food.  I chew on one side and rarely does my food move across my mouth, across my tongue, allowing me to actually taste my food fully.  (When I remember) I am amazed by how much flavor I've been missing just through this habit.  I'm trying to each more consciously, tasting my food, enjoying my food, and becoming satisfied with my meal rather than looking for something else to eat when my plate is empty.

Week Ending 1/03/2010 - Originally Posted 1/3/10

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/8568/photo5.html

Running was scheduled for Wed, Fri and Saturday this week.


Wed:  I ran on Wed and it was flippin cold.  43 degrees with winds > 10mph.  I wore cropped tights, a long sleeve technical shirt, a fleece vest (with elastic around the waist - very bad design), and a baseball cap. 


My hands froze and so did my arms.  The rest was ok.  The odd thing is that I ran in colder weather last week (35 degrees) with a full fleece pullover and roasted.  It was less windy that day, though.


Fri:  I recovered from Thursday night.  No run for you!


Sat:  I ran my 3.5 mile loop.  It was even colder at 24 degrees with winds at 17mph.  The wind was in my face on the way out and absolutely took  my breath away.    I wore fleece pants, a long-sleeved technical shirt, a fleece pullover, gloves and a hat.  If I'd had mittens instead, I would have been perfect - well, as perfect as one can be running in 24 degree weather.  I am SO glad I don't live up north!


Note to self:  buy those gloves with the mitten hoodie thingie.


I might have felt guilty for not running on Friday but I deserve huges amounts of kudos for getting out there on Saturday.

2009 in Review - Originally Posted 12/31/09

So here's how 2009 ends.  I was doing fine for quite a while and then I lost my momentum and my motivation.  The weather was a huge excuse for not running and I do not like the dreadmill.  But, an excuse is an excuse no matter how you slice it.  New goals, new year.