Hoka 10k 2018

Hoka 10k 2018

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Gluten Free...Not What I Thought It Would Be

I expected the worst when I knew I had to go gluten free. The more I researched, the more I felt at ease. My diet the last 30 years has included LOTS of pasta and LOTS of bread (in many forms). So that's where I began my experiment. I found this pasta at Kroger:

I could taste a slight difference, but, overall, it wasn't that bad. I also discovered my love for Trader Joe's. It's my new favorite store! I bought another type of pasta there...corn, I believe...but haven't had a chance to try it. Here's another Trader Joe's buy:

Udi's Bread! It tasted great...it just isn't as soft as regular bread. It made great toast and PB&J! As I was browsing through Kroger, I came across this:
I attempted biscuits...they were kinda disgusting. Then I made some pancakes. YUMMY! I can't wait to use the GF Bisquick to make sausage balls! My final and favorite Kroger discovery:
This is some delicious granola. It will make a great snack during the day.
 
Besides pasta and bread, cake/cookies/ice cream was a big part of my diet. This will be a huge adjustment for me. I know that I can have ice cream so that's AWESOME, but I will have to stop going down the cookie and cake aisle. If I feel like baking, I know I can buy ingredients for GF treats, but, considering my dislike for making things, I would prefer sticking to ice cream. (Also, thanks to my friend Becca for making me some yummy GF cookies).
 
Final thought: I'm also researching restaurants with GF options because Jimmy and I love to go out to eat and do happy hour. This week, we went to BJ's Brewhouse. I had their GF pizza and pear cider...YUM and YUM :)
 


Saturday, September 29, 2012

Week 15: Mission Accomplished

First: What a crazy week it has been! Second: Remember the three challenges from my last blog? Challenge one was to survive a 2 hour Hip Hop Fitness class...check! Did it like a champ.

Next challenge: Going gluten free (GF)! I was SO SCARED because I don't like to make sacrifices with my dieting. The more research I did on eating GF, the less scary it became. I was amazed at how much I can eat (this is me trying hard to be positive). There are a lot of yummy things I will miss eating but it will be worth it. I haven't had my abdominal cramping in at least 4 days. It's been so awesome! I'll do a separate blog post on my GF experiences of the week.

Final challenge: My 20 mile run! My workouts this week were ok. My left hip started giving me crap again this week and I could definitely feel it during my runs. I just need to focus on some hip/core strengthening the next 3 weeks so I won't have to deal with it on race day (so glad I'm a PT and I know what I need to do to fix myself!). Back to my 20 miles...
It didn't go how I imagined it in my mind but I stayed positive and didn't let it get me down. I did a 10 mile loop twice. The first loop was great. I bought some running gels to try out and took one every few miles and also kept water with me. I wanted to see how my body responded to the gels since they are giving them out during the marathon. As I started loop #2,  I still felt fine. My hip and back started hurting around mile 14 or 15. I wanted to quit but knew I couldn't...mainly because I was still miles from home! After 15 miles, I started to do some occasional walking. I was totally pooped. As I approached my house to finish 19 miles, I called my husband to do the last mile with me. He was so awesome and didn't complain or hesitate to do it with me. I just knew I needed the support or I would have quit. On a funnier note, I have the memories of being bit in the butt by a random dog during mile 8 :)

I know that race day will be so different than my training. Something about all of the people there cheering for you. It just pumps me up! Although today could have been much better, I'm still so excited to do this race. I'm also excited that training gets easier from here on out. Next week's long run is only 12 miles...did I just say ONLY? Twelve sounds so much better than twenty :)


Sunday, September 23, 2012

Week 14: Running, what?!

What a whirlwind week I've had...Blah!!! Lost my job, already have an offer for another job, still have no diagnosis, and worrying about my mother. That's enough to keep someone trying to train for a marathon busy. Holy smokes. Surprisingly, through all of that mess, I only skipped one day of training and it was my easy 5 miler.
 
Although I can't really remember my workouts this week, I seemed to do well (I log all of my workouts on dailymile.com...otherwise, I would forget how I did). Looking back at my times, my confidence should be boosted a little. I even managed an 8:37 pace during my tempo run the other day. My bad bowels are still an issue with my running but it's been surprisingly better this week (probably because of my other distractions).
 
I have three...yes, three...challenges ahead of me this week:
  1. Two hour Hip Hop Fitness Event! As many of you know, I do Hip Hop on Mondays and class typically lasts an hour. This week is a special event to raise money for charity and it's TWO HOURS LONG! Not sure if I'll survive this one...but I'll have fun doing it!
  2. I have a 20 mile long run this week! Yikes! I need prayer for this one! Last weekend when I was supposed to do 20 miles, I wasn't able to do it. My symptoms were really bad that day and I couldn't tolerate the distance. This week, I'm determined to make it happen. It's my last long run before my race on October 21st. Training will begin to taper after this week.
  3. The most challenging of all this week...I'm attempting to go:
  4. I'm not going to be perfect and I know I will eat things I'm not supposed to eat at first. But my intentions will be good. This is my own personal experiment to see if it helps the issues I've been having the last month. Which is why I need to stop typing this blog and do more research for the grocery store!

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

You Just Don't Fit In...

...I thought that was a phrase you only heard as a teenager! Apparently, adults are told that as well. If you haven't already guessed, this is my most recent experience (and the second in the last 3 years).
 
Just over 3 years ago, when I still lived in Nashville, I lost my first Outpatient PT job because my superior felt I "didn't fit in" with their company's personality...whatever that means. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise because Jimmy and I got engaged shortly after and moved to Ohio.
 
After moving, I got another outpatient job, ended up realizing it wasn't the right clinical setting for me, and decided to dive into skilled nursing. I LOVED this job. My fellow therapists were awesome, the patient population was fun to work with, etc. Two years later (a.k.a. today), I'm told, yet again, that I don't fit into this clinical setting (and lose my job). In this most recent situation, there are other factors that I will not discuss...but my point is that I was told that I don't fit in. In case you've never been told this: IT SUCKS TO HEAR! Especially when you hear it twice and both situations involve the career you are very passionate about.
 
In my mind, I feel like it's a "me problem." Why would two different people say this in two different situations if it wasn't me? I know this is totally absurd but that was my thought. I know in my heart I am meant to be a PT...I just need to find the right job for me. I'm only 4 years into my career and I know I have MANY years to figure it all out but, until I do, I'm going to be in constant wonder about if I'm doing the right thing.
 
My next adventure: Home Health. I've sent out several resumes and filled out several online applications. It took less than a day to hear from a company and I'm already setting up interviews. Just pray that I make the right decision and that I remain confident in my skills. God made me a great therapist...I just have to figure out where he wants me to excel.
 


Sunday, September 16, 2012

Week 13: I'm Starting to FREAK OUT!


My race is only 5 weeks away...5 WEEKS AWAY!!! If I felt as good as I did a month ago, I wouldn't be so concerned. But, with my recent health issues, I'm not feeling as great during and after runs...that's why I'm FREAKING OUT! I've been so mentally tough until the last couple of weeks. Whatever is wrong with me is affecting my energy level and I don't feel as great post-run. This past week, I've been getting intense abdominal cramping during runs.
I made it through Hip Hop Fitness on Monday without any problems...did 5 miles Wednesday and felt decent. But Saturday rolled around and I had 20 miles ahead of me. Just as usual, before Saturday long runs begin, I was confident. I knew I could do this. I told myself "You did 18 miles the other weekend. You can do 20." Then I remembered that the 18 miles was before all of this health drama. My next thought: "Holy Crap!" Literally. As I began mile 5, the cramping began...my lower abdomen was what I call "rumbly tumbly."  All I could think about was finding the nearest bathroom (which happened to be at my house...which was 4 miles away!).
By the time I made it to my house, I thought I was going to explode. By the time it was all said and done, I knew my body couldn't do 12 more miles. I felt like such a failure. But then I reminded myself that, because of my body's current state, I'm not getting all the nutrients, etc. that my body needs to make it through this run. That made me feel a little better...just a little. Then I started getting bummed because the race is only 5 weeks away. I set a goal and now I don't know if I can meet it. I hate that feeling! My boo made me feel a little better and encouraged me to stay strong. His encouragement made me decide to go back out today and try to do some more miles. I ended up running 8 miles Saturday (10:20 pace) and 8 miles today (9:37 pace). You can tell from my average pace how I was feeling Saturday!
What I'm looking forward to this week: hearing from my doctor to get some answers about my condition and discussing what happens next!


Sunday, September 9, 2012

Week 12: Confessions of a Runner

I'm human. I don't always follow the rules. My confession? I was a MAJOR workout slacker this week. I even considered skipping my long run (one of my most important workouts of the week!). BAD RUNNER!
 
 
I was faithful with my Hip Hop workout and hill repeats. I even did 5 miles Wednesday at a 9:47 pace. Then...crap hit the fan. With my recent health issues, I had an appointment with my MD on Thursday. It took longer than expected because I have issues pee-ing in cups. Because of this, I didn't get home until almost 6 and had to go to Bible study at 7. NOT ENOUGH TIME TO DO MY WORKOUT! Blah. So I skipped it, took my normal Friday off, and didn't do my 12 miles on Saturday...oops. I didn't do it because we went to the Buckeye game but then I had an excuse for not doing it when we got home. This morning, I felt super guilty for not doing my long run. I felt so lame! So I did it after church (9:42 pace) and missed the Colts game (which apparently they lost anyway). The only fun thing that happened with my running this week is that I got to flip off some nasty, younger teenagers for yelling things at me while I was running...the suckas thought I had some music on and couldn't hear them.
 
On a more exciting note, check out my new kicks:
 
Happy Exercising Everyone!
 
P.S. I turn 30 on Thursday and have to run 20 miles on Saturday...what a way to ring in a new decade!


Sunday, September 2, 2012

Week 11: My Battered Innards and Outards

My training weeks never cease to entertain me. The following statement may be TMI for some of you but I have to get it out there because it REALLY affected my training this week. I've been suffering from bad bowels this week and the toilet has been my best friend. I subtracted a bunch of miles this week because of it. On a positive note, I think the extra rest helped me to have a great run on Saturday.
 
I did my normal Hip Hop on Monday but skipped my hill workout on Tuesday. At that point, my internal issues were really getting to me (this was day #4 of pain) and I knew I needed to get to the doctor. I went to the MD on Wednesday and he said I had "some sort of bug" and gave me some meds (I also took a pregnancy test just in case! lol).
 
I stuck with my scheduled 6 mile run on Wednesday (9:40 pace) and this was the result:
Yeah...1/2 mile from my house, I fell flat on the ground in front of a man, a woman, and two dogs! The lady asked me if I was ok and all I thought to say to her was "This is not my first rodeo." I've fallen plenty of times before but I usually don't do it in front of people.  I hurt for two days after the fall (which is why I skipped my 7 miler the next day). Instead of doing the 7 miles, I ran 3 miles with my doggies (not fun when they aren't focused and poop constantly).
 
This took me to Saturday's 16 miler. After a failed 14 miler last week, I didn't have a positive attitude. What I did have was a strategy. I was going to force myself to stick to a pace around 10 minutes/mile because the workout called for doing my last 4 miles at marathon race pace (9:44). Guess what? My strategy worked...I felt AMAZING! I did the entire 16 miles without stopping to walk!!! I was so excited! I also ran the first 8 miles without listening to music. I think that helped me to slow down and focus on what was ahead of me. My 12 mile average pace was 9:57 and my 16 mile average pace was 9:46. I can't believe it took me 11 weeks to figure this out!
 
Next week is a little less intense...I need the mental break!