Thursday, December 26, 2013

Whew!

Didn't do my workouts yesterday, so I moved them to today and added a bike to tomorrow's swim. Went on a outdoor run and went out WAY too fast. Over the 30 minutes, I managed an 11:27 pace. Oh my that felt crazy fast. I know it wasn't, but wow! I need to download the data to see what my runs & walks were paced at. It felt good to get out and do the run though, I really needed that! I did 2.63 miles in the 30 minutes. Not terrible, especially for not really running in the past month.

After the run, I decided to go ahead an hop on my bike for a bit. I was originally planning on 30 minutes, but decided to do 20 minutes since I wasn't in bike shorts and that hurts while on the Adamo saddle!

Needing some motivation and reflection, I stumbled upon this picture. I love it. It's 3 days after Rev3 Maine 70.3. Yes, I was riding a bike 3 days later in Acadia National Park. I felt like I was on top of the world for so many reasons. I had just accomplished a huge goal and was now relaxing in a beautiful national park. What more could you ask for?!


I'm not sure what Rev3 Williamsburg 70.3 will bring for me next year. I can't wait to find out where the training takes me & what race day has in store!

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

70.3 Training Begins!

June 15, 2014 is coming faster than I'd like it to. I started my 70.3 base training... well, really just working out again... this week. This year, I'm going to try this without a coach. I'm putting 3 plans that I like the most together (swim, bike, run plans) and going to give them a go.

I'm not saying I know more than a coach, it's just that I wasn't following the most recent team's training plans, so it's not really worth me paying them a monthly fee for the plan.

Monday - I did a Galloway 30 min session on the treadmill. Ran a minute, walked a minute. Walks were at 15 min/mile pace and the first couple of runs at 10 min/mile, then moved to 9:40 min/mile, did the last one at 9:30 min/mile. Did about 2.8 miles.

I also updated my training plan for the 70.3. I wasn't really happy with the one I had originally put together, so I changed it. My new training plan starts in the beginning of March.

Tuesday - I swam for 20 minutes. I did two 100s and then switched to 50s. I got 700m in, not too bad for not having swam in a while. My 50s were anywhere from 57 sec - 1:01 per 50. Not terribly far off from when I was swimming consistently. Definitely room for improvement. Hopefully the plan I have in place will get me there!

Today - Yes, it's Christmas Day. Yes, I have 2 workouts planned. It's "just" J & I today (along with the furbabies), so I can do an hour of cardio without missing too much of anything. I have a 30 min run (Galloway) and a 30 min bike. Since they gym's closed today, the run will have to be outside. I'll do the bike ride on my bike (on the trainer in the house).

Update: I slacked & didn't workout today. Decided to chill & watch movies instead!

Friday, December 20, 2013

Race Report: Space Coast Half Marathon; December 1, 2013

Pre-race
With this race being Thanksgiving weekend, we did Thanksmas on Thursday & then traveled Friday. We arrived in Orlando on Friday evening and then drove to Cape Canaveral, checked into the hotel, & ventured out to find dinner.

One of the best restaurants for easy gluten free dining is Outback, so that's where we went. We were shocked at how short the wait was. After a good dinner, we headed to Walmart to pick up a couple of things (like a case of water) and then back to the hotel.

Saturday, we headed to packet pickup at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center. It wasn't completely obvious to us that we had to have a ticket to enter the expo. Thankfully, J saw the table where we were supposed to get our expo tickets & then we were on our way through security.

The expo itself was pretty small. We picked up our bibs, then in to get our shirts, and then wandered around for a few minutes.

After wandering around, we headed into the display area that was in the building where the expo was. Once we saw all of it, we headed back to the car to drop off the race swag and then back to get tickets to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center (proper).

We explored the KSCVC for the rest of the afternoon. I'll just leave it at that!


The Big Bang Series Medals
Love this shirt, but not enough to buy it/wear it











Race
The busses started running at 4:30am. We decided to head down around 4ish to be sure that we were there when the bus arrived. Imagine our surprise when the bus was already there at 4:05 and people were on it! By 4:15, our hotel's bus was full, so we headed to the race site. It was about a 15 minute drive.

Once at the race site, we wandered around a bit trying to figure out where the finish & start lines were (in that order too). After a while, we found a couple of seats on some steps & chilled out for a while. At some point, we decided to use the port-a-potties and then go back to sitting. The one problem with getting to the race site at 4:30am is that the race didn't start until 6am... meaning 1.5 hrs of sitting around!

Ready to go!
"Why am I up this early?"
Ready to race
Island Boost!
Around 5:45, we were told to start migrating towards the start line, which was about 1 - 2 blocks over. Super short walk. We finally figured out where the start line was (this is one of my complaints about the race!) and headed that way. Once there, there was no real organization. There were some signs showing general pace/miles, but otherwise it was a self-seeding corral. I actually don't mind races like this. It was kind of confusing and hard to find the section I wanted to be in.

I finally found the Galloway pace group for 2:30 and kissed J goodbye. He needed to find the 3:00 group. We stood there & waited for the start. People were chatting & reassuring the newbies that they could do the race! During the National Anthem, the microphone the singer was using kept going out and all of us started singing. I love runners. I was so moved (and had tears in my eyes... I mean, the National Anthem does that to me without everyone singing).

Not too long after the National Anthem, we were off! Our pacer went out super fast. I knew we were in for a rough day given her run pace. We all kept asking her "are we fast?" and she kept saying "nope, we're right on pace.". Up to mile 11.5, I stuck with the group. Right around 11.5, I just had enough. We ran 7 of the first 10 miles under our projected pace... with runs included. This includes the first 5 miles. Mile 10, we ran in 10:58. We were supposed to be doing 11:27.

On the way back (after mile 6.5 or so), we had a pretty wicked head wind. Nothing like that to tire you out a bit!

My calves started getting cramped & nothing was fixing the issue. I know better & should've had salt with me. That's ALWAYS my problem. Ah well. I walked/ran/limped to the finish line. The last 2 miles were miserable, but a lesson.
Awesome medals! Can't wait to collect the others.
I finished in 2:34:05. 4:05 slower than I would've liked. Ah well. Maybe 2014. I got to watch J come in, which is always awesome.
J coming in to the finish
Post-race

After the race, we got a few things to eat (bananas & oranges), got on the bus, & headed to the hotel. We showered & got on our way to the next leg of our trip - Disney! We got to meet up with some friends & had a couple of days to wander around. So much fun!

Geeking out wearing our race shirts & compression sleeves!

Results
Overall: 2:34:05
5k split: 35:13
10k split: 1:10:38
15k split: 1:46:17

Weather
Temperature: 66
Humidity: 52%
Wind: 8 mph NW wind

Placements
Division: 108/260
Overall: 1369/2938
Gender: 821/2038

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Quick Recap

I'll write a detailed recap of the Space Coast Half Marathon soon, but wanted to give a couple of random notes.


  1. Kennedy Space Center was pretty awesome. Glad we finally got a chance to see it.
  2. The 2:30 pace group was faster than they should've been. For both the runners & Gallowalkers.
  3. I really need to figure out why my calf seizes up on long runs. I suspect it has to do with salt and needing more of it.
  4. I had the most random craving for a sweet potato after finishing the race. I guess I really have trained my body!
  5. Walking around Disney the day of the race & 2 days after is a good idea... if one brings the right shoes. Blisters on the bottom of my feet + Merrells = ouchie feet.
  6. There's nothing like your own bed.
Like I said, I'll write more later. Just had to get those thoughts out!

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

The Good News and The Sentencing

On Friday, I went back to my endocrinologist. It was the first time I've been excited to see him and I hate going to the dr. I've made some serious changes to my diet since February.

On April 6, we started a non-processed diet. In September, while at my grandfather's funeral, I talked with my cousin who is also hypothyroid (and Hashimoto's). She was telling me that she keeps a mostly Paleo diet. When we got home, I decided to give the grain free & gluten free diet a chance.

Originally, I was going to do it for 30 days. I didn't make it all 30 for the grain free, but continued with gluten free. I decided to go ahead & keep on with the gluten free diet because I was sleeping better and many of my other symptoms went away.

Friday, I told my dr about the dietary changes & how much better I was feeling. We talked about some other things and he told me what he considered "perfect" numbers to be. I got my blood drawn and he did the rest of his check up & I began the wait.

On Sunday, I got a call from Dr T. He told me he's surprised, but my numbers were PERFECT. My TSH is down to 1.2 and my antibody levels were next to nothing. He said it was the best turn around he's ever seen in a non-medicated patient and that I'm to continue what I'm doing. If I do that, I see him in a year or if symptoms come back.

I figured the numbers would be better, but I was shocked that they were SO much better. I was anxious to get home & check the values of my antibodies. When he said next to nothing, he wasn't kidding. My Hashimoto's indicators were almost all gone.

My sentence? Gluten free, non-processed foods lifestyle.

I know it's not really a "sentence", but I needed a few minutes/hours to grieve. There are several items that are on my "favorites" list that I can no longer have. It's not a big deal and eventually I'll get used to it. But it's hard. (Yes, you should read that in a whiney voice.) I'm OK with the change. It's better than being on medication for the rest of my life.

Now to get on with it & start adapting recipes!

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Strive Don't Put Down

A few months ago, I wrote a post about Health at Every Size. Since then, I've finished my ACE weight management certification, but still have a lot to read and learn. I'm still struggling with accepting my body & weight. Almost every woman I know feels this way. It's kind of sad actually.

Recently, a friend & I have been chatting about running and how it's very similar. Most people say "I'm slow", "I run just a ... minute mile", etc. Why do we do this to ourselves in so many aspects of our lives? Why can't we be striving for a goal but also accept where we currently are?

We're continuously telling ourselves we're not good enough. But we are. We all are.


Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Whooo Hoooo!

I'M CLEARED!!!!!!! They said the mole is healing perfectly & if I have any problems then call and come back in, but I shouldn't have to. Yay!

Even better news? The mole wasn't anything to be worried about. WHEW!

So, back to working out! I did TRX Force Week 1, Day 2. Hard, but so rewarding. I love sweat & the way it makes me feel - just sayin!

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Training Peaks

I did it. I bit the bullet. I signed up for the premium Training Peaks so that I could plan out my training season until June's 70.3.

I've been using paper tracking options, but it's harder (than clicking & dragging) to move things around if needed. Since it's all electronic, I easily added in my workouts and synced the calendar on TP with my personal electronic calendar. Now, I get reminders in my email & on my calendar. Nice motivation!

Monday, November 11, 2013

Going Stir Crazy

This whole mole removal thing was the right thing to do. I know it was. My arm pit is raw from the bandaids. I'm pretty sure I'm allergic to the glue they use on them - just like my mom is. However, I'm going stir crazy! This no workouts allowed thing is driving me insane! So, I've been doing what I can.

I started a planking challenge and am doing some additional ab work.


This week, I'm going to take a few walks (with the former mole covered up). I have to get out. Space Coast Half Marathon is December 1... and I'm not allowed to work out. Sigh.

Soon, soon. I know this is all for the best. Just need to be patient.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Grrrr...

I'm back from a wonderful vacation with my hubby to celebrate his birthday a bit late & our 8th anniversary a bit early. We had a great time on the Allure of the Seas. Not sure we'd do it again, but we were happy we did it at least once!

Today, I had a mole near my armpit removed. I've been noticing that it's been getting a bit bigger and changing color, so it was time to go to the derm to have it checked out. I met with her before our vacation and she told me that it had to come off and go for a biopsy. So, I scheduled it for when we got back. I'm glad I did!

I can't work out, purposefully sweat, or do anything that might rub the scab off for 7-10 days, depending on how I heal. This is going to kill me. We only got one run in on the ship and it wasn't the one I wanted/needed to get in. And now, I can't do anything. Grrrr. Once it scabs over, I can probably ride my bike (on the trainer). Silly how a little mole can do this to you. It's all because of the location of it. Glad I didn't have any races planned!

I guess I have time to work on my core since I can generally do that without breaking a sweat. Maybe some yoga. Hmmm, that may be a good substitute!

Thursday, October 24, 2013

A weekend trip - Portland, ME

Over Columbus Day weekend, I went up to Portland, Maine with a girlfriend to meet another friend. We had such a blast. We got an awesome deal on flights ($49 each way!) on Southwest, so why not?!  (Note: I brought stuff to work out, and had intentions of doing so, but it didn't happen.)

This was my first trip where I wasn't cooking since being gluten-free.

On Saturday, I got up at an insanely early time and got on the road to the airport by 7am. Thankfully the traffic gods were kind and I got to the airport by 8:10 or so. Parked the car, got in the shuttle, and headed the rest of the way to the airport. The security line was VERY manageable and I got through in less than 5 minutes. I waited for my girlfriend on the other side of security. Once she was through, we wandered around the airport for a bit & then sat and chatted. Oh and, we people watched. There were some epic characters.

The flight was uneventful and we landed in Portland about 15 minutes early. Love tailwinds! We headed to the rental car location and got that taken care of pretty quickly. One thing we noticed in Portland is that the airport (excuse me... jetport) is SMALL. 10 terminals in all. My normal airport is a major international airport, so it was kind of funny to me. Anyhow, we got the car & headed off to Portland.

The first thing we did was get lunch. From the airport to Portland proper is all of 15 minutes... if you don't know where you're going (like us). We found parking and then wandered around for a few. We ended up deciding on Farmer's Table for lunch. It was super tasty! (I had a GF bbq pulled pork. If you have allergies and not just a sensitivity, I don't know that I'd recommend eating here.)

Farmer's Table
GF BBQ Pulled Pork. Note: the fried pickles weren't listed as being fried on the menu. They're covered in a cracker meal. It probably has gluten in it. It didn't bother me.
This was "interesting". Worth trying it at least once!
After lunch, we headed up to the Victoria Mansion. On the way, we saw this cool compass looking thing (which turns out to be the Memory Wheel).


Once we got to the Victoria Mansion, we looked around the outside for a few minutes and then went in to the gift store to pay for the tour. One of the first things they told us on the tour is that the house has 95% of it's original belongings.

Victoria Mansion
Love these doors
Ruggles... hehehe
Then it was time to wander around Old Port. We had a good time just wandering. We walked down the waterfront for a bit, found a trail & wandered up it. After a while, it started getting dark and we decided it was time to go check in to the hotel.

M and I in front of the Polar Express
The harbor
Train!
Trail we headed up
USS Portland Memorial
Look how clear the water is! Hard to believe it's the same Atlantic Ocean as we have here.
Random sculpture
Leap in the dork (dark)
Portland - we don't get you
We had an awesome dinner at Portland Pie Company. I had a GF pizza, which was great! Their cheese also has gluten and they do have a GF and dairy free cheese. I ordered a pizza with no cheese.

Mmmm, pizza!
On Sunday, we got up and headed to Freeport to meet another friend. It was so good to see her again! She drove us all around the coast line of Maine. We went to Owl's Head Light, Camden, Linconville, and East Boothbay. We spent about 11 hrs driving around - it was fantastic!

Owl's Head Light
Owl's Head Light
Owl's Head Light
Owl's Head Light
B, M, and I at Owl's Head Light
Me at Camden
Camden - so pretty!
Lincolnville
Lincolnvile
Lincolnville
Cappy's menu in Camden
Lunch was a GF pasta at Cappy's. It was really good!
East Boothbay
East Boothbay
East Boothbay
East Boothbay 
Blurry picture of the LLBean boot in Freeport
Tasty GF salad at the cafe in LLBean
Monday, was our last day. M & I headed out to Fort Williams and Portland Head Light. I couldn't wait to show M this awesome state park.







We were here!
We climbed that to get down to play in the rocks
Ahhh, Portland Head Light! 


After Fort Williams, we headed back into Old Port and walked around a bit more. This is where my GF diet took a bit of a plunge. I decided to go ahead and have fried shrimp for lunch. It was really good.


Lobster buzzer
Not gluten free, but so good (though the cole slaw was better at Farmers Table)


Except I didn't :(
HAHAHAHA!

Next time I go to ME, I'm having some of this!
Mmmm, Gorgeous Gelato! Dark chocolate & hazelnut flavors.
Once we were done with lunch, we walked around a bit more & then headed to the airport. The airport was kind of funny just because it is so tiny! 10 gates, 5 airlines with 1 charter "airline". The TSA agents were even nice! The trip back was pretty uneventful (other than people who can't follow simple directions). It was kind of sad to say goodbye to M - we had a great time!