Mystery

I had my camera's SD card in the laptop when we went out Saturday night to eat and brought the computer along to do our budget meeting. After we were home and I went to my computer, the card was gone. I can't imagine how it could have just fallen out of the computer and yet the computer was in our possession the entire time. I have no idea where it could be. This card is our NJ history. I hope it turns up soon. I keep wanting to upload pictures or take more :(

Christmas musings

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

I spent a lot of the afternoon painting and coloring with Aaron. I decided to pull out my watercolors and just create. I ended up producing the above. I spent a long time trying to figure out what I wanted to do about people because I didn't think I could do them justice. I liked the empty manger but Aaron insisted it needed the baby Jesus. I debated what color to make the blanket and Aaron chose the blue. I was surprised when as I formed the blanket the Spirit touched my heart in testimony of the sacredness of that night and the truth of the nativity story. I am grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ.

Boy Toy

Part of my creative itch is a desire to do something with the boys. Memory making. That's what I am after. I laid awake for a few hours in the middle of the night and used the time sifting through pintrest. I was looking for Christmas and kid crafts. By the next morning I found a gem - a catapult made from craft sticks. 

Jared looked at the picture very carefully, counted each stick and together we made our first catapult:

Aaron made one as well and soon battle ensued with lincoln logs as ammo.

I went to go shower and while I was gone Jared proceeded to make five more!! They played all morning long. I think my plan to make memories worked this day.

Birds

I have been in the mood to create and though I have plenty of projects I could finish, I wanted to do something new. I had high hopes for creating things this Christmas season, but have gotten a really slow start. I was searching through www.allpeoplequilt.com looking at the handmade ornament patterns and came across two that were particularly interesting: a star and wild bird ornaments. 

apqshop.com wild birds

I had hoped to get the pattern for the bird but discovered it would cost $5.99. I figured for $6 I could figure it out close enough. I dug through my stash of fabric and with Aaron's help began my version. 

My first task was to figure out a way to create a pattern. I thought about printing the picture displayed but it seemed too daunting to try and manipulate the sizing with the printer and scanner. It finally occurred to me it would be simple to do the manipulating with just the computer screen. So I zoomed in on the picture until I got the size I wanted, put my white cardstock on the screen and traced the bird like a transparency. 

Once I had my template it was pretty straight forward. Put right sides together, stitch leaving a hole to turn inside out, stuff and piece together. I did realize that the wings had to be sewn on to each side of the bird before stitching the body together. I also sewed in a ribbon on the top so the bird could hang like an ornament. My biggest challenge was getting the sewing machine foot over the big  poofy wings and having some rough looking attachment seams. I don't know how the designer was able to have no seams showing on the wings. It is a mystery. I thought about just doing a topstitch all the way around so that the seams would just be part of the end product and maybe give it a more finished look but decided against it. 

I have never made a stuffed animal before, but I think it isn't bad for a first time. Aaron was pretty happy with it :) The only thing I still need to do is give her some eyes and a family. 

I used polyfil to stuff the bird, but I am wondering if just putting a layer of batting would give it the filled look but also soften the poof enough to make it more like an ornament and less like a stuffed animal.

Savory Cheddar Bread

Savory Cheddar Bread

• Prep: 20 min. Bake: 45 min.
• Yield: 16 Servings

204565

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon onion salt
• 1/2 teaspoon leaf oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1-1/4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 egg, well beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions

• Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, onion salt, oregano, dry mustard and cheese; set aside. Combine egg, milk and butter; add all at once to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Spread batter in a greased 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Yield: 1 loaf.

Nutritional Facts1 serving (1 slice) equals 112 calories, 4 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 27 mg cholesterol, 229 mg sodium, 14 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 4 g protein.

Originally published as Savory Cheddar Bread in Country Woman May/June 1990, p31

Irony

Went to a Chinese buffet tonight and the fortune cookie said, "Happiness is activity."

Blah

I am sure you have guessed by now that I am not keeping up with my running. Since Thanksgiving I did my training one more time and haven't done it since. I used the treadmill set on a slight incline and by the end I was totally popped. I walked the last 6 minutes. My desire has vacated leaving a note of guilt and an expanding waist line. I am sure I will have to start from scratch again. I was set to run my next 5k this week. This morning the dog begged me to walk him, and I would have acquiesced except that his leash and harness have disappeared upstairs where he resides these days.

I participated in a cookie exchange last weekend. Once again I ate all the cookies (but at least it wasn't 16 dozen this time - more like 2). Cookie exchanges are my nemesis. I do not bake cookies anymore unless there is a guarantee they are leaving the house because I have absolutely no self control. They are too easy to just pop in my mouth at the slightest thought or craving.

Weight watchers sent me their annual "we have a new program you should try for a discount" email. I don't think I am quite ready to go there, but my eating is out of control right now and with not exercising on top of it, I will have a big problem real soon if I don't get control of myself. I am already to the point that my jeans are tight so I only want to wear loose-fitting clothes. The problem with those kind of apparel is that you lulled into carnal security. When your clothes are squeezing the life out of you you are very aware of your body's size and want to do something about it.

I had started writing a post a few months ago about selfishness and never got to finish it. I wish I would have because I think I could use that kind of pep talk right now. The basic gist is whether it is selfish to take the time to exercise or selfish to spend the time doing other things that need to get done. I need to see things from the perspective that it is not selfish to take care of your body. It is like two selves battling it out - the healthy self and the careless self. There are a lot of balls that I have been dropping lately. I am reminded of the scripture Mosiah 3:19 

For the ^anatural ^bman is an ^cenemy to God, and has been from the ^dfall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he ^eyields to the enticings of the Holy ^fSpirit, and ^gputteth off the ^hnatural man and becometh a ⁱsaint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a ^jchild, ^ksubmissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

I need to get myself in order. I feel like hormones are playing a huge role in my ability to do that though. I spend at least one week a month in the depths of depression and by the time I recover I have a week or two to catch up before the roller coaster heads south again. I think I feel it so acutely these days because I am with myself too much. I need to get out of the house and see the sun, feel the air, be with other people and serve. (Of course my daily walks would help a lot and yet I hinder myself by not going. ) Blah.

Anyway, I need to do something so I must stop typing and get up and move.

Back on track

As this is Thanksgiving week, I have a lot on my agenda - especially since we are hosting family for the event. I had three tasks I wanted to accomplish today before the boys got home: 1) find the key to the storage unit (which meant cleaning out the car), 2) grocery shopping, and 3) exercise. I was concerned about having the time to do all of them before Aaron got home from school so I decided finding the key was top priority and hoped it would happen quick enough that I could still make it to the store. I realized that I could clean out the car and grocery shop in my workout clothes. I tackled the car but still didn't find the keys. The car was in pretty bad shape so it took longer than I hoped. But, yay for a cleaner car! I said a prayer and felt that the keys were in a safe place. I started emptying my purse and found them at the very bottom of a pocket I don't use. I am sure I put them there thinking they would be safe and know where to find them next time :p Well, they certainly were safe! By this point it was about 10:30. The odds of me being able to get the shopping done and back by noon was slim, as was getting to the storage unit. So, I decided exercising was next on my list.

Today's training 1 min walk/3 min run/ 8 sets (32 min)

When I cleaned out the car it was REALLY cold outside. My feet and fingers were stiff with chill. By 11 am though I felt like being outside. I decided to take ChiMax with me instead of using the treadmill. He was so excited and I was curious what the run would be like. The verdict is in - the road is definitely harder = a better workout!! I was able to maintain a decent pace but was very aware of the inclines and bumps in the road. In the middle we came across the guy walking his dog that I try to avoid, but I wasn't able to bypass him. I ended up spending a LOT of energy trying to reign ChiMax in on a few of my sets between the other dog and a small herd of deer we came across.

Set 1 run was hard but by set 3 I felt like I had a good rhythm and could maintain running if I needed to. Normally I reset the timer for each set but since the treadmill keeps the timer running continuously I decided to manage my run that way. It made it more likely I would start and stop on the minute instead of 'cheat' a few seconds here and there which was good. Unfortunately I think I lost count at one point and ended up running for 4 minutes because the timing wasn't coming out right. Between the extra minute of running and trying to slow ChiMax down I was really winded by the end. I gave myself an extra 30 seconds of walking before set 8 and though I tried to make it up with an extra 30 seconds on the end, I just could not do it. I was too tired and sore. My quads were feeling it today.

I think that not running first thing was really helpful. I feel like I accomplished something this morning even though I didn't accomplish everything.

Week 5 end

I feel like I am cheating my program because I have been using the treadmill though technically I am not. I was supposed to be doing 6 sets of 2 walk/3 run all week but on Wednesday I only walked Chi Max for 28 minutes around the neighborhood before Aaron's bus arrived because I was on the phone most of the morning and afternoon (much needed communication with a friend back home). I was in quite the hormonal funk all week up to that point which made motivation a real challenge. Finally by the end of Wed I was freed and felt more like myself.

I wanted to be done with my running before the boys left for school yesterday and the timing worked out that I could jump on the treadmill and be done in time to get the boys up and going. So that is what I did. I decided to challenge myself though so the first set I added an incline on the walk part then sent it back to position for the run and upped the speed to 5 mph for the whole training. I kept the walk at 3.5 mph until the last two sets and then brought it down to 3.0 mph. I had to talk myself through sets 4-6 on the run because the speed was challenging to maintain at that point. But, I did it. I could feel my left ham string? wanting to cramp on me but thankfully never did.

I ended up going 2.40 miles with that speed which I like to see. It is much more fulfilling than 2. I figure if I am using the treadmill then I need to work on increasing speed because it is hard to do that consistently on the road. I think the road is definitely more of a workout challenge because it is my own effort that moves me all the time. The treadmill forces my legs to move so it is not my own power motivating me. I do think it is a lot easier on my knees though. They hadn't bothered me at all since I started the treadmill last week. I thought it was because of the cushioning of the treadmill but then they started hurting Tues or Wed and Matthew informed me a cold front was moving in. It appears they may have quit hurting because the temp had warmed up. Perhaps I have a weather gauge in my knees.

I have been having this mental battle about using the treadmill. I LOVE the convenience of the treadmill. I like that I can listen to my music while I exercise. I don't have to go out in the cold. If the boys are asleep and wake up while I am exercising I am still in the house so they can find me and not be worried they were left alone. Did I mention I don't have to go out in the cold? I am grateful that it was not an option in the beginning because it forced me outside and allowed me to see the beauty of this area and experience it firsthand as well as meet people in my neighborhood. I would have missed out on so much.  It opened up the possibilities of a 5K and half marathon in my mind because I began setting goals based on distance instead of time. It empowered me. It gave me a chance to help the dog get his energy out and feel more loved. So all those reasons make me feel guilty about using the treadmill - especially the dog and the feeling of empowerment. I keep telling myself that I should enjoy being outside while I can and save the treadmill for when the winter comes for good. But if I am more willing to go down in the basement and get the training done in a timely manner, that is worth a lot to me too. So much of my morning is spent avoiding the exercise or recovering from it that my day is almost robbed from me... It is all a big balancing and juggling act.

Starting Over: Rookie 5K RUN Day 1 (week 5)

I am continuing my training by moving to the rookie training which is an 8 week training program that prepares us to run a 5K. I skipped to week 5 because the first four weeks are basically what I did in the 5 wk walk/run training. This week is a repeat of the previous week: 6 sets of walk 2/run 3.

Quite frankly I was in a funk this morning and had no desire to get my butt off the bed and do anything but veg. In the process I ended up discovering a possibility that got me all excited. Suddenly I didn't mind getting off the bed and exercising. As odd as it seems, one of the things that sometimes creates a mental hurdle is the idea of changing my clothes. I needed to do laundry today anyway, so I decided to run on the treadmill and not change out of my pajamas. Good enough (except for the dog who feels a little cheated and wanted a treat for my efforts afterward as if we had just done our normal routine).

I decided to start the 4mph/20 min program on the treadmill for a warmup, stop it when I was ready, and begin a manual program following the 2 walk/3 run training. It worked well enough. I realized this on Saturday, but it surprised me again to find that the 6 sets = 2 miles. Kind of disappointing because I was going further out in the neighborhood but I recognize I was actually going somewhere too and had to get back which of course adds more time. I read an article this morning about the differences between treadmill and outdoor running and it explained a lot about why I found the treadmill so much easier. Maybe I wasn't as bad off as I thought I was in the beginning - it just really is harder to run outdoors (which means a better workout too).  

Because of my hodge-podge run on Saturday, I have been trying to figure out my time for the 5K and realized the timing was working out on today's run to mimic it. So when I was at 1.80 miles I was on my last set. I kicked it up to 5 mph and ran until I made it to the 2 mile mark. Surprisingly, I hit it before my 3 minutes were up. I actually had 30 seconds to spare! So, if each set is 5 minutes and it takes 3 sets per mile, my time was approximately 45 minutes. Not bad for my first 5K :)

Race Day: Mission Accomplished

I have to say that my 5K didn't look quite like I thought it would. Matthew ended up having to work today which put a big kink in my plans for the family to cheer me on to the finish line down the street. The boys were sleeping so well, so I decided to try the treadmill. Part of me wanted to say forget about it, just run it on Monday. But I also wanted to run. So, I set up the treadmill. I couldn't decided if I should actually attempt the 5K or not so I decided just to start the 4 mph/20 minute program. The program builds you up to 4 mph and you maintain it for 6 minutes the come back down as a cool down. Well, I had gotten about a third of the way in and decided to go ahead and do the 2 min walk/3 min run. By the end of the 20 minutes I had done 3 sets and gone 1.28 miles. I figured then that it would take about 9 sets - 3 for each mile. As soon as the program ended I restarted the treadmill on manual and just adjusted the speed for each set. I had gone about .25 miles when the boys came down to the basement so they were indeed there while I 'raced'.

I experienced some interesting discoveries during my race. I figured my runs have been about 4 mph on the road. I was surprised to learn that the 4 mph on the treadmill was too slow! I ran comfortably at 4.5 for my sets and my walks were 3.5. Towards the end I did bring it down to 3.0 because I could feel my heart rate was too high but it was only for one or two sets. Since I restarted the treadmill in the middle, I was constantly trying to calculate how many more miles I needed to go to finish my 5K but just to make it simpler I decided when the counter hit 2 miles then I know I completed the race. With the restart, I was at 1.80 when I decided I just wanted to be done. I should have done another set of walk/run but instead I upped my speed to 5 mph and didn't stop until I reached the 2 mile mark. So for almost a whole quarter of a mile I ran at 5 mph!! I was so amazed at myself. It felt so good :) I stayed on the treadmill and slowly brought my pace down for another almost quarter mile. My total time with warm-up and cool down was 20 + 34:44 = 54:44 and my distance was 1.28 + 2.27 = 3.55 miles.

I think the treadmill experience was so much better because the terrain was so smooth and flat. When I am running around the neighborhood there are ups and downs and uneven surfaces and a dog to pay attention to. The other advantage of the treadmill is that it is constantly moving so I have to keep pace. Basically it helps me move along. The downfall is that the basement is very dusty. I could see me getting sick from trying to run and take in all that dirt on a regular basis.

I have felt really good all day after the run. My legs aren't too sore yet either though I am sure tomorrow they will be feeling it. I decided to keep up with the training and joined the 5K rookie program but starting on week 5. The first 4 weeks are the same as what I have been doing. Week 5 repeats the 2 min/3 min interval and then the following week it is 1 min/4 min. The 5K will fall on the second week of December. The goal is to run the 5K with no walking. We'll see how it goes :)

Gearing Up

Last night I talked to the boys about my 5K. I let them decide if I should run today or tomorrow based one whether they wanted to cheer me on or not. I should not have had any doubt that they would want to be there. They were so excited and full of questions: any one else going to race? (just me and ChiMax) how long will it take you? what is your fastest time? (50 minutes) do you need water refill stations? (I carry a bottle with me) who is going to win - you or ChiMax? (ChiMax. He'll be pulling me to the end).

So, it has been decided. Saturday, Nov 10th is 5K day. I plotted out my course and have started thinking about where my sets will hit. Because of a downed tree and power line on one of the streets I usually run, I have cut it out and added the one I normally avoid. I will have to take that street and the culdesac twice to get my 3.10 miles. My start is at the next intersection up and the end is just passed the boys' bus stop. I think it may take up to 8 sets. Maybe even 9. I hope I have it in me :p

I am curious how long it will take me. My 50 minute time was based on walking for 20 of them. I haven't done a full 3 miles since running for 3 min intervals because I wanted to be done sooner. I can feel my desire to keep this up waning :P

It snowed Tues night so the weather has had me a little concerned, but thankfully it has been warming up to the 50s during the day so the snow is melting. It does freeze at night and with all the water on the ground there is potential for ice in the morning. I think it will work out well for tomorrow though.

One to go!

Today's training: 2 min walk/3 min run/6 sets

After Monday's glorious beginning, today was hard starting out. I was feeling the minute and a half tire again but the sets went relatively quickly. I did set 4 up W instead of skipping it like I normally do because I could see another dog walker up the street. Yesterday I came across the same one during one of my final sets and the effort of pulling ChiMax away totally drained my energy so I didn't want a repeat of that. W is a long straight street. It took the entire 3 minutes to get to the end of it. I cut off the culdesac at the end of the neighborhood that I usually do and headed back home. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was only out for 40 minutes but the track was only 2.46 miles. I will have to do F Friday to get my entire 5K.

I feel kind of silly for wanting this, but I kind of wish I was participating in a real 5K with my family there to cheer me on and take a pic as I cross the finish line. I thought about saving my run for Saturday so Matthew could be around with the boys to do just that but I also really like not having people watch me run and make a big deal about it. Got to get over my pride one way or the other I guess. But I must say that accomplishing this goal is huge for me and worth celebrating and memorializing on some level. I may just take a pic of myself and call it good :)

There is a nor'easter making its way up the coast and should arrive here this afternoon bringing rain and probably snow. Temps are supposed to get down in the low 30s. It was pretty nippy when I started out this morning but once the blood got flowing even my hands warmed up. The weather may play a huge factor in a Friday vs Saturday run. Now that Matthew has figured out a way to get the treadmill to work, I am liking the idea of using it all winter. The big complication for that is my running companion. He needs the exercise and opportunity to burn off all that energy he has. He is a powerful dog with a lot of energy to burn :p I really like the convenience and comfort of the treadmill. Decisions, decisions.

On another side - but relevant - note, my right knee started bothering me really bad last week especially when I would kneel on it for prayer. So much pain it made me nauseous. One night I was trying to sleep and just laying still with it straight out was uncomfortable. I was concerned that it would effect my running this week but so far it has held up. I tried wearing my knee brace Monday for my run but it was uncomfortable and not stable on the knee anyway, so I took it off. This morning my other knee was kind of bothering me too. I am wondering if it is the cold weather haunting my 9 yr old car accident injuries. If that is the case, besides being cold it is going to be a long painful winter :p

P.P.S. Yesterday I went to Goodwill to find some more jeans to wear because I have been wearing my one pair over and over. (Never thought I would be one of those people. No wonder dogs follow me ;) Anyway...) I am definitely still a size 16. My calves are getting shapely and my thighs are slowly thinning, but my middle is wear all the comfort food is. Until I start targeting my abs I won't really be making good progress down. I ended up with two pairs for $5. Not shabby for jeans I hope to not wear in another year.

To Stop is to Fall

Back in business. Oh how excited Chi Max was when he saw my running clothes!! I wasn't sure how my body would react to a week of vacation, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover it mostly did it good.

Today's routine: 3 min walk/3 min run/6 sets

The first run went amazingly well. I kind of figured for 3 minutes I should be at the end of the street, so I didn't look at the clock until I was close. I didn't feel a 1 1/2 min tire nor a 2 1/2 min tired. I was surprised when I looked at the timer and discovered I was already close to the 3 minutes. The second set went about as well though not as good. By the third set I could feel it a little more. The walk before the 3rd run I accidently went 15 seconds over, but as soon as I noticed it I started the run. Between 4 & 5 I got distracted counting my blessings and ended up adding an extra minute to my walk but the way I felt at the end, it probably did me good. Run 6 was a bear. I wanted to quit so bad at the 1 1/2 min mark, but I told myself it is just another minute and a half. You can do this. To the end of the street. Come on. Next time I looked at the clock it was 2 1/2. 30 seconds. I almost made it to 'the tree' but when I glanced at the clock I was at 3 minutes so I started walking. The movement from running (extremely slow jog) to walking almost made my knees buckle from under me. But, I made it!!

One of the sets had me go all the way around CC and to the next street. I thought about how that had been my goal before I started this training program - to eventually be able to run the whole thing, but to start with running continuously the straight part of the paths. It is exciting to think that I am almost there!! Well, I kind of am there depending on how my sets fall.  I am grateful I decided to take this goal seriously because I am actually achieving it because of the 5K and at a much faster rate than I imagined possible.

A concern of mine has been what to do when winter hits. Well, for me, this is winter. Oh I dread the 'real' winter. But it is definitely cold. From experience though, I know that once I start running I get hot. Today I dressed in a long sleeve shirt, short sleeve shirt, and a light knit jacket with a hood.     I debated whether or not to wear gloves because I was concerned at my ability to hit the buttons on my phone. I couldn't find some like I was wanting so I decided to just go without. When I got out the door and started walking I was afraid I'd made the wrong choice. But I pulled my long sleeves out and covered my fists until I walked long enough to start my sets. Sure enough, by the end of set 2 I was warm and ready to take my jacket off. I think I may be ok doing winter and continuing my training. But if not, Matthew figured out how to rig up the treadmill without it overloading the breaker. YAY!!!! I could really use some help with speed so the treadmill will be just the ticket :)

Yesterday Matthew brought up running a marathon next year. TWENTY SIX MILES?!?! I don't think so. I told him, let me get through this 5K first. He started looking at race opportunities for his birthday - 4 weeks away. I thought about it some more and realized I had been thinking about continuing my training and by Dec 1 I might be able to actually RUN the 5K with no walking. He is hoping that this goal would also motivate him to keep up his PT despite passing the test. I decided that maybe I could do a marathon by next year if I don't give up my training. I never thought this would be in my sights. Ever. I haven't made it an official goal yet, but I think it might actually be a possibility.

By the way, another storm is scheduled to hit on Wed. A nor'easter they call it. We will see if I can actually do the 5K this week :p

Hurricane Sandy 5K

So today was supposed to be my 5K day. I did nothing this week to prepare for it though I really could have followed through. So, next week I will attempt to resume my week 5 schedule. We will see what a week of not running does for me. Well, Tuesday afternoon we spent time in Princeton walking the University and I did encourage some races with the boys. It was interesting feeling my legs get in their running groove, but short sprints are nothing compared to 3 minutes intervals.

Staying Safe

Boo. Hurricane Sandy is on her way and my training is on hold. I could have run at 6:15 this morning, but it was a little windy ;) We'll see what the weather does over the next 48 hours to determine how set back I am.

Four Weeks Down, One to Go!

This morning I remembered there was a meeting at 9:30 at the school I wanted to attend, so no time for procrastination today!! I hurried out as soon as the boys were on the bus. I reminded myself how quickly I completed my 6 sets on Monday and that was great motivation. I walked back in the door at 9:11 which is before I've been getting out the door this week! So yay!

After set 3 I took an extra 30 seconds of walking but other than that I kept up the rigor. It was hard and I wanted to stop one of the runs, but I talked myself through it.

Next Friday is race day. I can't believe it is here already!!! The training is a little different in that Monday I get 3 min of walking but Wed and Friday I get 2 min. Running is bumped up to 3 minutes. I need to solidify my course so I can know how many sets to do Friday. Hmm. I just realized that Hurricane Sandy is supposed to land on Tues so we'll see how that effects my exercise. If it ends up as bad as people are expecting I may be delayed a week :/

Can you believe I was actually looking at the other training schedules to keep up this insanity? I could be doing another 5K in 5 weeks but completely running it instead of walk/jog. I have never been a runner so this is shocking that I am actually interested in doing this. We'll see how committed I am once the real cold arrives. I may be really wishing the treadmill worked here.

Something else I am pretty amazed at, per SparkPeople I have walked/run 10.21 miles this week and 34.09 miles since I started. Crazy!!! But awesome :D

Day off

Today was cross-training/rest day. Since it also happens to be Thurs which is Matthew's meeting day, I slept in until 7:15. Oh man did that feel great!!! As usual, I felt like being productive in the morning and decided to forego the cross training so I could accomplish something inside the house. I vacuumed, did dishes, laundry, put dinner in the crockpot, played for a long time with Aaron when he got home... It has been great!! I didn't feel like getting dressed today either, so I haven't.

I think the balance I am seeking is to take my cross-training days as rest days. Give myself permission to do something else I want to do - whether it be working around the house or getting out of the house. I will probably pay for it when I run, but there will be less things I will be wishing I'd be doing instead.

On a side note, I did actually feel like walking though. My legs are a little sore, but they also itched to be used. I love that feeling of having power in my legs.

blah

I did it but man was it hard. I can tell when I hit 1 min 30 sec because I am ready to quit. I have to talk myself through - One minute you can do it. 30 seconds. 15 seconds. After the third set I walked for 4 minutes. I had meant to run at 3 but the next minute passed before I even realized it. I  figure I am doing the 3 miles, does it really matter if I take some extra minutes half way through? I did not warm up the way I normally do so I don't know if that made my legs more tired, if it is just being tired, or if my attitude was dragging me down.

Catch up

I haven't updated for the last week though I have wanted to share my thoughts and experiences. I am procrastinating my training yet again. I know how challenging it is so I dread it though I have discovered I am quite capable of the task.

Wed, Oct 17th - trained at 6 am. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the early hour. I didn't like how dark it was in the beginning but there was something peaceful about seeing most of the houses still quite for the night but a few with lamps lit. I discovered this was the hour of the rabbits. By sunrise the squirrels take over the yards. It was so nice to have my exercise out of the way and I could start my day ready to go. Because of the dark I decided to change my route a bit - came back down the street instead of cutting across the abandoned yard.

Sat, Oct 20th  - 7 sets. I had planned on going on Friday but Jared ended up staying home sick. I tried to go early but Aaron woke up and it just did not work out. Matthew had to work this day, but he didn't have to leave until 8:30 so I was able to get out the door by 7.  There are a lot more people out and about on a Saturday morning :/ I did follow the same path though and come back down the street, but decided to backtrack to where I would have cut across. I was so excited when I tracked my route to see it was 3.06 miles!!! I found my route for the 5K though I will need to go just .04 miles more. I was pretty proud of myself.

Mon, Oct 22nd - 2 minutes walk/2.5 jog/6 sets. Because I was procrastinating it was later than usual when I headed out. I ended up meeting a lady who just moved here in August from CA. We had a nice little chat and decided we needed to meet again. I LOVE this neighborhood!!!!! I kept my route from Saturday and was surprised when I finished my sets half-way through. I made it out to F and walked all the way back (20 min). When I tracked it the training part was just over 2 miles. I didn't like having so much distance to walk back so I will probably add more walking in the beginning to even it out. I had debated skipping the CC street on the way back but decided I should keep my body used to the 3 miles.

Today, Oct 24th

Last week I didn't do anything on my rest days and I think it made my training harder. Thursday night or Friday night I felt a switch go off inside and I no longer cared about the exercise. I could give it up but I am not because I want to finish this goal. I also know where I'll end up if I quit and I don't like that destination. My clothes still don't fit great, but I can tell there is some slimming happening. I do like that.

I am so tired which I think is really contributing to my desire to expend the energy to train. I am so glad I have this dog companion. Normally I would be in the middle of my route right now. Ten minutes ago he sat up and looked at me like, Aren't we going yet?!

Yesterday we went for a no pressure walk. I had no qualms with going as soon as the boys were on the bus. I didn't worry about time or miles until went to input it on my tracker. We stopped at the field so he could run around. It was absolutely beautiful to watch the sun rise over the fall touched trees and listen to the birds call each other. These birds and their songs are new to me. One was particularly intriguing. It was like listening to an instrument tuning. Simple, clear notes about five pitches apart. I came home and tried to find it on the piano. I think the pattern was G (half note) D-D-D-D (quarter-quarter-quarter - half). I wished I had the capacity to take that call and create a song with it.

Ok, enough dawdling or I will run out of time and then I'll really be in a fix.

Motivation

Just a whiney post for the moment to motivate myself to get out and do today's workout: 2 minutes of walking 2.5 minutes of running 6 times. :P

Two minutes!!!!!

Yesterday was Matthew's PT test. He passed with flying colors. YAY!!! He invited me to do my training with him at 5 am in the mornings. He wanted to start today since that is my training day, but it should be his day of rest. We are to start tomorrow. We've made plans before and they didn't happen so I didn't want to end up with two days off since I can't train tomorrow due to other obligations in the morning. So that left me with what to do about today..... I decided to stick to the schedule and plan on not having a rest day tomorrow.  Afterwards I realized we should have gone ahead and trained today because my run is his walk speed :p

I was pleasantly surprised at how well I was able to keep pace and breath. I made it through 4 sets before I felt really winded. After my fifth lap though I felt a change come over me. It was weird. I was on my walk and then all of a sudden I felt my face and body go hot. I decided to walk a little longer than the 3 minutes to see if I couldn't cool down some more. Thankfully a breeze picked up and that helped a lot. I was just shy of a four minute walk when I started the run. I was really feeling it though and stopped the timer at 45 seconds, walked some more, then finished off the two minutes and walked the five minutes home. I don't know what happened but I don't think it was good. When I got home my face was really splotchy red. It is possible I got dehydrated because I haven't drunk enough water this weekend.

Last night I was talking to Matthew about how I used to run for 6 minutes in a row on the treadmill and now I am barely able to do two. I don't know what the difference is. I don't remember it being this hard though I do remember having to psych myself up the whole time - 30 seconds, 45 seconds, you can do it, just a little longer, etc. - until it became easy. I just realized I ran the most minutes ever today - 10. Granted, they weren't consecutive, but still. Maybe that was my body's problem ;) We'll see what happens tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll celebrate my body's success today!

Week 2 End

I did it. I made it through week 2. yay me.

Last night was the first night in a LONG time that I felt rested and comfortable the whole night. I don't know if it was sheer exhaustion (I was really tired), the clean sheets (nothing quite like crawling in bed with clean sheets. Love it!) or that I had surrounded myself in my pillow nest. Whatever the reason it was wonderful to feel like I didn't want to get out of bed - not because I was so tired but because it felt so good to be in bed.

Anyway, between being rested and the walk yesterday, I feel like I started off my strongest yet. I did some stretching and walked for about 5 minutes before starting the clock. My first run is usually really hard but I was quite impressed with how good it felt. I began to think that I may make the 2 min run just fine. hahahaha. Anyway, I'll get to that. I was able to judge my time/distance better today so that I wasn't looking at the clock just as it hit the one minute mark. Instead I could get to the 15 seconds or even the 20 seconds before I checked how much longer. I had an idea how far the time would take me so I would set a goal to reach some landmark before checking. My first two runs were really comfortable and a good pace. It could easily have been at 4mph.  By the fourth set I was slowing down and still had three to go though I wouldn't say it was brutal like the rest of the week. Runs 6 & 7 were hard. I am pretty proud to report though that I really pushed through set 7. I was hoping for a runners' high but I think I still have a way to go before I hit that option. My last run put me through the last two long streets and I set a goal to make it to the tree at the end of it. I wanted to stop before I got there, but I pushed myself on. Time check - 1 min 45 seconds. woohoo!! Of course the idea that I would have to continue running for another 15 sec on Monday is not a happy one, but I think I can do it. I will make the best effort at least.

My legs are pretty sore at this point, and I am grateful for the two days off. I was looking at the schedule though and the two days off are supposed to precede the 7 set day (presumably to make it easier to add the extra time on). Oh well.

Today's start time: 8:52 end time 9:36 (44 min total), 2.46 miles. I still need to add another half mile to my route to get to 5K.

Walk Around

It is cross-training/rest day so I walked my route. Oh ChiMax did not like having to only walk, but he got his fill when we stopped at the field and he got to run around for 5 minutes. I was surprised at my own body's desire to run but I kept it at a brisk walk until the very end and I decided to go ahead and run and see how far I could go. It wasn't very far - basically from the F culdesac half-way to CC (maybe the 1 1/2 minutes but probably not). It took us 50 minutes for the 2.4 miles which is only 10 min more than when I have the jogging intervals.

I ended up on the sparkpeople 5k forum and someone had started a thread about how hard the week 2 day 2 was and wondering if they'd be ready for week 3 (basically the same musings I have had) but she stuck with it and discovered she was fine. She just took it one day at a time. I like that :)

Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken

Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken

Hillbilly housewife

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 10 oz. can cream of chicken soup
2 T. margarine or butter
1 envelope spaghetti sauce seasoning
8 oz. cream cheese (can use 1/3 less fat Neufchatel)

Place chicken in bottom of crockpot and add remaining ingredients except cream cheese. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. Shred chicken with fork, add cream cheese, and stir. Let stand in crockpot until heated through. Serve over rice or mashed potatoes. (serves 4 to 6)

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I did not have cream cheese on hand so I used plain yogurt. I don't know what difference it would have made but it was still good. Reminded me of stroganoff. I had to put together my own spaghetti seasoning mix so  I linked the recipe I used and only put in about 1/4 cup of it. It smelled so good while it was cooking!! I served it over brown rice with a spring salad and fruit.

Week 2 Day 3

Yesterday I took a complete rest day because I had an appointment at 9am with a sister in the ward for breakfast. I really appreciate her reaching out to me in friendship. She took me to a restaurant and the food was absolutely DELICIOUS! I ate a lot of calories yesterday between my veggie omelet with bacon and cheese and home fries and Aaron making dinner last night (hamburgers, fruit kebobs and banana choc pops for dessert). I could feel it by the end of the day but it was some good eats!!

Today was brutal. I tried to warmup a little better before starting out. I did the best I could remember of the cardioX warmup and then walked a few minutes before starting the timer. I was still sluggish on the run. Set 4 was down on my usual route and it seemed easier at that point. I don't know if it is the terrain (flatter), the timing (being really warmed up), or the familiarity of the area that is making the difference. The 1 1/2 minutes of jogging is really hard. Friday I have to do seven sets which I can do, but I dread the extra 30 sec that will be added on Monday. I'm wondering if I should do repeat this week's training or go ahead and try to stay to the schedulee. I am not sure how I can be ready for the 5K at the end of the month when I am struggling with this extra 30 sec already. I think I will try the schedule for Monday (walk 3 jog 2) and see what happens.

 I still need to get new shoes, but I wore Matthew's old NB running shoes that I'd use on the treadmill to see how it would effect my legs. I could feel my left leg wanting to cramp up on the walk back :/ They did have nice padding though. I couldn't feel every branch and pebble I was trampling.

I was thinking about what happens after I've made my goal. I don't want to just stop and lose everything I've worked for the last few weeks. I am thinking about just continuing the 5K day schedule or trying the run the 5K in 5 weeks schedule. We're heading into the winter months though and it is raining more often and getting colder which will really put a damper on my wanting to be out walking/running. I am aware of the Lord's tender mercies in the weather though. For my day off it was cold and raining and today the sun is out and comfortably cool.

Week 2 Day 1

Walk 3 min, run 1.5 min 6 times.

Since I had to do 6 sets I went all the way down our street cut through a yard and up M. which left me with 4 sets for my normal route. It was nice to be done by the time I got back to F and could walk back home. The starting was brutal and I had to really push to get that additional 30 sec of running but by the third set I had a better groove. My total mileage today was 2.41 though the training portion was just over 2. I think if I'd gone up CC I would be almost to 3 miles. I thought about it, but decided to just go on home. If I had 7 sets it would have put me at the run on CC (Friday's task).

 Man my actual 'run' was like a slow crawl jog. It was really hard today. I need to get some new shoes and some more sleep :p I was up at 5 am (helping the boys get back to sleep and printing the routes for the day) and hoped to get my training done or at least out the door by 6:30 but opted to talk to Caleb and finish getting breakfast and lunches prepared. By then it was 7 am and figured I wouldn't be able to make it back soon enough to get the boys ready for school on time. I was right based on my time. It'd warmed up by the time I went though which was nice. Tomorrow I have a 9 am appt so I will need to be done and dressed for the day by the time the boys leave for the bus. eeks.

Day of rest??

Today we participated in a corn maze for about 2 1/2 hours. I managed to make my exercise goal for the week ;)

After the maze we went to the George Washington Crossing State Park and crossed the Delaware river via bridge.

For my day off, I certainly got a lot of exercise in :)

Week 1 Complete

Well, I've accomplished the first week of training. I did Chicken Fat yesterday morning before the boys even got up and was showered at the start of the day. What a nice difference that made for my day. I have been thinking about getting up around 5 to do my training but when the alarm goes off I am just too tired. I can tell that the exercsising has made me more tired by the end of the day. But I can also tell that a difference in the way I feel. I keep thinking I am already slimming down a bit but then I put on my clothes and they are just as tight as before so it 'must be all on me head.'

Today it took a lot of self-control to walk out the door and complete my task. Today I did 6 sets instead of 5 but I felt tired before I even started. I've been having this mental debate about whether I should walk on my off days. The dog was certainly disappointed yesterday that we didn't go. I think I've decided I need to go just not do the running. I think it would help my legs to not be so sore. I will need to do the chicken fat in addition though because I need that variety for the rest of my body. Maybe I could do the walk in the afternoon with the boys and it won't matter how fast or far I go.....

According to sparkpeople, in order to reach my goal weight (losing one pound a week) I need to exercise 180 min/814 calories and I am only up to 140 minutes/650 calories. So if I had taken a walk both days I would be at my goal.

Next week I walk for 3 and run for 1.5 minutes. I am pretty confident I can handle that because it feels odd to just stop when I hit the one minute mark though I will miss that extra minute of walk. I am curious to see how that will do for my distance because it hasn't really changed until today by adding the extra set. With the 5 sets I'd go about 1.98 miles and today I did 2.12.

Anyway, here's an interesting tidbit from today's experience as posted on FB:

"I had an extra companion at the start of my walk today. The cat decided she wanted to come too and had a great time until the one minute of running and she yelled at us when we got ahead of her and she had to really exert her energies. She decided she had had enough when we past the house again. But, it was fun while it lasted :)


I left the yard and she followed me across the street. I said hi to her and she went towards that house and I kept going. Pretty soon she started meowing loudly so when I finally figured out where she was I could tell it was directed at me. So, I talked to her, talked to the neighbor and started going again. She ran to catch up and kept up with us the entire way around the block. She was a bit upset for the run and when we got to the house Tim was going to the car so she walked nonchalantly up the drive-way."

Day 1 - Game on

I was itching to walk all weekend. I thought about going Saturday morning or even Friday afternoon because the weather had cleared up by then. But I didn't. Well, the boys and I did go for a walk but it hardly counted as much exercise and certainly not for my training. Today though, was the day. Game on.

I discovered the 4 min walk/1 min run done 5 times was perfect. It is basically what I have been doing but with more structure. It works well. I will do this 2 more times this week. My route was just shy of 2 miles. I used the stop watch on my phone to keep track which worked fine but it is clumsy. I need to figure out a better method and a way to keep track of my sets or I'm going to end up getting all confused.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a cross-training or a rest day. I think I will do my Chicken Fat video though I long for some plyo jumps. Maybe instead of pogo jumps I'll do plyo ;)

I tracked my effort on sparkpeople and decided to go ahead and make a lose weight goal though it really won't be something I work really hard at. We have no scale so I am unsure of my exact weight but it was pretty close to 180 when I got here. I may be down to 175 at this point but I said I am 180 anyway. I decided to let it tell me how long it will take if I lose 1 pound a week. By mid-April I should be back down to 150. If I lost 2 pounds a week I could be done by mid-January. Maybe I will get to a point where it will be a more serious effort, but for now this is good. I am hoping that my 5K training will make up for it.

Rain day

I have been lucky with the rain up til now. It'll rain all the way up until it is time to walk out the door and then stop or just drizzle. Today it started the rain when we walked out so my plans to go for a walk were thwarted. The dog was quite disappointed and frankly so was I. My legs are not sore but feel capable and ready to see what they can accomplish today. I decided to make it an exercise video day so I searched youtube for a copy of my favorite ones but ended up on sparkpeople.com instead. They had a 12 minute cardio workout that was similar to one I like but it stopped abruptly without a cool-down. It was a good video but wasn't very fulfilling.

Anyway, sparkpeople is doing a virtual 5K run Halloween week. If I start now, I can follow their 5 week training guide. A 5Ksomething I've been thinking about doing ever so often. By the looks of the walk/jog schedule I am well on my way already. It would be really great if we could do this as a family. We'll see how well that goes over but I have high hopes.

Back in the game.

Now that life seems to be settling, I have begun the difficult process of purging all the 30+ pounds I've gained over the last year (most of that in the few months leading up to the move). I brought the treadmill with dreams of running on it again only to discover that it sucks too much power and end up having to reset the outlet the times I've tried to use it. Thankfully we have a beautiful neighborhood and great weather right now. So, I began the habit of walking again. I believe this is week 3 for me. After the first week I decided to take the dog with me. I miss walking with friends but ChiMax is a great companion and he literally pushes (ok, pulls) me to go faster and farther. He was so excited the first time I took him that we sprinted down the street. I ended up with a lot of shin pain after that first time because we were so excited to use our energies. But, we have a rhythm now and goals to help me improve.

Matthew helped me chart the distance of our paths and the one I use regularly now is about 1 and a half miles. The route  is basically a long street with streets that come off of it. I go up the streets (culdesac) and one that loops. I've worked up to running the long strips (there are 4) and walking up the streets so I get a break between running stretches. (Kind of like the letter R) I only go up the streets on the way out and skip them on the way back. My ultimate goal is to be able to run the entire thing, but for now I want to be able to run the long strip on the way back.

Today I was able to run the most so far. On the way out I ran up to the second driveway of C street. which is almost to the top of the culdesac. I did the same for F street and then made it from the end of F all the way to C (which is two strips in a row). I walked the third strip and then ran from W to the end of our street. I had to do a longer cool down so I passed our house and walked up another two driveways and back.

I keep expecting my clothes to fit better because I am exercising again, but I have to remind myself that the weight didn't appear over night and it won't disappear over night. I am not focusing too much on what I eat right now either which really makes a difference too. I try to kind of keep it in mind, but I am just not ready to spend my energies on that quite yet. Baby steps. My efforts in this area are mostly in the fact that I am actually making dinner most every night instead of eating out all the time. I know there is great value just in this effort.

I wish I could do Cardio X but I don't have that disc anymore and few people in the area are selling them. Most of the ones I've seen on craigslist are in NY.I miss my plyo action. My belly could use some core work too. All in good time though. I figure I will enjoy being able to exercise outside for now and worry about inside exercise when it gets cold.

Sept 11, 2012

I much prefer an 'in the moment' kind of post than a 'catch up' kind, but I feel that I must answer my own question about the Lord's word being true. In short, it was what He said it would be - as it always is when we put our faith and trust in Him. At this point the house saga is history and already fading in my memory because we've ended that chapter and moved onto the next.

Over the course of the last year our life and situation has been full of oddities, but each action has been a gift from God and the gift just keeps on giving. We are co-renting a house with another family from church. The opportunity presented itself just when Matthew's lease was ending and we needed to find a place for all of us. I visited in June to meet the family and figure out where we were going to live for the next year. We looked at a townhome that would have been great for our family - decent schools, good size home (basement, nice kitchen, fireplace, two bedrooms, two baths), decent price - but even so we felt that renting from this family was what was right for us. From the moment I arrived back home that weekend until we pulled up with our UHaul August 16th, I was in a stressed stupor. We unloaded our truck and filled the house with our stuff and all I could think was "and my father dwelt in a tent". I wondered how on earth we could possibly be happy in this situation (we have the downstairs two bedrooms and bathroom and share the living room, kitchen and basement.) As the furniture got arranged and the boxes unpacked, I began to see that this is doable. We've been here 4 Sundays now and I can honestly say that I am happy here. I can see how this is working and that it is a blessing for us. It is like a dance to balance each of our family's needs, but rarely do we step on each other's toes.

"And his faith waxed confident in the Lord..."

My life is surrounded with thoughts about the house selling and how much we'll get out of it. This morning as I prayed, I felt assured that we would get what we need out of the sell of the house. Yesterday I called a realtor and scheduled a visit for Wed and in the meantime she sent a listing of houses that have sold or are on the market currently. I felt totally deflated and anxious after seeing them. As I closed the listings and my email, my thought was "He said it will be ok so it will, right?" And then my mind caught hold of memories from the night before.

A storm came through last night - an answer to prayer in and of itself - which caused the lights to flicker. Aaron said we need to say a prayer for the lights to stay on, so he said one. The lights flickered one more time and almost popped off but stayed on. Recognizing his prayer was heard, we said a thank you prayer and went on with eating our dinner. Some minutes later (maybe 10) the lights went completely out. I called the boys to me and Aaron said we needed to say a prayer again. As he completed his sentence pleading for the power to come back on the lights they did. He said 'Oh, well that was good!' and said thank you for answering his prayer so quick. Recognizing the power of his prayer, Aaron had the thought that he should pray that the power will always stay on. I told him that I don't think the Lord will guarantee that. At this point, Aaron had absolutely no doubt that the Lord would answer his prayer so he prayed for that as well and the power did stay on the rest of the night.

It warmed my heart to have his prayers answered so completely. The Lord heard his little son's pleading and loved to comply. And in return, Aaron's faith waxed confident in the Lord. How can I doubt or feel anxious when the Lord has given me assurance that it will work out? His words have proved true again and again. So, I put my faith and trust in the Lord and will do all I can to make my house desireable. 

The Purge

I have been slowly working through my cluttered house sorting, culling, shredding, dispensing, and trashing things that have been occupying space for years now. It has been a hard thing, but I'm ready.

Today I did a huge thing for me. I was going through a box of my things (it is always easier to declutter someone else's stuff because there's no emotional attachment to it) and came upon the stack of lessons I gave in Relief Society when I was the fourth Sunday teacher - which means these are talks given by prophets and apostles with my thoughts and inspirations received while preparing the lessons. Two of my wants in my home have been shelves filled with books so my children could have good books at their disposal, and a file full of church material to aid mine and my family's gospel studies. These are great goals, but I have come to the realization that there are public libraries at our disposal and my children are more likely to search the Internet for the talks they are interested in reading and not my file that I keep locked in a room they aren't allowed to play in. So, as I looked at this stack of papers, I took a deep breath and put them in the recycling bin. Not my "to file" bin. In the recycling bin. They are purged.

Yesterday I was going to get a spoonful of ice cream just because I could. I had one of those moments where I felt this tiny decision was one which carried great weight. If I followed through with it, I would be would be one step closer to losing this battle over self and Satan would laugh his maniacal laugh. But if I put the spoon back and walk away, I would have strength and power.

"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." ~Mosiah 3:19


"behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass;" ~Alma 37:6

"And because of the righteousness of his people, Satan has no power; wherefore, he cannot be loosed for the space of many years; for he hath no power over the hearts of the people, for they dwell in righteousness, and the Holy One of Israel reigneth." ~1 Nephi 22:26