February Workout Calendar

There are 28 days in February and I completed workouts on 26 of them. The two days that are highlighted in this picture were rest days and they were scheduled rest days. During the month of February I ran on 13 of the days; biked on 9 and completed 5 swim workouts.

I covered a total of 167.74 miles which is broken down to a total of 66 miles of running, 98.06 miles on the bike and swam 3.68 miles. With each step I take, each spin of the tire and each stroke in the water gets me closer to my goals and a stronger athlete.

After completing two months of official training I can say I feel stronger, some workouts are getting easier and I am enjoying the challenge. I find that I am pushing myself in ways I never thought I would and loving the results.

Today is March 1st and I completed 4. 2 miles in 50 minutes. I woke up this morning and my head was not in the game. I didn't want to run and I certainly didn't want to run for 50 minutes. I made a deal with myself and said that it would be ok to just do 30 minutes. Well in the end I ran the full 50 minutes and ended up with negative splits!! It was just what I needed this morning.

You never know what you are capable of until you challenge yourself.

Inspiration...

Recently, when reading some posts on social media I came across a statement that someone made in regards to announcing workouts. This individual claimed that they did their workouts for themselves and not for anyone else and didn't need the pat on the back like others did. As someone who does post their workouts and athletic accomplishments online this bothered me a bit.

Others told me to just let it go but I continued to think about. I asked myself why did I post these things? And after I asked myself I also asked a few friends, who also post about their workouts, why they did it? And this is what I came up with; I post what I love. If you follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or even Snapchat you will know that I love the Red Sox and Patriots! I cheer loudly for the Ithaca College Bombers and the Syracuse Orange! And I love to swim, bike and run so I want to share that too.

I have friends that post pictures about their family and children and I love to see those. Others, post pictures from their vacations or other adventures and I live vicariously through them. Finally some post pictures of the meals they are about to eat...whatever floats you boat. What I am trying to say is when I post my workouts I am sharing with you what I love.

I am proud of my accomplishments and the goals I have achieved and if I can inspire one person to go for a walk, a run or take one extra step then I am happy. I think I cheer on others as much as I post about myself. One of my best friends Stacy, posts every morning when she finishes her workout in Colorado. Her alarm goes off before 5 AM and she heads to the gym with her friends. They support and encourage each other and as I read her posts daily, she inspired me to get out of bed early and get my workouts done. I am happy to say I have finally created that habit and I love my morning workouts! Thank you Stacy!

I also follow a running group on Twitter, @Therunchat, that has a twitter chat every Sunday. On this chat members answer and ask questions about running, training and competing. I joined this chat at the end of 2016 and I look forward to it every Sunday. I also follow a group on Facebook called LUNAR, (lace up now and run) and this group posts their running and training accomplishments and as members we encourage and support. Other members inspire me to push a bit harder and to be better. It's not always about wanting a pat on the back!

I am going to end this post with a shout out to a few of my friends who have achieved some accomplishments this weekend that need to be praised:

1. My friend Emily who taught her first spin class this week. She passed her certification and is ready to lead other spinning enthusiasts (she is also training for her second Ironman)!
2. My friends Cheryl and Mary who both competed in the 2017 World Snowshoe Championship in Saranac Lake, NY... yes there is such a thing!!
3. My other friend Emily who completed her first half marathon at the Disney Princess Half in Florida! So proud of you Emily!!
4. My friend Dawn who completed her 23rd Marathon and the 5th of the 6 world major marathons in Tokyo, Japan. She has only London left to complete in April. This weekend her goal was to run a sub 3:15 and she completed it in 3:09...I am so inspired!!

Keep moving ... Keep inspiring!!

10 miles in the Windy City and other Updates

10 Miles in the Windy City

I actually started this post a week ago. I was traveling for work in Chicago and I think I was writing this entry to distract myself while I was watching the Super Bowl. I am a die hard Patriots fan and the first 3/4 of that game had me on edge and filled with anxiety. Now I never lost faith in my team but I certainly wasn't enjoying the game.

Last weekend was a beautiful day in Chicago. It was unusually warm. I had flown to the city,  very early Sunday morning, for a few days in order to meet with some Alumni from Ithaca College and host an alumni event. However, my coach also scheduled a 9.5 mile run and your can't stop your life just because of work travel; also known as work life balance.

I love this city along the great lake, it invigorates me! The Windy City doesn't intimidate me! So when I looked at my schedule and saw that I had 9.5 miles to run I was excited and looking forward to completing it I spent some time mapping out my route...in which direction should I go run along the river; go along the lake or run through Millennium Park? I decided that this run would cover it all.

In the past I would have faced this distance with fear. I certainly wouldn't have planned a run like this while traveling. In the last 6+ months my life has changed and facing workouts like this have become adventures. The run went very well and instead of completing 9.5 miles I ran 10 miles and was ready to watch the Super Bowl when it was done!!

The rest of the week was filled with recovery runs, time in the saddle (cycling) and a much needed swim. One particular workout this week challenged me, terrified me, and inspired me. I was challenged to do a timed 2 mile run. I had to run it faster than a 5k race pace. I had to planned to do this workout on Thursday morning on an outdoor track. Well you know what they say, the best laid plans...I woke up and the snow was falling, it was windy and cold and this would mean that the track would be covered too.

I jumped on the bike to get moving and thought the snow has to stop at some point. After work I went to a bike bath in town, that surprisingly was plowed better than some of the roads. It was 15 degrees and very dark out but I had to get it done. When I completed the test I had run the 2 miles in 21.23 which comes out to be less than an 11 minute mile on average. I don't know if I was fast that day or the fact that it was so cold and a bit creepy where I was running by myself that made me run faster? All I know that in 5 weeks I will have to do it again and hopefully it will be a bit warmer, brighter and less snow and ice!

On another note...I have checked the scale a few times this week. The digital box of numbers doesn't seem to want to move. I feel like I am on a plateau. However, even though the scale doesn't want to move I went shopping this week and I ended up in a smaller size...another size down. I have to admit I did a little dance in the dressing room!! Non scale victories!!

Continuing my new journey...

January 2017 is Complete

Today is the last day of January and I have to admit that this month flew by. Looking back on the month I was amazed at what I had accomplished. 31 days in January and I completed 29 workouts. The three days that are highlighted were actual scheduled rest days. These three particular rest days were travel days for work My coach and I decided that it was best to rest on these particular travel days since I had so much going on.

This was a great start to 2017. I feel great and I look forward to my morning workouts...I know, who have I become?? When I finish my daily workout I feel like I can accomplish anything that day. By completing them in the morning, I let nothing get in my way. Those early morning hours are all about me and I decide how the day is going to go moving forward.

A friend of mine and I text each other early in the morning to get each other moving. It is a great way to be accountable for your workouts...no sleeping in if the other person is working out too. I will admit it isn't easy to get up early, when it is cold and dark outside. Often times we are up two hours before the sun even rises, asking ourselves why?? I answered that question recently with this ..."the things we do for greatness"!!

In a short period of time I have seen a difference in my abilities. I feel stronger and more confident in myself! Bring on February and let the journey continue!

6 Months and counting

6 months ago I had a procedure that changed my life and I will never look back. Every day is a new adventure and some are more fun than others. After having bariatic surgery, I learned very quickly there is nothing easy about this. I had to learn to eat and drink all over again. Although days were not always easy, I would not change my decision. As part of the post-op procedures, you have to learn to eat very slowly. If you eat too fast it can hurt and believe me that is not fun. Funny thing I discovered, when out in restaurants, the thing that makes people uncomfortable is when you put your fork down. You are not actually done with your meal but you are eating slowly. When restaurant staff see this, they think that something is wrong. You explain that everything is fine and that your dinner is great but you can see they are uncomfortable. Try putting your fork down and you will see it too!

Prior to the surgery I had three goals; get rid of my diabetic medication, lower my blood pressure and become a faster runner. So far so good. I have not taken any medication for my diabetes since July and my blood pressure is down. I am also happy to report that I have fallen in love with running again. I actually look forward to my workouts. And yes, I am a faster runner today...but I think I can get faster. This past Sunday I had a long run workout, 7 miles total. I wasn't feeling great and I had to push myself out the door. I started off slow but was determined to finish. when I checked my time and looked at my mileage, I ended up having negative splits! My second half of this run was faster than my first half. I have never accomplished that before!! That made my day!

I am not finished, I still have more miles to go on this journey but I am stronger and ready to face it all. Where will I be in another six months? Where will this journey take me?

Updated numbers:

Down 67 pounds
I have lost 70.6% of my body weight
112/68 blood pressure
90 - blood sugar level (fasting)

375 days ago...

I am sorry for the delay in posting again but I was traveling for work and was on the road for 9 days. Day one of this work roadshow, was Wednesday, January 4th and it was an anniversary. An anniversary that very few would even know was happening. Exactly one year earlier I had my first visit with the surgeon who did my bariatric surgery. I had agreed to make this visit and at least hear him out. As I had discussed in previous posts it was my diabetes coach that encouraged me to make this appointment. I can say that after the first visit I wasn't 100% convinced to have the surgery, not even close. However, I was convinced to at least do some more research.

Well in less than a week, I will be going back to see that same surgeon for my 6 month follow-up. In the last 6 months I have not regretted having the surgery once. And I can also say I have not regretted taking the time to do the research and question whether this surgery was right for me. I am not upset that it took me 5 months to make this decision to say yes to the surgery...since July 26th there has been no looking back ... only forward!

The following pictures were taken January 9th and 10th to commemorate the 1 year anniversary!!

January 9, 2017

January 10, 2017

January 10, 2017

Strength in 2017

Every year I put together my resolutions for the new year. And like many others, at the end of the year I look back on the things I didn’t achieve. Even though I did a lot this year, and made some major changes, I still didn’t do it all. When looking at my resolutions from last year I came up with a “word” and a “phrase” to follow for the year. My “word” was Balance and my “phrase” was medication free. Based on just the words, I think I accomplished a lot. I am medication free and although not perfect I have worked very hard at being balanced. 

So 2017…what will be my phrase and what will be my word to carry me through the year?? My phrase is “The Year of Mo”. This is not to be looked at as a self-centered phrase but instead an opportunity to remember to take care of myself. It is a phrase to use to continue what I started in 2016 but also a year to do so much of what I want to do and continue the things I didn’t accomplish in 2016. 

My word for 2017 is “Strength”. It took me several days and a few runs to decide on this one word. However, to me this one word is a combination of so many others. When I started this process of coming up with my word, I kept coming back to “Spirit Mind and Body”. Under each of these words I have things I would like to accomplish and if all stay in sync you can create BALANCE. When you are balanced you have good HEALTH. Good health leads to feeling STRONG and with this STRENGTH you can accomplish anything!

Tri-ing to continue the journey!  Happy New Year Everyone!!

PS:I am not listing my resolutions here but please know I have a list. And of course on the list is to be more committed to my strength training...no pun intended ;-)