Goals: March 2011

In 2010, my goal was to qualify for Boston. I trained consistently. I train intensely. I made some mistakes and my body gave out on me. I hurt my foot and as a result I didn't qualify. I'm OK with that though because it was the process that was important. I spent a good 4 months training hard and spending time with good friends - in one way it was a disappointment but in many others it was a huge victory!

For quite a while now, my goal was to drop 10-15 pounds. This has been a tougher road than even the marathon training. There is no arguing the fact that I exercise at a high intensity - I put the work in. The problem enters in on the nutrition side of the equation. You can not out exercise what you can potentially eat! All of those little bites count toward your total daily calories. Just because you break off a piece of cookie (instead of eating the entire cookie) doesn't mean it is calorie free. Just because I spent 1 hour exercising at my max doesn't mean I can give in to those sugar cravings. And, unfortunately, that is exactly what I've been doing. Losing the pounds obviously isn't the right "goal" for me. I'm hoping to make the weight loss a secondary achievement.

I have run the Baltimore 10 Miler for the past few years now. It is a great race - well run - and a fair but challenging course. The field has grown each and every year and because of the layout of the streets, they have gone to a wave start. This means that you need to enter an approximate race time when you sign up so that you can start with people who will be running at about the same pace. The course has had my number the past couple of years so when I had to choose a time, I struggled with what it should be. I decided to make this one of my next goals with the hope that it will help me stay motivated with my exercise routine as well as work on my "secondary weight loss goal". I entered in a time of 1:20:00 for the 10 miles (which equates to 8 min/mile). This will be a HUGE challenge for me so it is going to be imperative for me to keep my exercise intensity high, keep my program balanced (running, strengthening & stretching/yoga). It is also going to be a big help to my speed if I drop those pounds.

So, in the next 108 days I will be striving to increase my running speed, to get my body stronger and to keep my flexibility high. I will be running, using my P90X and my Insanity programs to achieve those goals. I know I need accountability with my nutrition so if you read this, please check in with me - call me out if I seem to be slacking in the food department. The little ticker at the top of my blog should make steady downward progress. I will be exercising at my max and because of that, I need to fuel it with good and healthy foods.

Goals are important! I need to have focus - something to work towards. So, my first goal for 2011 is 1:20:00 at the Baltimore 10 Miler! I will be making others but for right now this is what I'm working towards!!

Start of Insanity and some Accountability

It has been some time since I've posted here and I think it is about time I started again. I was inspired by my new friend Jessica. I know I need to change my way of thinking about my lifestyle and hopefully this will help me get that ball rolling.

I've been using the Beachbody program P90X since the beginning of June 2010. I was having some foot problems and really needed to cut back my running. My entire workout regimen had be skewed toward running. I was no longer lifting or stretching and I believe this was a large part of my problem (there was also a biomechanical problem). So I purchased the P90X program and it was just what I needed! I got me back into lifting and stretching and even added some Yoga. My body was continuing to make positive changes but I was feeling the need for more of a challenge. Enter Insanity!

Insanity is the most intense workout program I have ever seen. I'm only 2 days into it but I already love it. It starts with a Fit Test where you have 8 different exercises that you do for 1 minute and count how many reps you can complete. You retake the test every 2 weeks to chart your progress. Here are my initial numbers:

Switch Kicks 69
Power Jacks 62
Power Knee 106
Power Jumps 39
Globe Jumps 11
Suicide Jumps 16
Push-up Jacks 23
Low Plank Oblique 60

I'm quite pleased with these numbers and can't wait to watch them increase as I progress through the program.

Today was the first actual workout and it was called Plyometric Cardio Circuit. It was really hard! I wore my HR monitor and my average HR was 168 bpm. It left me huffing and puffing and sweat just pouring off my body. It was hard but I loved every minute of it!

My goals, as of right now, are to lose about 20 pounds and to increase my fitness level to a point where I feel I can successfully complete the Half Wit Half Marathon again and beat my previous time (which I will find and post later).

Thanks for reading and I welcome any and all comments and accountability comments.

Friday 6/29/07

I've really had a couple of good days with my eat! I've dropped a pound which I'm happy about but I really thought I would have seen a bit more of a drop - I have been spot on and I honestly thought a bigger portion of the excess water weight would have dropped. However, it is just about that TOM so I'm hoping that is the reason for the water retention. It doesn't really matter though, the important part is that I'm getting back on my program and I'm starting to see results! Baby steps will get me to my goal!!

MY GOALS! - I posted earlier that I would list my goals so here they are:

1. Long Term Goal - I will weigh 130# for my marathon on October 28th.
2. Six Week (Team) Goal - I will weigh 134# by the end of my team challenge on August 9th.
3. Weekly Goal - I will perform 420 minutes of exercise (cardio & resistance training) and weight 140# (the actual weekly weight goal will change but the exercise minutes will stay the same).

I will also be setting up some daily goals for myself. Things like drinking enough water or having extra veggies on a given day etc. If there is one thing that I've learned from LL it's that goals are huge. Most people never sit down and actually make them. They might have some vague idea about what they might want....someday but they never actually define what they are, write them down and then make them public. It is a huge step!

The other thing I'm doing is setting up a leverage. This is also something I learned about at LL. Simply, and this comes right from The Leanness Lifestyle book, it is "self-applied pressure to reinforce your focus and maintain your commitment through the journey. It establishes a cost for failing." There are different types but I'll let you purchase the LL book to read more about it! If you've never used a system like this, it is amazing. My leverage is financial (it doesn't have to be but that is what I chose). I have a savings account that I've set aside so that some day I can become an Elite member at LL. I'm taking $200 out of that account and if I don't make my goal it will be sent to the KKK - a group I absolutely despise! I'm also going to fine myself $25 each week that I don't make my weekly goal. That money will also go into the end leverage.

Another weekly leverage I will set up is a massage. I have never had one before and have always wanted one. This is a reverse leverage - you purchase the session before hand and if you make your goal, you get to keep/attend the session. If you don't make your goal you don't get to go to the session and you are out the money you paid for it. I hope that all made sense because a good leverage is SO effective!

Well, today is a rest day for my exercising. I may go for a nice easy spin on the bike trainer just to keep my legs loose but other than that, I'm taking it off. Tomorrow is my long run and I'm thrilled to be meeting up with a group and then going for a run on the trails. It will be my second group run of the week but my first one on the trails. I will have to travel a bit to get there but I think it is going to be a blast! The only thing that concerns me is the possible lack of bathrooms - I'm sure some of them have had the problem before too so I'll just follow their lead, so to speak.

POSITIVE NOTE: I just found out this morning that Tim has started to drive again. That is such wonderful news! I'm going to email Donna soon and leave a message on Tim's CarePage. I'm so excited to hear he is making progress. I will be writing my sponsor letter this weekend and hope to get it out early next week. For those who may have missed my earlier posts, I'm raising money for a co-worker's son who had to have a hear transplant due to a genetic problem. He is a young man and this is going to hit him hard financially. He already has enough on his plate and I'm hoping to raise a minimum of $3000 to help him out.