Week in Review (3/17/14- 3/23/14)

Last week everyone that has kids seemed to take off and leave the city due to all the school's being on spring break. Not only was work a ghost town, but also certain parts of Nashville. It was nice to have a low key week.

St. Patricks Day (Monday) -
T25 Total Body Circuit
2.5 mile run

Immediately upon coming in to work my boss handed me a little gift to enjoy St. Patty's day (for those that don't know- my last name is Jameson- I actually don't like the drink, but she made the brownies the previous week and they were amazing!)

Mid-day my phone just died and the only way it would work is if it was plugged in. Normally I wouldn't freak out too much, but I combined my work & personal phone into one so I could get it all paid for. This means if Verizon can't fix it, I have to follow a protocol at work to get a new one. we had a giant celebration at our running group and Nike was there testing out shoes and giving out prizes, so I know I had to go for a short bit before heading to Verizon

There were 2 shoes to try out- first one which I was itching to try was the Nike Flyknit Lunar 2 (neutral shoe). The one time I'm excited about testing out a shoe and they don't have my size. I did try on a 9.5 and boy was it comfortable for walking around, but I knew I needed the extra room for running.

I had zero desire to try the other shoe, Nike Zoom-Structure, but since you got a free beer for testing either shoes, I decided to do a short run in them, hop by phone store, and be back before the giveaways started

As expected, I hated the shoes and got my usual pain on lateral sides of my arch and decided to make this run REALLY short, a whopping 2.5 miles. 

Went to Verizon where I waited for over 45 min with no service, then left to go back to St. Patty's day celebrations with the run group. 

Tuesday

RIPPED class in lieu of T25

Requested a new phone, found out I needed president of my market's approval who is of course on spring break and his assistant left for the day so it would have to wait till the next day. 

1 hour Ripped class after work (nailed it) followed by usual Tuesday night trivia. We were not on our A game and didn't do so well. Things got a little heated when a team was trying to say that the tallest mountain peak in North America is Mt. Denali- clearly its Mt. McKinley which is located in the National Park called Denali. It took them 10 min to find a website that corroborated their answer to which I argued if it takes you 10 min to find something on the internet to back up what you think is correct for a game of trivia it shouldn't count. Crazy how I was the only one drinking just water at my table yet I was the most vocal-- guess you had to be there to appreciate the back and forths. 

Wednesday

5 miles with co-worker

T25 Speed 1.0

Got the approval I needed for the phone. Work day uneventful. 2 summers ago I actually trained for a full marathon and did most of my long runs with one of my co-workers. The marathon didn't happen because I developed a bad case of plica inflammation which mimicked a meniscal tear. We haven't run much together since, but I agreed to do an easy 5 with him after work. Weather was pristine with a nice cool breeze.

Finished my t25 workout and the roommate had a few friends over for dinner. Afterward I showed them all the workout dance videos I've found and we swapped dance moves. I'm glad I'm not the only one who struggles to look coordinated while dance working out. (you tube jessica fitness and you'll get all her workouts to popular songs) 

Thursday

Double Day - total body circuit + lower focus

Big day:

1. My phone arrived and I got a mini upgrade and now have Siri (I had the 4 IOS before, now I have the 4s IOS) Also I could never upgrade to the 7 version due to not having enough space from all the pictures. Now I have the 7 and not sure how I feel. My biggest sense of loss is I don't have the emoticons anymore. Apparently I can just download the emoji app and install it, which I still need to do. 

2. I actually ventured out with my 2 work besties for lunch (I always stay put with either my lunch I bring from home, or a salad from our cafe) Old Chicago has an amazing deal- $7.50 for pizza buffet + salad+ a cookie. Beer is not included but was a much needed break from the day. 

3. I finished Alpha round of T25 (5 weeks)!!! I waited until after the weekend was over for measurements since I was still bloated from that time of the month but happy to report my progress:

Pounds lost: 10.2

Inches lost: 2 from waist, 1.5 from chest, 1 from thigh, +1 in bicep

I'm still not where I want to be and started up Beta round on Sunday---- crazy intense. 

Friday:

4 mile lunch run

Work was slow so I called it a day and left early. Met a bunch of people who still hadn't scoped out Tennessee Brew Works. I've been a few times, but this is the first time it was warm enough to enjoy their awesome patio. 

A year ago this photo would be me and all guys. So glad to have more girlfriends in my life! 

Roomie love 

Saturday:

4 miles

Broke in my new (but old) shoes. Last year I ran in the Saucony Mirage 3s. I loved how lightweight they were and allowed me to run faster (I got my PR in Maryland wearing these) 

My problem was that these are 4mm drop and I was used to an 8mm drop. I did too much too soon and ended up with excruciating calf pain from May - September. I tested them out for my 5 miler on Wednesday to see if I should re-visit a new pair now that my mileage and lengths is decreased and after a successful run I hopped on to runningwarehouse.com and snagged a pair for super cheap $54 and change after taxes. If you use code FB15D that gets you 15% off. (facebook 15% discount is what it stands for if it makes it easy to remember.) 

They only had the deep magenta available, but they were fabulous for my 4 miler on Saturday!

Later in the day a few of us went to see Divergent in Imax (during the day it was only $1 more than regular seating). I haven't read the books and I won't read them due to knowing how it ends, but I figured it would be neat to see the movie since I heard it was well done. I have to say that the actor who plays 'Four', Theo James', was worth every penny spent for that ticket. And on top of his looks, hes also British whichs prompts the question why you can't meet a man like that : wipes drool off mouth: 

After the movie we head out for some bbq, enjoyed watching Wisconsin beat Oregon, and called it a night. 

Sunday:

First day of beta- core cardio

I started my day off excited to try the next 5 weeks of T25, but I got my ass handed to me... no literally my ass still hurts as I'm writing this. I'm 3 days in and I have a hard time keeping up. I'm hoping as I get used to the moves and the speed I won't keep having to pause and modify, but at least I'm being challenged?

Rest of the day was lazy day- cleaning, organizing, grocery shopping, and meal prep for the week. I ALWAYS have roasted veggies on hand since they are scrumptious and easy to make. I vary what I get based on availability and price. This week: broccoli, bell peppers, parsnips, 1 japanese sweet potato (they're purple) and regular sweet potatoes + not pictured- white onions and edamame.  

I also made a bunch of chicken patties from ground chicken + spices, dijon mustard, and onions, but the photos didn't turn out. I love experimenting in the kitchen, but for me, everything is about simplicity and time constraints. 

Trails, Trivia, T25

Trails
If you haven't heard already, Elizabeth has organized a great group of ladies to round out the Nuun sponsored team to run in the inaugural Ragnar Trail Atlanta. Unlike traditional Ragnars, there aren't some locations that are easy flat terrain  and some that are hard... all trail Ragnars are filled with hills, rocks, sand, and whatever other obstacles can be challenging. This particular one is held in the Georgia International Horse Park which is laced with all the above. Here is a preview of what is to come

Barely a flat part in sight. I don't mind hills, but hills on dirt that you need to grab on to tree routes and constantly look at the ground so you don't fall, that is another story. I found a too good to pass up deal last week on clearanced out trail shoes, so I decided to hit up our local tough trails, Percy Warner, with a few of my friends who are on another team for Ragnar Trail.  With walk breaks included in our time we had an 11 min pace for our 4 miles and I felt like we were flying. Considering 2 of my runs for Ragnar Trail Vail Lake in November were 11:51 and 11:59 total pace... I call this a huge win. 

I was excited to go again this week and meet (for the first time) my teammate for Ragnar Cape Cod, Betsy, but it's supposed to rain. I'm not the most coordinated on trails, add rain to the mix and I'm pretty sure I might hurt myself. Come on mother nature please play nice!

Trivia

If you've been reading these past few months you know I'm an avid trivia player. Back in November me and a few friends who traditionally aren't on my weekly Tuesday trivia team decided to try the first ever Preds trivia  which was held at Bridgestone where our Preds hockey team plays. Everyone gets a discounted ticket that plays, and if you win first place your seats get upgraded to ICE seats and if you get 2nd you get the lower bowl. The first time around we tied with another team and won the tie breaker to get the ICE seats!!

A few weeks ago Sarah and I received another email stating they were going to do it again. Our November team actually consisted of an ex and all his friends, so I hardcore recruited all my weekly trivia members that were available, and a few others to get a diverse team. The result- again tied for first and broke the tie breaker to WIN ICE SEATS AGAIN!

The game we all chose is 4/10 and we actually were able to get all 9 seats together on the ice (last time they had to split it up into 4 and 3) It's nice to know how facts you think are useless that are in your brain can reap big rewards!!! 

T25

Today marked the end of my 4th week of T25. At first I didn't think I was noticing many results aka 'why aren't my abs chiseled yet', but luckily I've been tracking my weight and inches every Saturday. I don't have results yet from this week (obviously its friday) but as of last week I was down 6lbs, 2 inches off my waist, and 1.5 off my chest. I think the best part was one of my guy friends who I hadn't seen in a few weeks commented the other day that my frame "looked smaller"- I'll take it. Aside from results, I've learned 3 things about my body:

1.) My legs are strong. I've always had strong legs (mostly quads and calves) so some of the moves don't bother me. Just call me the squat queen. 

2.) My upper strength is very weak in comparison, but I have come a long way. For me pushups are not comfortable- its not the arms part, its actually my back. Yesterday  I was so proud that I could do 3 oblique push ups before I needed to modify-- baby steps. 

3.) I am naturally uncoordinated. After 4 weeks I'm finally able to do some of the moves that just seemed "awkward to me" I've also been trying to learn the dance /workout to Katy Perry's "Dark Horse"--- maybe someday I'll record myself doing it and post it. Let's just say I don't look sexual at all doing it and instead that I'm trying to hard. 

If you don't know what I'm talking about- here is the you tube video. It's definitely a leg workout, but the challenge is can you look coordinated while doing it? Some day...

February Review

February was a month of discovery. I got my focus and routine back. I made the transition to severely cut back on running and to not stress about it, and instead up body weights and exercises. I've been religious about yoga 2x week, t25 5x week, and from there getting in a run when I'm able or another class. On the social front, the roommate and I have also grown a lot closer since her and the boyfriend broke up. I rarely have those "lonely" moments when I have nothing to do because she's always finding different activities for us to participate in, and through that new friendships with others have been made!


Total Mileage:  61 miles- haven't broken 60 miles since November... ironic that when i decided to 'cut back' I run more mileage--- mostly due to Ragnar.

Highest Mileage week: 23- all my miles were during my 2 day Ragnar Del Sol stint- didn't run a single mile outside of this during that week.

Races Planned / Completed: 2/2

My first ever 15k- instant PR- Recap HERE-- organization of Ram Racing was great, swag was awesome, course and weather were brutal.

Another Ragnar Relay crossed off the list- escaping to sunny AZ while the rest of the country still has bitter cold temps- best decision ever! Recap HERE

New to Me: (Because you should always be trying something new) 

• Bought T25 focus and am well into week 3. Originally was doing it in my living room with the roommate, but then my downstairs neighbor complained about 'excessive jumping', so my new home for 25 min each day is our yoga room

• 15k was a new distance
• Went to Tunica, MS for a trivia tournament- who would've thought they had these types of events?

Accomplishments for February 

• I finally found my focus and am honing in on sculpting and transitioning from "runner" to "athlete". Already notice increased strength, flexibility, and flatter stomach! Its nice to have structure again. 
• Branched out of my traditional distance and tried something new for a change
• Ran 2 races without a care about time and never once looked at my watch (kind of a big deal for me) 

Current Book:  Nothing at the moment

Current Excitements/ Obsessions:

• Ragnar Trail Atlanta with Elizabeth, roomie, and 6 other lovely ladies I have yet to meet to represent Nunn.  Team Elecktrolit (their new flavor) is bound to be a blast 
• Watching my body transform

Current Songs: 

Since I've misplaced my ipod again, I've been using my phone (pandora) to fuel workouts. Can't get enough of Knife Party, Skrillex, and Dead Mau5--- great beats. 

Current Treat

Last year around this time I kept finding random flavors of my favorite cereal- first there was 

Then a week later I found this gem

Now here I am finding yet another (and my current treat)

What will they come up with next? For me its a great 'finisher' after dinner when I want something sweet. Healthy- no, but it could be worse. 

Current Goal (s):  

Same as last month: Main focus is to do what I need to get my body back on track before summer (Mid May- June) :

• Lose 10-15 lbs (down 4lbs, however noticing a big transition in my mid section and legs, so not as concerned with scale #s) 
• Although I'm still going to run- my focus is switching to more weights / sculpting- currently running about 1x a week. 
• Up the produce-- every single meal has a ton of veggies, now I just need to work on the fruit
• At least run 1 race a month- got in 2 last month and have at least 1 planned for the next few months

February Major takeaway:  Consistency has ALWAYS been my downfall, so its continually been something I try to work on. Having Leah join me in T25 has been a  blessing since she has become my accountability partner to keep me on track. It's not rocket science, but its amazing when you make something a priority, how you start to restructure your day to ensure said activity gets done.  I've found myself on more than one occasion waking up early to get in my workout because I know I won't have the opportunity to do so during or after work. I'm not a morning workout person, so this is progress for me. Can't wait to see what March has in store. 

How was your February?

Sexy by Summer

For the last couple months leading up to racing # 50 and for sure  after I was done, I was constantly bombarded with the nagging question "what's next?" When the infamous question started pouring in I would get all giddy and say it was time to rest. After more time passed I started to get annoyed thinking 'why does there have to be a next, what is so wrong with just being normal afterward and not having anything to focus on?'

After I was officially done it was a mix of emotions, but the most  prominent feeling was loss. Let me rewind....

Last December I lost all motivation to work out so I just didn't. Then I decided to do the ultimate reset the first 3 weeks of January where you can't work out, so by the time it was over I had gone a whole 6 weeks of practically zero exercise. I went stir crazy and the first week I was able to get back on the horse I ran 39 miles in 5 days (thats a LOT of miles for me) I had a focus to get back into shape, became diligent in my workouts again, picked up yoga, and finally hit a big PR for state #40, Maryland in May. A few weeks later I got injured in my calf and from June - September it hurt to run. I did just enough during the week to get by, but my fitness (and physique) declined over that stretch. 

By the time I was healed I just didn't care that much anymore- I had less than 5 states left and I was just going through the motions to make sure I finished what I set out to do. The only thing that kept me "motivated" was to finish my goal. 

Now here I was, goal finished, still out of shape, and I have zero focus on what to do. I need a break from the half marathon, yet I'm not wanting to race the shorter distances either. If I'm being completely honest, the only time I've been excited about running in the last month is when we have a break in the weather and the sun is shining.  I started going to classes offered at work to occupy my time again, yoga, kettlebell, RIPPED- just looking for something different to see if any excited me. 

About 2 weeks ago I was getting ready for work  and was putting my hair up in a pony tail when I noticed I had some definition without flexing going on in my arms- how had I not noticed this before? Like a middle school boy I started flexing in the mirror staring at various parts of my body to see what was sculpted and what was not (legs and arms, check, everything else... needs some work). It's crazy how I've been 'active' for so long, yet was so marshmallow soft in lots of different areas. 

I started to think about how I've always had skinny arms, and if some kettlebells and workout classes can help me start to see results... what can I do if I actually put forth some real effort and have a focus again?

unflexed muscle!

I decided to come up with a plan, sexy by summer, or #sbs if you follow me on instagram to sculpt my body. I know there are tons of ways to go about this, but for me I need something that was convenient, had definitive check points, and was easy to follow. I was up late one night watching infomercials and one for Beach Body's T25 came on. I own p90x and I have a ton of beachbody coach friends that blow up my newsfeed, so I'm familiar with company and the program- I decided 25 min a day, 5x week for 10 weeks was doable because just like my 50 state quest, there is a definitive date to shoot for. 

I realize 10 weeks out is May, but here in the south, thats summer! I went ahead and purchased and due to travel this week (I'm en route to Phoenix today for Ragnar Del Sol) I started week 1 on Sat so I could go Sat - Wed and get my first 5 days in without interruption. Aside from not being coordinated with some of the moves.. pretty sure I nailed it for a beginner. 

I just stepped off the scale and proud to be 4lbs down- winning. 

The biggest thing for me isn't about the weight loss or watching my body change, its about having a focus again. What's great is my roommate is doing it with me since she is currently injured and can't run, so we're motivating eachother and planning our day around when we can do it together- finally some accountability. 

So my 'what's next' is getting my body back- following a workout routine diligently, and just seeing what can actually happen if I put some hard work in for the next few months. I'm not trying to bulk up or try to fatigue my body just being more aware of how my body responds to certain types of exercises. If I don't feel like running, I won't- with exception of 2 Ragnars already planned durring the time frame. 

My other focus is being more aware of how my body responds to food- cheese, too much oatmeal, brussel sprouts- all bad news for Lisa. I'm good about cooking my food, but I have a busy schedule so its so much easier at times to just go out. I'm allowing myself 1 night out a week of restaurant food and if it has to be more I will have to choose healthier options on menu. I'm also cutting out alcohol on weekdays. Contrary to popular belief, I don't drink that much- when I go out I may have 1 beer or two because I enjoy it, but I'm really good about knowing my limits. 

Lastly is I want to be more flexible. For the last month I've been doing a yoga class 2x week and I can already see a difference in my progress, plus it just makes me feel better and more aware of my pain points- hamstrings and it bands. 

Overall, my focus has shifted to just treating ME better and getting my body back. I'm tired of feeling like I should be lighter or skinnier based on all the miles I put in over the years. I finally realized that FOR ME, running just doesn't cut it. I'm not going to hang up my running shoes by any means, but it will no longer be my main priority for next several months. 

1 week down, 9 more to go!