Hello, 11's

I'm still running.  Slowly, but still running.

Adding a running partner was the best thing I ever did for my progress.  He's significantly faster than me but drops down to just above my pace so I'm forced to work a little harder than if I was running by myself.

A few weeks ago we signed up for a 5k and the morning of the race we woke up to ice covered EVERYTHING!  All of the trees, sidewalks and streets were covered in a sheet of ice.  Walking was difficult, driving was difficult, I could only imagine what running would be like!

We slid our way to the starting line and found the race organizers had moved the course to a perfectly cleared route.  We set off on our run and I felt pretty good.  I ran the entire route without stopping to walk, which is huge for me.  When we got to the finish line I noticed our time was just over 30 minutes.  I knew something was off because there is no way I ran 10 minute miles.  It turns out, when they moved the course we lost about a quarter of a mile.  I was still pretty happy with the run though, I came in at just over 12 minutes a mile.

I knew I was progressing, albeit slowly!

After the confidence boost from that run we headed out a few days later for a run after work.  I felt like I was flying but I did my best to keep up and not walk.  I took 2 short walk breaks and after 4 miles I finally saw an average pace in the 11-minute time frame!  I was so excited.

Just to make sure it wasn't a fluke, I set out on my own run and despite a few walk breaks I still averaged in the 11's.

I'm 19 weeks out from the mini-marathon I want to run so it's time I start focusing on distance and endurance.  I think speed will come naturally. I'd like to run the half between 10-11 minutes per mile.

Someone suggested I download a playlist with songs that run at 160 bpm so I might try that!

A Running First

Tonight, after work,  I headed to the Metro Park again for my run with a goal of 4 miles. On my way to the park I received an offer for some company if I wanted it.  My initial reaction was no way!  I am a mess when I run.  I'm slow, I breathe heavy, I stop and walk when I feel like it and I certainly don't look pretty when I'm done.  He does Crossfit regularly and is a seasoned runner.  I shocked myself when I said "sure".  I warned him that I was slow and it wasn't a pretty sight to watch me run. 

He caught up with me around my halfway point (2.5 miles) and ran with me the rest of the way. It was weird to run with someone else, especially someone that is way faster and far more physically fit than I am.  I definitely pushed myself a little harder than I think I would have if I had been alone.  

In the end, I finished 5 miles with a 13:12 pace.  I was initially disappointed with that pace, especially since I felt like I was working really hard.  My heart rate was at the higher end of my "high" the entire run.  I log my miles with Map My Run and I scrolled back to a month ago and my pace was 13:54.  I'm definitely improving, it's just a really slow improvement.  

He offered to run with me again, which I'm actually going to welcome.  I think training with someone who's better than I am will push me.  I just hope he doesn't get sick of dropping down to my snail's pace.   

One day, maybe I'll just run slower than a herd of turtles...without the peanut butter ;)

I'm taking rest days until Saturday morning, when I hope to get my pace under 13 minutes.

It's only going to get colder...

It's only going to get colder.

That was the thought running through my head tonight after work as I got dressed in my running clothes.  The thermometer in my car said 49, which isn't really that cold but it was dreary and overcast out and it sure felt cold.  I didn't think it was cold enough to warrant my cold-gear running tights so I just wore regular long leggings and the long sleeved tech shirt from last years Turkey Trot.  My ears are the first things to feel the cold so I wore a thin headband over my ears.

The park I was running at is about a 20 minute drive from my house, which gives me lots of time to think about everything under the sun.

Some of tonight's thoughts:

"49 isn't that cold"

"what are you going to do in December or January when it's colder, and there's snow on the ground"

"You're an idiot for picking a half in early Spring"

"You're an idiot for picking a half"

"I hope these leggings aren't see through"

"I hope my legs and lungs cooperate"

"I should move"

"I wish it was still summer"

"I want a poptart"

"I want pizza" 

I'm usually all over the place before and during a run.  Most of it isn't repeatable but I try to think of anything and everything, except for the fact that my legs and lungs are tired.

I haven't run in a little while and I could feel it today.  I only made it mile before a walk break.  I was pretty disappointed in myself but I plugged along.  I squeaked out just under 3.5 miles and had my fastest mile (my first). I'm still running after that 10 minute mile.  

I know I'm getting stronger, it's just a really slow progression and it's really frustrating.

I'm going to have to figure out this cold weather running. Today my legs were fine, arms were a little hot but my hands were freezing!  I might have to start running with gloves when the temps dip below 50.  It's funny that I think it's "cold" now but come spring 50 will seem warm.

Until my next run, which is hopefully better than today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harsens Island

Yesterday I had a 40 mile bike ride planned out on Harsens Island.  I got a little nervous when I woke up and saw frost all over the grass and cars.  I dressed for the forecast, which was sunny and somewhere around 50° during the ride.  Harsens Island is about an hour east of my hometown so we left pretty early and it was still pretty cold!

When we got to the ride registration it had warmed up to 41° but the sun was shining.  You have to take a car ferry across to the island and lucky for us, bikes and pedestrians are free :)  We took the short ferry trip across the St. Clair River and we were off on our ride!

It quickly warmed up enough to take off my gloves but I'm glad I wore two long sleeved shirts and a headband to cover my ears.  We passed quite a few camouflaged boats coming back into the boat launches with guys dressed head to toe in their camouflage gear.  Duck hunting season had opened the day before in southern Michigan and we heard a good number of gun shots on our ride.  As I passed one stretch of wooded area I heard some rustling around and as I turned to look I saw a deer running away from me.  I like to count the wildlife I see when I'm out on my walks, runs and rides and today I saw quite a bit!  Today I saw an egret, a couple of swans, a duck, a turtle, a deer and a pheasant.

great egret

When we got to the turnaround spot I stopped to take a short break and wait for my friends.  I was surprised how clearly I could see the Detroit skyline from the island! It was a pretty clear day and you could distinctly see the Renaissance Center off in the far distance.

Detroit skyline, from Harsens Island

approximately mile 26

After a short break it was time to hit the road again, this time into the wind!  That made miles 19-25 pretty rough.  Around mile 25 we changed directions a little and road right along side the St. Clair River and in front of some beautiful homes! Definitely the kind dreams are made of.  I passed a couple getting out of a truck dressed head to toe in scuba gear.  I watched them walk into the river but I didn't stick around long enough to see them go under.  I wonder what they were looking for, unless they were just out for a practice dive.  It seemed a little cold to be diving for fun!

I made my way back through the neighborhoods and back to the ferry where I waited for my friends.  I've ridden long distances a few times and ride between 12-14 miles per hour without wind resistance.  This was the farthest distance one of my friends had ever gone so I was pretty impressed when they rolled up not too far behind me!  I'm not sure how I got into the habit of taking my bikes picture after each ride but it's just something I do when I ride.  While I waited for my friends I took advantage of the Harsens Island welcome sign.

33 miles, done!

We took the ferry back to the mainland and were greeted by a homemade lunch of mostacholi.  My final mileage came in just under 33 miles so their original route of 40 miles must have been a little off but it was still a great ride on what turned out to be a pretty great day.

I forgot to turn off my heart rate monitor until I was nearly halfway home but I'm guessing I burned around 1400 calories.  Not bad for a Sunday morning ;)

the road to 13.1

I've decided, once again, to chase the half-marathon dream.

During my 6-week challenge I focused mostly on weight lifting.  Cardio was a small part of our warm-up but not enough to make any mileage gains.  My initial thoughts of running the Urban Bourbon have been postponed.

Now, I'm shooting for the Kentucky Derby Mini Marathon, still in one of my favorite cities!  The run is in 208 days.  29 weeks!  I won't start seriously training until I'm about 15 weeks out or so but I will be running more often and trying to increase my mileage. 

Feel free to follow along and send words of encouragement as I try and take this on!

week 6 and final challenge {done}

I made it through the full six weeks without giving up.  I will admit, my focus drifted the last two weeks but I pushed through and completed six weeks of bootcamp.

The final workout was a seven exercise challenge and included our final weigh in and measurements.

I was fairly happy with my results.  Considering I could have tightened up my nutrition a little and pushed myself a little harder in the gym the last two weeks I am happy with my final weight loss of 10 pounds and a loss of nearly 13 inches.

I am a little disappointed I wasn't able to complete all seven of the final exercises but I have to remind myself I am much stronger than when I started and I had never done two of the exercises during the bootcamp.

Here's what we were challenged to do and my results:


Suspension Tuck In - 30 {by the grace of God, I got 30 of these done!}
Suspension Pikes - 30 {I did 7 before falling}
Chaturanga Push Up - In the suspension cables, held an inch of the ground for 15 seconds {I fell flat on my face}
6 MPH treadmill run - 2 minutes {done!}
Barbell Chest Press - 30, bar only (35 pounds) {done, even if I struggled through the last 10!}
Leg Press  - 30, 120 pounds {done!}
Barbell Squat - 30, bar only (35 pounds) {done!}

Overall I was happy with the challenge, the trainers and the gym.  The only thing I didn't really agree with was the nutritional recommendations.  They gave every person the same nutritional recommendations, not taking into consideration age, sex, current weight, etc.  I did my own research online and ended up raising my numbers a little bit.  I loosely followed the IIFYM calculator, found here.  I would have starved on their recommendations but found a pretty healthy balance of weight loss and kept my sanity!

Now that the challenge is over I have to keep going on my own motivation.  I have to suck it up and use the weight area of my gym.  I'm planning on going tomorrow, early, so hopefully it's fairly empty!

I'm not stopping but I will be taking a little bit of a "break" this weekend while on vacation in beautiful Northern Michigan :)

half-way weigh in and measurements

Tonight marked the half-way point for my 6-week challenge.  We were weighed in and they re-did our measurements.  I was a little nervous heading into the gym tonight because I don't feel any different.  I've been weighing myself at home so I already knew I had lost about 5 pounds.  Some days I woke up feeling "thin" and there were other days, like yesterday, when I felt huge!

If I hadn't lost at least a couple of inches I was going to be really disappointed.  I've been busting my butt in the gym and staying within my macros, saying no to foods I really wanted!

I'm happy to report I am down 6 pounds and lost a total of 6 inches!  I lost a full 2 inches in my waist and the rest of the 4 inches was lost over my lower thighs, calves, hips, arms and chest.

My trainer was happy with my results so I'm happy.  I'll take a slow but permanent loss!

Time to kick it up in the gym!  I increased my weights and was given some new push-ups to work on.  Seeing small results has boosted my motivation!

{source}

week two {done} and a trip to Belle Isle

Two weeks down.

I switched my cardio from the devil classes known as Cardio Heat to spinning.  I might switch it up again next week but in the meantime I am loving spinning.  It's hard and I leave dripping with sweat but I burn a hell of a lot of calories.

I really need to get better at the weight lifting.  I still leave class feeling sick.  I realize I'm really out of shape but I should be able to lift heavier than 5 pound dumbbells.  We were introduced to deadlifts on Saturday and I think those might be my favorite move.  I feel pretty strong when I do those but I definitely felt them on Sunday!

After two weeks I don't really see any physical changes yet except for the 5 pounds I've lost.  We have an official weigh in and measurements at the end of next week when we reach the halfway point.  I'm hoping for a few more pounds and a loss of inches.
_______________________________________________________________________________

After weight lifting on Saturday I went on a bike ride around Belle Isle.  Once around the island is around 5 miles.  Our original plan was to go around the island and then ride down to the River Walk but after the first 5 miles I could feel a visual migraine coming on.  Since I wasn't really sure how far the River Walk was from Belle Isle, we decided to just do another lap around the island.

On the far side of the island we saw a little bridge that connected to another trail.  We decided to explore it, not really knowing where it lead to.  It was a paved trail but it had been seriously neglected (like most areas of Detroit) and there were overgrown weeds, making it pretty hard to ride if you didn't have a mountain bike.

The island was really busy and we passed a lot of other bikers, runners, families having reunions and picnics and people just enjoying the island.  It's really nice to see positive things happening in the city of Detroit.

From the island you get great views of the city's skyline, Windsor and the river.  There's plenty to do on the island, too.  The Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory is a beautiful greenhouse and makes for a great photo opportunity!  My cousin had her wedding photos here a few years back and they turned out great!  The Aquarium was recently re-opened in 2012 and while I personally haven't been able to get inside and check it out, I've heard great things about it!  I'm adding that to my summer bucket list.  Pack yourself a picnic lunch and enjoy the views of Detroit and Windsor!

View from the "secret" path.

The Casino and new Shinola clock

John Scott Memorial Fountain and Detroit skyline

The Detroit Grand Prix finish line

wannabe runner

I have a goal to run a half-marathon.  I've had it for a while, years actually.  At first I wanted to run the Detroit Free Press Half Marathon, it's my hometown and it's International!  You run over the Ambassador Bridge, a few miles through Windsor, Ontario and back through the Detroit/Windsor Tunnel.

A few years ago I got up early and went downtown to watch the runners.  My friend was running her first half and I wanted to cheer her on.  I stood around the corner from the finish line and was so inspired by the people in the race.  Some of them were running, slapping high-fives on the way by, some were walking, some where limping, some where crying.  I saw every age and shape running past me.  I began cheering everyone on, telling them the end was right around the corner.  If you ever get the chance to go watch a half-marathon or marathon I would suggest it!

I made the decision, right there on the streets of Detroit, that I would run a half-marathon someday. 

Over the past few years I've run here and there.  I've ran a few 5k's, never all the way. I take walk breaks.  For the longest time I couldn't run a full mile without walking.  I finally broke that but was stuck at 1.25 miles.  Either my head or my legs would tell me to walk.

Today, I FINALLY ran two miles without stopping.  It's not a huge victory and to some two miles is trivial but that was a hurdle I could never get over.  For the girl who walked the mile fitness test in Middle School and High School running two miles is huge!

Earlier this year I received an e-mail promoting Bourbon Country.  At the bottom of the e-mail was a little ad for the Urban Bourbon Half.  I was immediately hooked! I LOVE Louisville and the chance to run a half through the streets of Downtown was really appealing to me.  

The honest truth is, the half is 13 weeks away and I just don't know if I'll be ready.  I had a plan to run 3-4 days a week to train for this but since starting my six-week challenge I haven't run as much.  I really think the the cross training will be beneficial to my running but I just don't know if I'll be ready to commit to running 13.1 miles in 13 weeks.  

I'm giving myself a few more weeks before I either commit to it or choose a different event.  

Either way, I'm on my way to running a half-marathon.  I always thought running a mile without stopping was impossible for me.  Now that I've progressed the fire's been re-lit under my ass and I feel like maybe running the half isn't out of reach for me!

  

#100happydays

I love Instagram.

I follow some really inspiring and motivational people.  I've done a few challenges over the few short years I've had an Instagram account.  In 2013, my sister moved out of state, which was something new for my family.  We've always lived within a mile of each other!  In order to stay "connected" we both started a photo a day project on Instagram.  After successfully finishing that I kept posting but it was sporadic.  

A few months ago I started seeing the hash tag "100happydays" on some of the popular accounts I follow.  I Googled it and found the website for 100 happy days.  I had already started to think that happiness was a mindset and I knew I could take a picture every day, I did it for 365 days in a row! Reading through the website hooked me.  

They say once you've completed the project you'll:

• start noticing what makes you happy every day
• be in a better mood every day
• start receiving more compliments from other people
• realize how lucky you are to have the life you have
• become more optimistic
• fall in love during the challenge

According to the website, 71% of the people who start the project don't finish.  That seemed really high to me but I was determined not to be a statistic!  I was almost positive there was at least something everyday to be thankful for or happy about but could I really be happy for 100 days in a row?  

Yes, I could!

Today was my 100th day in a row of #100happydays on Instagram.  Below are some highlights from the last 100 days.  If you want to see more of my pictures just search #januaryleigh100happydays on Instagram.

I've definitely started to notice what makes me happy (and what doesn't)
I didn't really notice a drastic change in my mood, I think I was fairly happy before!

I haven't noticed more compliments but I don't take compliments very well to begin with, so maybe I just ignored that part ;)

I definitely realize how lucky I am to live my life!  This was probably the biggest lesson learned.  I always knew I was blessed but when I look back at pictures I post on Instagram and Facebook I truly am a blessed person.  I live a life a lot of people are envious of and I'm proud to say I work to keep the lifestyle I live.

I'd say I'm a little more optimistic.  I try and remind myself to think positively every day.  Positive thoughts bring positive actions!

Sadly, I did not fall in love during the past 100 days.  I'm still accepting applications for the love of my life ;)

You're supposed to receive a 100 page book to commemorate the end of your 100 days but I haven't looked into that quite yet.  Stay tuned!

Overall, I'm so glad I started (and finished) 100 happy days!  I've even inspired some of my friends to start their own 100 happy days projects and I'm having fun following their journeys!

Go visit the website and start your 100 happy days project!

week one {done}

On June 30th after seeing a couple of before & after pictures from other people, I walked into a gym I knew nothing about, handed a woman I had just met my hard earned cash and promised to dedicate the next six weeks of my life to a fitness and nutrition challenge.  In return, she gave me a macro-nutrient (protein/carbs/fat) based nutrition plan, a workout schedule and her promise to help me through the next six weeks.

Today, I completed my first week.

It was not easy.  I wanted to quit after the first day of weight training.  I thought the weight training would be much easier than the cardio and I was proven very wrong.  I left my first session feeling nauseous, weak and completely defeated.

Thankfully, I am doing this challenge with three of my co-workers and when I got to work the next morning, barely able to walk, we convinced each other to keep going.   After work we had our first cardio class, appropriately called Cardio Heat.  It was a mixture of kickboxing, dancing and more weight training.  The "heat" in the name of the class comes from the amount of body heat generated in the room we were in.  I was drenched with sweat (gross, I know).

The trainers at this gym are big on weight lifting.  The more muscle mass you have the higher your metabolism and the more calories you burn.  If it lets me eat more, I'll give it a chance!

I somehow managed to make it back for another session of Cardio Heat and two more weight training sessions.

My final weight training session was this morning and it was the hardest thing I have ever done.  There was a circuit of about 14 different exercises, working arms, legs and total body.  Some done on weight machines, some done with free weights.  A timer was set to go off every 30 seconds.  You had 30 seconds of continuous exercise and then 30 seconds to get to the next station.  The circuit was repeated three times.  I made it around about two and a half times before I started to lose energy and actually started to feel sick.  I knew I was done when I was in the middle of chest presses using only the bar and I had absolutely no energy to push the bar back up.  My arms would literally not move.  It was fairly embarrassing to need help but the great thing about this gym is everyone started where I am.  Everyone is very motivating and helpful.  There's no judgement.  It's a great group of women.

My original plan was to stay and try the spinning class but I could barely walk to my car after the final timer went off.  I couldn't get home fast enough.  I was drenched in sweat (again, gross, I'm sorry) and feeling really nauseous.  I have a feeling my nausea is correlated to my eating schedule.  I used to eating three meals a day with a few snacks here and there.  I have to change my thinking into smaller meals throughout the day focused mainly on my pre-workout and post-workout meals.  The direction was to eat a specific amount of carbs and protein before working out and this morning I tried to make a protein waffle but was pretty turned off by the taste and only ate half of it.  Therefore, only eating half of what I should have before my workout.  My poor excuse for a pre-workout meal, combined with the intensity of today's workout left my kneeling on my bathroom floor.  I won't be making that mistake again!

I learned a lot this week.  Some of it the hard way.  

Tomorrow is a new week and I am definitely using this week's lessons to have a better experience.

It's going to be a challenging few weeks, most of my social activities are planned around food and drink and I've got a pretty strict nutrition plan that doesn't include alcohol.  Over the next few weeks I am determined to stay on track and enjoy my monthly dinner club, two birthday parties and our annual county fair.  I'm willing to put in the work so I'm excited to see my results.  I'm not focused as much on weight-loss, but more on muscle gain and overall improvement of my fitness level.  I'm hoping this class will be the jump start I needed to achieve a fitness goal I've had on my mind for a few years.

One week down, five to go!

Welcome to the chase!

"Just follow your arrow, wherever it points" - Kacey Musgraves

Sometimes the path an arrow takes is a straight line at record speed.  Sometimes the path isn't as clear.  I don't know where it's going or where the bulls eye is but I made the conscious decision last year to try and figure it out.  

This blog is the story of my arrow and the chase to follow it...wherever it's headed!