12 Days of Christmas - Catch-up Post

I am doing a 12 Days of Christmas challenge. The goal is to run or walk one mile every day until Christmas. My original goal was to run a mile every day, but since my plantar fasciitis is acting up, I'm very happy to just get a mile any way I can get it in these days. I started the challenge on Friday, but I didn't have a chance to post until now.
On the first day of Christmas my running friend gave to me...one easy mile followed by five easy sprints.

Day one, I walked a mile with the dogs and my husband in the morning before he left for work, and then I ran one mile after the kids went to school. It felt so great to run. I did five sprints at the end of my run like my running coach used to put in my plan.

On the second day of Christmas my running friend gave to me...two dogs a-biting and one easy mile followed by five easy sprints.

Day two was a busy day so instead of walking the dogs, we ran them. My husband left his running shoes on the ship so he only did a half mile run with me because his shoes hurt his feet. We ran one lap together, then I did one lap with my dog Aspen, and then we walked the third lap (the loop in front of our house is almost exactly half a mile).

On the third day of Christmas my running friend gave to me...three ripe bananas, two dogs a-biting and one easy mile followed by five easy sprints.

Day three my foot was hurting, so my husband and I walked the dogs in the morning and then went to the gym and lifted weights. I love bananas! I think they are great for not only runners, but for overall health. I chopped up one in my after gym session protein smoothie.

On the fourth day of Christmas my running friend gave to me...four morning cups of coffee, three ripe bananas, two dogs a-biting and one easy mile followed by five easy sprints.

Day four and my foot was still a little achy this morning so I'm not positive I'll get a run in today. We walked the dogs and then I enjoyed my morning cup of coffee in front of the Christmas tree. It's one of my favorite ways to start my day.

I'm feeling a little down because I haven't ran the last two days. It's raining today, but if it lets up this afternoon I'm thinking about walking the kids down to the track with me so I can run a mile and then stopping at the gym on the way back up the hill to lift some weights. It all depends on how the rest of my day goes and how my foot feels.
Yesterday Chris and I went to the gym to lift weights. I can't remember the last time I lifted weights. It felt great! It's always been one of my favorite things to do. I'm not sure why I don't make more time to do it other then I never know what program I should be following to achieve results I'm trying to attain.

Food for thought:

Inspired by Arnold

So true Arnold! We are stronger than we know. I was sitting in the quiet, starring at my Christmas tree, and sipping on my morning coffee when I started scrolling through Instagram. I came across this article on Arnold Schwarzenegger's page.
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/12/11/opinions/arnold-schwarzenegger-fitness-takes-work-dont-give-up/index.html?no-st=1544666608

It was a great article! These are some of my favorite take away's from it:

• "It's time for the fitness industry to be honest with people. A healthier, fitter America starts with you. There is no gimmick. There is no shortcut. There is no magic pill. Everyone's fitness journey will be unique, but a healthy lifestyle takes commitment, patience and motivation."

I love it! Hard work is the only way to get what you want. You've got to be willing to change. Be committed to change. Have the patience to change. Have the motivation to keep at it. Don't give up on yourself; just keep making those small changes. Keep believing in yourself. You are stronger then you give yourself credit for!

• "I was frustrated and angry, and in my worst moments, I couldn't see the way back to my old self."

Yes! I worked so hard after Denver was born to get fit and be a positive example for my kids. Moving to Florida plus having plantar fasciitis flare on me caused a downward spiral. I just couldn't get it together. The more frustrated I got the more I gave up on myself. Then we moved one more time; this time to Japan. Every time I tried to run again my foot would hurt. I'd get angry, and then frustrated. It was a vicious cycle. I just couldn't picture myself how I was before. I wasn't committed. I wasn't patient. I did not have any motivation. It was truly some of my worst moments.

• "Eventually, I got into the gym and went through the motions without weights at first. I upgraded from walks around my backyard to bike rides. I didn't worry about six-packs or bench pressing 500 pounds. My only goal was improving a little bit every single day, and eventually, all of those small improvements and all of that support brought me back to a strong, healthy place."

Truth! The only way to get back on track is to start. Over the summer I ran one mile every day for 100 days. I was dedicated and motivated. I signed up for a half marathon. I trained hard for the half. I ran and finished the half marathon; however I had issues right after the race and ended up in the hospital. It felt like the spiral cycle was starting again, but I just stayed patient. I have started drinking more water. I have started tracking my calories again. I've started looking for activities besides running. Stay focused. Keep patient. Believe in yourself. Stay committed.

• "A healthier future is every tiny step we take, or every little rep, that ultimately leads us to our goal. We all think we can do it alone, but no one does anything alone. As I always say, no one is self-made. We all need support..."

Just start! Once you start, keep going! I walk one mile every morning. I don't run. I walk. I don't go alone. I go with my husband and our two dogs. My support system. I have bad days with my eating but I keep tracking and keep trying. I've started posting in my workout buddies Facebook group again. Find your support system! Believe you can and you will. Stay patient. Stay committed. Stay motivated. Just start.

Track Running

Baby, it's cold outside! 45 degrees, but feels like 39 and it's windy. It made for a rough start, but once I was warmed up it felt great.
I've been having trouble with pain in the bottom of my right foot again. It's mostly across my arch. I switched to Brooks Ghost 11. This is my third run in them. I like them so far and the pain is a lot less when wearing them compared to the Ravenna's. I've kept all my runs to 2 miles as I try to break them in and see how my foot holds up. I'm sure the cold weather is playing into my foot acting up (as well as being a heavier weight); however if it keeps up I'm going to have to try a different brand of shoes. I'm a little limited with the selection in Japan - Brooks, New Balance, Asics, and Saucony are all they carry at the Navy Exchange here on base. New Balance will be my next brand to try as I already know I'm not a fan of Asics or Saucony.

Today's run was at the track. I love track runs! The ground is cushy and it's easy to set goals for yourself while running. I worked on cadence/speed. Over the summer I was able to carry a 180 cadence when I ran 13 minute miles, but I just couldn't seem to keep it up when I pick up the pace, so I tried to work on that more today. Garmin has a color chart that helps break down your cadence. I'm happy with green, but my goal is blue. I'm a little all over the place today because of my workout. The first orange stretch is just a half mile warm up, then I was running the straights (green/blue) and jogging/walking the curves (orange/red), and then my last two laps were a cool down (green).

This is my overall for today:

Overall, I'm happy with my run today. I just wish my foot wasn't bothering me so much. My next run won't be until Thursday as I've got spin tomorrow and boot camp on Wednesday. I'll just keep rolling it on an ice bottle and stretching it until then; hopefully it'll help!

Konnichiwa from Japan

It's been awhile since I've taken the time to write on this blog. Rather then go into what's been going on for the nearly three years since I've written anything, I'll just start with the now.

Running. I'm still running! It's been off and on the last few years because of plantar fasciitis acting up again. This is me a few weeks ago on a half marathon relay.

This is me all dressed up and headed to Taylor Swift's last night in Tokyo (it was a surprise for my daughter's 10th birthday).

We moved to Japan in February 2017! It's been an interesting journey for myself and my family. We are adjusting, but miss home. The stress of the move and not running helped me pack on 30+ pounds. I've managed to lose 15 of those over the last year and a half, but it's been a very slow and stagnant process.

I'm starting my blog back up to help hold myself accountable as I work through getting back to me. My sister sent me some information on her program she's been following called "Weighless."

They suggested making a list of everything you have to gain by weighing less; think of ways your life will be more enjoyable at a lower weight. Here is what I've got:

• higher self esteem and feeling more confident
• feeling better and looking better in my clothes
• feeling less pain/aches in the morning
• healthier and stronger body

Part of the Weighless program is to weigh yourself every single day. I haven't quite wrapped my head around this one. I'm on my second morning of weighting myself. The scale says 176.4. You're supposed to write the number down and then forget about it. The purpose is to get an average so you can see that even with all the fluctuations the scale is consistently going down. Part of this idea makes sense to me. The less I see the scale and the less I think about it the less I care about making better decisions food wise. 

So, here is to making better choices all around, cheers!

Angie