Plugging Away

I'm still here in Japan and just doing my thing. I haven't ran since the 12 days of Christmas challenge because of foot pain. Most days I miss running, but right now it's been so hot and humid that I don't even like to leave the house. We will be heading back to the United States early next year so hopefully I'll be able to find shoes that work for my feet. It's pretty limited selection wise over here and after my third failed pair I decided to wait until I can get properly fitted again.

I did start going back to the gym. My friend Sara wanted to start strength training so I found us a 12 week program. We finished all 12 weeks two weeks ago!! I didn't see a lot of changes like I wanted. I was fairly consistent with my workouts (five times a week). I lost my motivation towards the end of the program. I just didn't want to do them anymore. I was not good with my diet during the 12 weeks, yet for some reason I still expected to see a few changes, but I'm not in my thirties anymore and it definitely shows.
During the last few weeks of the 12 week program I also completed the Team RWB 1776 Challenge. We just included it into the workouts so it made it easy to stick with it.

This week I started doing an old favorite, Chalean Extreme. I've always been a fan of routine, and formatted programs like this one provide that for me. I'm on day 4 and doing great. I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow's Burn Circuit 3. I'm going to need to get some heavier weights to keep at home. For now my 10 and 6 pound weights will have to do.

I took my measurements. They weren't pretty, but are an accurate representation of how I'm feeling these days. I've been losing and gaining the same 10 pounds for over a year now. A part of me is hoping that the Beachbody programs that worked so well for me before will help me again. I don't have access to a pull-up bar which helped me decide between my two old favorites of P90X and Chalean Extreme.
Here is my current side-by-side.

I would like to see myself back down in the 150's. It's going to take a lot of work, because exercise alone is not enough to budge the scale for me anymore. Which leads me to...

My best friend does Herbalife and has been doing it for six months now. She came and stayed with me for several weeks and left a big stash behind. I've been drinking it for breakfast and occasionally for lunch or dinner. I've never been one to drink my meals, but I definitely enjoy it at breakfast time. I like all the different flavors they offer. My favorite so far are the orange creamsicle, lemon blueberry, and pumpkin spice shakes I've been making. My daughter was ecstatic about the chocolate mint, but had decided that they all have too much of a chalky taste for her liking. I don't notice the chalky taste.

Well that's all I've got for now. Hoping to stay motivated and stick with things.
Angie

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

Beach Ultra

This year for the Destin Beach Ultra my good friend, Alyssa, and I decided we were going to ruck for the 24 hour challenge. It started off as a joke between us back in October, and became a reality when we both signed up in January. I was only able to join her for 12 hours because Chris had a work conflict and couldn't watch the kids for the last 12 hours. I'm still really proud of all we accomplished together and what she went on to achieve after I had to go.
Pre-Race Packing
I packed a lot of stuff for the event and ended up not needing most of it. I did good clothing wise - extra socks, clothes, sweatshirt for when it got cold.

The only thing I needed in this set was baby powder and vaseline. Sunscreen wasn't needed because we started at 1600 and I left at 0400, but was good to have anyway.

It really didn't take up that much room once it was all packed. I was extremely thankful that I wore regular sneakers to the event because those blue ones I packed were giving me trouble and I swapped them out about two hours in. I trained for all my sand runs last year and this year in those blue sneakers, but the lock laces were new (got them for the triathlon last summer right before I developed plantar fasciitis) - not a fan. They were causing the top of my foot to rub and making a blister form. Switching shoes saved my feet!!

Race Day
I picked up Alyssa Saturday morning and we headed to the race start in Destin (about 2 hours from where I live). The race shirts were pretty awesome!

People doing the 24 hour challenge, 100 mile challenge were setting up their tents already when we got there.

 

So happy before it started.

Our tent, which we lovingly referred to as "the cave."

When we started talking about rucking this event it was going to be Alyssa and I. In the end our team mates, Michael and Rob, from Team RWB, rucked with us. I was so thankful when they ended up doing it with us because we all supported each other through the entire night and they kept each other on track for those last 12 hours after I had to leave.
The four of us at the start:

Michael is an ultra runner. He knows what he's doing and his knowledge helped keep us moving through out the night. When he took a break, we took a break. When he said it was time to go, we went. We really had a great rhythm going all night thanks to his leadership!

The four of us really helped keep each other motivated through out the night and early morning hours. I carried a 20 lb ruck and Old Glory for the entire time I was out there.

 

I had never met Rob before that day, but he was so great! He always had nice things to say and cheered on any runner that passed us. When Alyssa developed a problem with her ankle, he gave her some pain patches that helped her finish the event. Michael and Rob really helped us get through this challenge. I'm so very thankful for them!!

The three of them (Rob, Michael, Alyssa) at the finish:

Together over 12 hours we rucked 30 miles then after I left they went on to finish with 50 miles!! I'm so very proud of what they accomplished. I was disappointed that I couldn't finish with them, but I was so proud of have been a small part of it all!

Now the only question that remains is what I'll tackle next year. Last year I did the relay, this year the 24 hour challenge (well, half of it). What to do next year?!?

January - Weight Training (LiveFit Trainer)

I need to get back on track and add some weight training to my routine, so I decided to start the LiveFit Trainer. I'm not sure I'll stick with it fully yet, but it will at least get me back in the gym and doing a routine. It's a start!

January 14th was day one. I dug out my old notebook from the first time I attempted the trainer and used it as my guide for starting weights. For the most part it was spot on which is impressive considering how long it's been since I've done anything in a gym. All I can really say about this day was UGH! Pushups!!

Day 2, January 15th was back and biceps. This is my favorite workout for phase 1. I always feel super strong when doing it.

 Day 3, Legs, legs, legs on January 19th. I'm not a fan of this one only because I feel lost in the gym. I did 140 on the leg press and while the weight felt good I was too worried about what people thought - dumb I know, but for some reason I felt like I should do more. I also couldn't find the standing calf raise or seated calf raise machines until I asked. They didn't have a standing one, but I used the seated one. Holy calves!

 

 

Day 4 on January 20th was delts and abs. Ouch, ouch, ouch. Those front delt raises and lateral raises always get me. 5 pounds feels like 50 pounds. Tough workout!

January 22nd was day 8 and the chest and triceps routine again. Those pushups again!

Day 9 on January 26th was back and biceps. Preacher curls are tough, but a great workout!

February 5th was the dreaded leg day again. No comment.

 

Day 11 was fun and interesting. I took the kids with me to the Family Fitness Center since it was a Saturday and Chris had to work. Kids enjoyed themselves and I got in a decent delts and abs workout.

 

The interesting part came after my workout. They were having a kids fear factor competition for families. Katelynn got to try avocados and Denver refused to try. Since I was lucky enough to be there by myself both kids got to have a go at selecting food for mommy to try...

First up...caviar

It was salty. Next up...

 

Sardines...

ICK! Thanks a lot kiddos!