Posts Tagged ‘weight’

Last Week’s Runs
…continued.  Saturday was an 8-miler @ 8:03 and Sunday was a 13-miler @ 8:15.  The week ended with 57.3 miles averaging 8:10.  I usually don’t pay attention to how the week averages but this was worthy of note because, in looking through my logs, the only times I’ve had such a quick weekly average was when speed, tempo or a race were included but this was all “regular” runs.  The combination of the weather mixed with a happy head from no “have to’s” or “shoulds” made for some lighthearted, lightfooted miles.

I also wore my HR monitor for Saturday’s run and was very pleased with the result.  As a matter of interest, right after my 2-week break I wore the monitor see what time off does to a girl’s heart and was shocked by how high it was: 162 (76%HRR) for 8:42 avg.  Not a bad HR as a whole, but very high considering the pace.   Comparatively, Saturday’s run was 164 for 8:03 avg…way better!  Additionally, the knee is happy again.  It’s all good in Flo Camp.

Appetite Suppressants
…continued.  I found an entertaining video of a guy taking us through Yerba Mate preparation and explanation.  Not only is the guy charming and quite a cutie, but it’s informative, too.  I’m supposed to get my Yerba order in tomorrow, btw, so I’m looking forward to trying the different ones out.  As far as taking it late, since it does have caffeine (more or less depending on if it’s a first infusion and the amount used), I’d say you’ll have to experiment to see if it messes with your bedtime or not.  Here’s an excellent article that a commentor linked to in the last post (thanks Illiterate Primates) if you want to read about the chemical and study stuff behind it.

I also found another appetite suppressant that doesn’t contain anything stimulating at all.  This is a good thing if you don’t want the energy/mental boost Yerba can give (and is surely better for evening consumption if caffeine is a problem).  This one is called Glucomannan and all it is, is fiber.  It comes from a  root that’s been consumed in Japan for over 1000 years.  Here’s some info on it.

You have to take water with it or you can choke (seriously, that’s on the bottle) because it turns into gelatin, which fills you up.  Apparently, it’s also good for constipation due to its fibrous properties so it’s used for that as well.  I haven’t tried it yet though I did get a bottle at Whole Foods this morning.  I’m holding off on testing it out because tonight is date night and if it makes me fart, that could be problematic.

A common way to use it is to open the capsule and put it directly into a smoothie or in oatmeal which seems to thicken it up.  I read some woman used it for a sauce thickener.  I’m not that brave so I’ll be testing it out by keeping it in capsule form.

That’s it so far in the land of experimentation.  I’ll check in with the results of this stuff in the next post.  In the meantime, have a great day, all!

First off, it’s been a great running week.  I had another soaking run on Thursday but this one was way more fun and I wore my backup Garmin that can handle getting wet.  The 305 is back from the dead and working fine, btw.  I can’t seem to kill it no matter how hard I try.

Anyway, my paces have consistently been on the faster end and while I have moments in my runs where I tell myself to slow down (and might, slightly), I have this rebellious feeling right now that, because I’m not “in training” I can run however I damn well please.  “Screw text book ‘best training’ paces!” is my latest philosophy.  I should note that I don’t think I’m running outside my range, but I could do a wider range of paces rather than sticking in the top quadrant of 8′s.  If I cared.

This week so far it’s been:

Monday: off
Tues:  8@8:13
Wed: 9@8:07
Thurs: 9@8:14
Fri:  10.30@8:06 (this one had a mile at 7:10 where I was hanging on some schoolboys’ tails…’twas fun)

All but one day was in the 50s, making everything infinitely better.  Running in shorts again is a slice of nirvana.

Appetite Suppression Experimentation and a Clear Winner!
Bet you didn’t know I was searching for a way to suppress my appetite.  Neither did I till a few days ago.

As background: I don’t feel like being strict with myself for food lately – not that I eat unhealthy, I eat clean as ever, but I’m enjoying going out to dinner and not worrying about it and I’ve been off the calorie-counting parade all winter, just not interested in being as strict as I was a few months ago, besides…I’m not that far off racing weight.  BUT, what bothers me is I’ve been feeling hungry quite often, especially at night after dinner.  I know it’ll get easier once summer’s here but until then, I’m kind of annoyed by wishing I could eat more.

So over the last few days, I began doing some research on natural appetite suppressants.  Truthfully, I wondered if I should admit this on the blog because just the phrase “appetite suppressant” connotes something bad, like Anna Nichole Smith pimping Ephedra or the Dexatrim of my childhood (aka Speed).  I was looking for something natural that wasn’t dangerous or weird or made by some shyster company with the picture of a big-titted bikini babe on it.

I just wanted something to quell my evening nibbler impulses in a healthy way (as much as manipulating natural urges can be healthy).  Lets face it kids, I’ve done enough real drugs in my life that I’m not afraid of being a human guinea pig but I’m also a healthy human being now and plan to remain that way.

I looked at 3 things: Tyrosine, Hoodia and Yerba Meta. I’m not going to say a whole lot about them, you can look them up on Google and WebMD, etc…but here’s my experience so far:

Tyrosine
This stuff is supposedly great for ADD, improving concentration and as a sidenote, also helps with appetite.  I could use the concentration help so I figured what the heck and I bought a bottle from Whole Foods.

The pain in the ass thing about this stuff is you need to take it on an empty stomach and since I eat regularly through the day, there are only small windows where “empty stomach” applies.  So I tried some right after waking, which is the normal time to take it anyway.  I did feel focused for a few hours after taking it, not really buzzy or speedy, but aware of having taken it…energized.

It seemed to help with appetite but only around the period that I took it, and I don’t really need it during the day, nighttime is my downfall and since it requires an empty stomach, I’d have to take it an hour before dinner or a couple hours afterwards and 1. that’s too much trouble for me to think about and 2. I think if I took it in the evening, it’d mess with me being sleepy, something I cannot fool with.

Hoodia
This is a controversial one, it has to come from a South African plant and there are lots of fakes out there.  You can’t even get it in Whole Foods or my local drugstores, but I found some at Vitacost under a brand I trust, Source Naturals, so I ordered it.  It hasn’t come yet but I’m regretting the purchase.  Something about it embarrasses me and makes me think I’m heading toward Anna Nichole territory with it.  This is crazy, though, because Source Naturals requires some major certification process so it’s supposed to be the real stuff, but the fact that I have to wonder at all is kinda creepy.  So anyway, I haven’t tried it yet but will when I get it just to compare.  It’s one of those things that works for some people and not for others.

Yerba Mate
This. Stuff. Rocks!!!  It’s not a pill or a capsule or anything questionable at all…it’s tea!  Or rather, it’s an herb that is steeped like tea and is a common drink of Paraguayans, Argentinians and Brazilians.  The traditional way to drink it (you want the loose stuff, not teabags) is to fill a gourd or wooden cup about 2/3 up with the tea, wet it with cool water to release the nutrients, place the special filter straw called a Bombilla into the cup and then add hot water.  Then as the day goes by, you keep adding water to the cup.

Yerba Mate

I went to Whole Foods this morning and got a bag to test it out.  It’s too expensive to buy there again and also, the brand they sell isn’t the best which I know because I found a MONSTER thread about it on a bodybuilding forum that I’m still only half-way through (basically it repeats itself after the first chunk of pages).  But anyway, Yerba Mate also has some mood-happy/concentration properties that make you feel quite good as well as energized but unlike green tea (which it reminds me of) it doesn’t have much caffeine.  We’ll find out tonight as I had some at 9:30 to test it out.

I don’t have the traditional gourd/bombilla so I made it a couple different ways today, once using the coffee machine and another by steeping it cold for 10 minutes and straining it.  I sweetened both and for the cold one, I added lime too.

But the crazy thing is how well it works.  After dinner, I’d usually have a little low-fat ice cream if it’s around, some nuts and dried fruit and then have to chomp on carrots and celery or even cooked veggies to hold me over until bedtime.  Tonight I had dinner, a little ice cream and that’s it – I don’t want anything else.  I honestly can’t remember when the last time was that I didn’t want to snack through the evening.

Another cool thing about this stuff is that it doesn’t lose it’s effectiveness the longer you take it, it will always work just as well as it does when you have your first cup.  I’m sold!

I just ordered some of the recommended ones on that thread from YerbaMate.us (really inexpensive, instead of paying $7 for 8oz at Whole Foods, you can get 2.2 lbs for the same cost and it’s higher quality Yerba).  I got a really strong, cadillac of plain Yerbas called Rosamonte Especial and a couple flavored ones: white chocolate and mint.

I’m going to skip the traditional way of drinking it (not really into sipping through a straw) since the alternative ways are as effective – coffemaker and brewing cold worked for me.  Here are four videos of how to make it:
1. The traditional way
2. With a French Press
3. In a Coffemaker
4. or Cold

Also, here’s a really good article on it if you’re interested. (I’m sure there are tons more all over the net)

Yerba Mate is da bomb.

22 New Headband Styles!
Check it out if you get a chance, click here for the new goodies at GIMheadbands.com

I want to start by talking about these last couple weeks after making that decision to pick up the pace on easy and long runs.  I am fascinated by the results so far, it is working better than expected.  Not only are those paces feeling comfortable (easys are averaging 8:15 – 8:10 with sub 8s on the way home) but my heart rate has shown a marked improvement to where those runs are averaging 152, 154.  It’s magic.

Now, I lost a nice amount of weight, so obviously this is making a dent, but here’s the part I find fascinating; I’ve been at this same weight (114-115) for 5 weeks, but it wasn’t till that one day when I decided to consciously start picking up my paces that things started happening.

What’s interesting about this is you’d think that you lose weight and suddenly you run faster since there’s less mass, but it wasn’t that way for me (though I’m sure it would have infiltrated the averages eventually).  I had 3 weeks running the same as always at that new weight, albeit somewhat faster thanks to the end of summer, but nothing like the dramatic turn from one day to the next.

This confirms the idea that, for me, my paces are truly led by habit.  By suddenly flipping the switch on Easys and Longs, I think the central nervous system got a kick in the pants and told the body “hey, it’s ok, you’re allowed to do this”.   And like night/day, everything felt easier.

Other external forces would be weather, though I’m using comparable days as comparison so that’s not in the equation.  One thing that does help the heart rate I think, is running later in the day as I have been, after I’ve been moving around a bit.

Now be aware, I am not telling you guys to go out and start racing all your easys and longs.  You’re your own experiment and the popular consensus is that conservative is the way to go, though I have been reading some articles that say moderate pace is something worth exploring.  That said, I have a few things going for me that made the transition easy:

1. A constant mileage base around 60mpw
2. I’m very lucky when it comes to recovery (knock on wood)
3. I lost 9lbs since July 23rd, so of course that helps

I feel silly for having to “warn” you, but I get enough feedback from blog readers to know that people do sometimes follow my lead.  Just do it carefully, please.

Weight Revisited
I got down to 113 for that one day and as I’ve mentioned, I tend to hit a new weight, then it bops around for about 3 weeks before settling.  But I might be at my set weight for the amount of food I’m consuming: around 1900 calories/day with an occasional night out where I stuff my face and don’t give a shit.

While I originally said 110 was my ultimate goal, I was never married to that particular number, the whole point was to get back to the speed I was seeing last year and then move beyond that.  Since things are starting to cook for me again, I’m satisfied to stick here a while, maybe indefinitely.  I just wanted to make this clear for anyone else who’s pursuing a new racing weight, to think in terms of sustainability, what you can be happy living with and to consider what your goal is.

My goal is to be faster, not the fastest possible I can ever hope to reach.  I’d be happy to be a work in progress forever…as long as there’s progress!  Having said this, my weight might bop down a bit more, which I wouldn’t have a problem with, but I’m not pursuing it, I’d just let it happen.

Today’s Workout
It’s amazing how much calmer one feels entering a tough workout when training is going well.  I actually looked forward to this one, though it was a toughie: warmup, 3@Half Pace, 1hour easy, 3@Half Pace, cooldown.

It was a windy day, 17mph gusts, 41 windchill to start, 50 by the time I finished.  I only did 1mi warmup since that’ll mirror race day.  Turned out to be exactly 2 hrs. and 15.5 miles, avg pace 7:45.

The key, as Coach A Muse/Adam reminded me, is not to run the easy portion too easy, so by the time you revisit Half Pace, you’re tired – just as you would be in a race.  Considering how my easy paces have been lately, I was confident that portion would remain somewhat zippy, and it was.

1mi warmup: 8:07
3 Half Pace: 7:13
1 hr (7.5 mi): 8:03 avg.
3 Half Pace: 7:12
1 mi home: 8:08

I’d like to say the HP miles were a nice low heart rate, but they weren’t, it was too windy, but coming back was lower.  I was targeting 7:10s for HP, so it wasn’t perfect but that’s ok – this workout says my endurance is fab and that things are definitely going well.  Been a long time coming.

Now I’m off to one of those voiceover jobs where I have absolutely no clue what I’m saying.  Today’s favorite word is Triiodothyronine.   What fun.  Later, my lovelies.

Continuing on this weekend’s blog subject, I’m loving the return to my old way of running (faster overall as well as from the get-go).  But I wanted to say to you lovely readers that this is totally my own experiment and nothing I’d suggest for anyone else.   So here’s a disclaimer:

You will rarely see me give advice on forum posts or here because I don’t feel qualified to tell someone else what to do and also, everyone’s so different.  So keep in mind that the conclusions I come to or new experiments I try are results of investigating my running logs as well as the peripherals surrounding my running (mileage, what I can handle recovery-wise, etc).  Plus, I’ll try anything to get outta this rut.

Second Run With New Paces
Yesterday’s Long Run was way fun.  Again, like Saturday, I went a little overboard with the initial miles, only because it’s amazing to me that I can feel good going fast out the door, when my usual run profile for the longest time has been 9:00-8:45′s to start, then whittling down with each mile.  Such a creature of habit, I thought I needed that slow start!  Kooky.

Anyway, this was a 14-miler that started 8:00, 7:50, 7:50 (hilarious splits) but then I slowed up as the heartrate increased – was 70 degrees so warmish – then used HR to keep it real which averaged 162 (76%HRR or 81% Max for those keeping score at home).  No pretty progression shape on the SportTrack graph, but it was hella fun!  I was tired and satisfied at the end, knowing today would be a rest day.  Average pace 8:11.

Now, keep in mind that I will not be running all Sunday runs like this!  14 miles isn’t a big deal to me as far as distance, but next weekend I’ve got 17, which I’ll take into the trails and be closer to MP+20% – MP+10%.  I’m experimenting but doing it responsibly.

For instance, this week is a cutback week with 2 days off so I can afford to play a bit, but next Sunday’s 17-miler kicks off 2 weeks without a day off and includes a 10k race in the middle, so I’ll be more circumspect about pacing.  I also won’t be hitting quality work warmups as crazily as I did for Saturday’s tempo (I was having fun testing the waters).

Weight
I admit that after the debacle that was the Philly Half last month, I had a couple weeks of bad attitude with the weightloss.  Not really bad, I still didn’t buy any junk or eat a whole lot more, but I had some “what am I doing this for?” mental poop going on.  Still, I continued to jot down my daily calories (while eating a little extra here and there) but eventually got back to my routine.

Then I was sticking around 115 and was beginning to think that’d be my last stop on the weight-loss train, only because I’m not willing to eat less than I have been (around 1900 calories). But the fun thing about tracking and making a cute chart in Excel is that patterns emerge.   What I’m seeing is I’ll land on a new weight, then for the next 3 weeks, there’ll be ups and downs fluttering around that number, then it’ll go down to a new number with more fluttering.

Today I fluttered into 113 land!  113.8 to be exact.  That makes 10 lbs lost since July 23rd.

Sleep
All my sleep problems from the summer disappeared when the weather improved.  Now that I can go to bed at my normal time again (12:00-12:30) and wake up when my body says to, I’m getting a full 8 hours and even 8.5 sometimes.  Huge relief.

Newsletter
I have been So. Bad. on that front.  Someone asked me a couple weeks ago if I had her correct email address since she hadn’t received one in ages.  I embarrassingly told her no, it wasn’t her email, I just haven’t gotten around to sending one out in forever.  I almost removed the link entirely thinking my newsletter career was over, but for some reason I haven’t given up all hope.  I just have to start looking around for things that interest me enough to share.   Sorry for being such a slug about it.

Thank you everyone for all the positive comments on the last post.  Between the 3 internet venues you guys reply on, I was touched by the support.  Not that I’m surprised, you folks are always incredibly kind and cool.

The Anti-Dicking Around Method
Over the last week, I’ve had a few emails and comments from readers/friends who really connect to the idea of taking the emotion out of weight-loss and are starting to treat their own weight-loss endeavors with this in mind.  Matt commented in the last post “It is analogous to running. Stick to the plan- log the numbers- get results.”  Yes!  That is exactly it.

Simple geometry: the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.  I’ve said this about running improvement and it also applies to weight-loss (or anything in life, for that matter).  You can dick around and cross fingers, hoping that you get to point B eventually, or you can take control of the situation, figure out what you need to do and just friggin’ do it – then you will most assuredly arrive at Point B, and in a timely manner to boot.  No question marks involved.

The best part about the “I’m through fucking around” mindset is that it takes a huge load off your brain.  There were some sweet comments mentioning my hard work and dedication but in truth, it feels the opposite, there isn’t anything worky about it.  I’m just jotting down a few numbers on a pad of paper.  This is so much easier than constantly trying and failing, guessing and missing, then ripping myself a new one for having screwed up again…now that is work!

The cool thing is that this simple idea works for anything you want to change in your life.  It’s worth remembering that you are your own boss and with it, you wield real power.

Edit: In eerily well-timed events, this video is going around Facebook today.  Talk about supporting the message of “just friggin’ do it!”.  Great stuff. (thanks for linking it, Priyanka!)

Double edit: I went to the guy’s website and thought this was hilarious.

Which Direction Are You Headed?
When you improve yourself, there are two ways you can go about it:

1. Focus on what you’re going to get out of it: faster times, a better body, a feeling of accomplishment, etc.  This view has you heading towards something.  That’s fun! Like winning a pot of gold for your trouble.

2. Focus on the negative: I’m fat, I’m slow, I hate that I blah blah… This view is more of a fear based one and the method I was using unconsciously and unsuccessfully for the past year.  With this “running away from” mindset, you’re at a disadvantage from the get-go because you’re already in self-defeatist mode.

I’m not saying #2 doesn’t have a place at all, this is usually what gets my ass moving to change in the first place, I get so sick of the thing I don’t like about myself that it’s just easier to stop doing that one thing (quitting cigarettes and drugs comes to mind).  But #1 is what keeps me interested, focused and turns it into a fun game.

Besides, negative shtick gets old.  It’s boring to live it but even way more boring for your friends and family to have to listen to.  Seek out the light, it’ll make everyone happier.

OK, enough ching-ching, didn’t mean to get all self-helpy on you.

Race Weekend
Girlfriends and running: a winning combo.  Can’t wait to finally meet Rebecca, remeet Reyana, hookup with old buddies Kat, Doggie and Loren.  Sweet times ahead.  I’ll hopefully get some photos up before race day so this isn’t the last you’ll hear from me.

Mentally, I’m feeling peaceful, uncluttered and not too concerned with the outcome.  It’s a fast race, typically multiple sub 1:30s from my age group which takes the pressure off completely.  My goal is still high 1:33, no crazy surprise antics in store.  Just try to run a solid race, drink enough water and if I’m really lucky, get a non-sucky race photo out of the deal.  It could happen.

As posted on Facebook and the 3:20 thread yesterday (thanks for all the supportive comments, you beautiful people!) I had a really swell run yesterday that confirmed my plateau is gone, finis, no mas.  Done.

Last pre-race workout: 8.31 miles and it went like this:

Miles 1-4 8:38 cutting down to 8:11 (unintentional, just felt good from the previous day off)
3x.75mi @ 10k w/90 sec rec’s (6:44 pace)
1.75mi home @ 8:17/mi.  Avg for the run, 7:59

And as posted, it was 73 degrees.  Race morning promises to be 10 degrees less than that which means woohoo…speed bonus.

My bashful goal setting is now under review.  To be honest, it was already under review a couple days prior but I wasn’t sure if I should say it aloud or not.  I hate stating a goal and not making it, but on the other hand, it would be disingenuous to say I’m going for a slower time if I’m not, the whole point of this blog is to be real.

So I might just go for a PR after all – though it won’t be a wild one if I manage it, probably barely skirting last year’s 1:33:51.  Despite my workouts suddenly being so fine and fab, I haven’t done any runs to make me think I can whip out 7:06s.  Now 7:09s?  Perhaps.  Funny to think that 3 sec/mile is the difference between “I might” and “I can’t”, but there ya go.

While I’m in this non-bashful mode, I’ll also state my goal for the end of 2011.  Sub 1:30 Half.  I am no longer sure what’s possible and what’s not, but it’s conceivable that I could do it.

Flo ver. 1.75b
Not yet the full-fledged second version – 5 lbs to go before I announce that particular upgrade – but for the interim, this is what 115.5 lbs. looks like (a 7.5 lb. loss).   Not a huge change really, but it has undoubtedly put some speed back in my stride.  Here’s my last full body shot taken in May, if you want to compare.  The biggest difference between the two is that I don’t have that asinine grin anymore.

For even crazier contrasty fun, revisit my About Me page. I just swapped photos, juxtaposing this shot with my very first race photo from 2007.  That is one picture that will always make me cringe, but it illustrates my journey better than race times ever will.