Davis MOOnlight Run – 5K

I had the privilege of running another 5K with my youngest son, three great friends, and my best friend’s dad! The best part was that my hubby came along. This was the first event that he has been to. I’m hoping that he will catch the running bug too. It would be exciting to be able to run with him. Anyhow, he came and two other husbands came. It was great to have people cheering specifically for us. We had a fantastic time even though there were TONS of people there! I improved my time despite the fact that there were three baby hills. I have already started to phase the track out of my run workouts in order to get some elevation change.

My new 5K time is 35 minutes and change! I started this race out too quickly. I finished half a mile in five minutes- this should have caused me to slow down, but I didn’t. Sadly I walked a little during this event. By the time I hit the second hill I decided to walk up the hill. Then I walked another hill. Then I was just tired! I did not pace myself very well. Lastly I decided that I needed to pick up the speed because I set a personal goal to beat my last 5K time, so I hustled the last .75 mile. I kicked it into high gear as soon as I saw the finish line and the timer. At the end I barely held down my vomit, but I recovered quickly. My friends and I went back through the course to run with our friend who hadn’t finished yet. It was so neat to have all of us running her in at the end. I hope the photographer got some good pics of us! I’m extremely proud of all of us. We all beat our previous times and we added three new runners to our group- a good friend who has just started out with running, my friend’s dad, and my youngest son. It was pretty cool seeing all of us out there.

I can’t believe that this will be my last 5K for a little bit. The next 5K scheduled is the color run and it is not timed. And then… we are upping it to 10Ks, baby! In fact, I ran my first unofficial 10K this morning. It took me 82 minutes. The best part was it felt like I could’ve kept running. I start week 12 on couch to 10K on Wednesday. I am loving that app like no other! My hubby braved the park with us this morning and he started off like a champ. I am so extremely proud of that man. I hope he sticks with it. It would be an extremely memorable event for the entire family to participate in some sort of running event!

VIVA LLEPELL!

July 7, 2012

in Randomness, VSG
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Living life to the fullest!

My hubby and I LUCKED out today and was able to borrow a kayak from a friend of his. I have been talking about learning how to kayak for the past couple of weeks.

There were a lot of items on my to do list for when I lost weight, and well- kayaking was one of them. I have always dreamed of kayaking in Monterey. There are plenty of tributaries that you can kayak through. Tons of marine life can be seen while enjoying life to the fullest. What could be better than paddling down a tributary while seeing otters, sea lions, and tons of marine birds? Not much, I tell you. So, before I plunge into completely unknown territory- I thought it would be a wise idea to get some experience kayaking that way I can really enjoy my time in Monterey instead of worrying about whether or not I can get out of the darn thing without tipping it over, or knowing how to actually paddle with a purpose. After all, the tributaries do lead out to the ocean. That would not be so very good, right?

We had a blast today. It was tons of fun AND I didn’t tip over. My shoulders and lower back are sore, but I also went to zumba again this morning. I can’t believe that I was missing out on so much in life by being heavy. There is tons of fun waiting for me right outside my door. The best part of today was the fact that the trip was free except for the cost of gas, but we only drove a total of 50 miles. Sometimes, I feel sad about the fact that I didn’t have surgery when I was in my twenties. I was letting life and all of it’s goodness pass me by without a parting glance. At least I’m getting my active on in my thirties. I plan on taking out the kayak again and I will continue ticking off items on my healthy to do list! Happy Kayaking!

July 5, 2012

in Nutrition, VSG
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Zumba, who knew?

Today I went to my first zumba class. I thought it would be fun to try something new. Holy moly, was I right! There was a whole lot of booty shaking and poor coordination, but I smiled and laughed through most of the class. I seemed to have gotten a better workout from this class than doing my couch to 10K workouts. I had no idea that shaking my money-maker would make me sweat so much! LOL!

I also discovered that I need to fuel my body more properly before embarking on a crazy dancing adventure. I had a cheese stick for breakfast before running out the door. I had no idea that it was going to be a serious workout for me. I was shaky and was unable to carry a complete thought or say a coherent sentence by the time I got home. I had to sit and drink a G2. It took me about 30 minutes before I started feeling somewhat normal. It was an odd place to be in because I was so dang thirsty and I chose to get fluids instead of eating. Next time, I am going to eat a full breakfast before I go. I’m thinking egg whites, Canadian ham, and some cheddar cheese. That should do the trick! I will add half a slice of double fiber toast if I still feel crummy after my next experience.

Learning how to fuel my body is starting to become a priority. I’m sad to admit that I have never faced this dilemma before. I would watch calories, carbs, and so forth. But, the whole idea of food as fuel is a relatively new concept for me. I’m looking forward to figuring things out. Like the great Barney Stinson says, “CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!” 🙂

July 3, 2012

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What CAN the body do?

I actively read and participate in a forum called Vertical Sleeve Talk. It’s a forum for people who have had or are considering having a vertical sleeve gastrectomy. I have found this website to be invaluable to me as I travel along on my weight loss journey. It has helped through the ups and downs of adjusting and learning how to live with my new sleeve.

Yesterday I was reading some posts and I came across this response by OTRsleever,“I really have to say, yes you can, the mind will tell you that you can’t long before you’re body gives up.” The original topic was about a woman keeping up with her husband’s “treacherous workouts.”

I have been wondering for quite a while now about why I can accomplish certain physical things (such as running a 5K or hiking 12 + miles) post surgery. I have tried running for weight loss and health before, but I could never stick with it for longer than two months. I would always end up with an overuse injury like patella femoral syndrome or I would lose the will to continue to push myself. Why now all of a sudden can I do these things? After all, I didn’t have surgery on my knees or anything else. A friend of mine and I were chatting about it yesterday on the way home from the track. We discussed the possibility that it was all psychological. To accept this as the only reason makes me sad. It kills me to know that my mind had deceived me all of those times before. My body was capable of doing so much more and I chose to believe my mind. This throws me for a loop.

Last night I was completing week 9, day 1 of Couch to 10K. The workout was warmup for 5 minutes, run for 20, walk for 3, and run another 20. With a 5 min cool down, I completed 53 minutes and covered a distance of 4.3 miles. During the last 20 minute run I engaged in so many self negotiations it wasn’t funny. It took everything I had to keep running during the last twenty-minute run. I would convince myself to just run ten more minutes, and then after that goal I would say to myself, “Just one more lap.” I kept this up until I finally finished. I felt accomplished when I was done because I did it, BUT darn it- it definitely was not easy psychologically.

How soon into a workout does the mind decide that this is it- that it can’t make the body do anymore before the body fails it’s owner??? It would be nice to know, so that I could plan accordingly. BUT seriously how hard would it be to override your own mind and thoughts?

I was in Sports Authority this morning and the clerk was asking me if I have heard of some sort of extreme run with obstacles “Mudder” something or other. Apparently it is designed with 25 obstacles that were created by special ops. Sounds a bit too hard-core for me, but I could see the appeal if I was in WAY better shape. Long story short, the guy goes on to tell me that he has completed two of these runs. He said that it is a total mental challenge. He said that his mind will say, “Enough, you are done,” but he has learned to over ride that and keep going. He said it’s literally just putting one foot in front of the other. He was also grinning from ear to ear as he was talking about it.

I find it interesting that not listening to the mind while exerting oneself physically has come up so much within the past two days. Maybe it’s a sign. Geez, I wish my brain had a mute button… On the other hand, swollen knees and the inability to walk are physical symptoms that can be seen by others. I guess in some ways, it has to be both physical limitations and psychological games. Who knows? But I do know for sure that I am going to endure many more negotiations with myself before I finally give in. The body can do amazing things. I hope someday my mind will truly believe that I can do amazing things too.

June 30, 2012

in Running
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First 5K!

Post race!

First 5K officially completed in 37:38!

Two good friends and I ran the Run 4 Independence 5K in Elk Grove today (6/30/12). We had a blast! Everything went extremely well and I met my personal goal. I wanted to try to run the entire 5K without walking or stopping- I DID IT! I felt unbelievably proud of myself on the drive home (I still feel quite ecstatic).

The course was flat and we had shade from trees. The first mile was my hardest, but once I hit the first mile marker I started to feel okay. My mind would wander a little while I was running and I thought, “I can’t believe that I’m running a 5K with all of these people…” I would have never believed that I actually could accomplish that feat successfully, and that was encouraging and mind blowing- SO of course I kept running and did so with a smile.

We felt great afterwards. SO much so, K and I went shopping on the way home! I’m looking forward to the next race. It’s coming up in two weeks. Couch to 10K is now at the point where it is extending the distance. Starting on Monday, my minimum time on the track will be 53 minutes. I created a new playlist- hopefully this will keep me running! We have two more 5Ks (July and August) before we move on to 10Ks. A 10K sounds a little daunting right now, but today it felt like I could have squeaked out another mile or so. CRAZY!

Llepell, baby! <– I’m rocking my llepell bracelet in this picture. 🙂

June 28, 2012

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Don’tcha love a good NSV?

For those of you that don’t know what a NSV is, it is a non-scale victory. These have become more important to me as I get closer and closer to my goal weight. Yes, I admit the scale does drive me crazy and sadly I do anxiously wait for the numbers to go in the right direction, BUT I’m really trying to celebrate other things like NSVs to keep me encouraged.

Yesterday at work I ran into a co-worker that had the lap band done two years ago. She looked at me and said, “So, are you at goal yet?” I was flattered that she thought that where I’m at now in my journey could be goal or very close to it. I shared that I was 33 pounds away and she looked confused. This totally made my day.

Along the same lines I had someone point out to me that the reason why my weight was not moving at a pace I wanted was because I was getting close to goal. 🙂 I never would have considered that! It was odd to realize that I’m getting so close. I have 33 pounds to go and that is not chump change by any means, BUT if I seriously remind myself that I have already lost 67 pounds I think that 33 pounds is achievable. I CAN do that! Suddenly the relationship that I have with the scale has become less strained. I think I will start talking with it again. LOL!

June 26, 2012

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The Pinnacles

There’s something so extremely satisfying about being able to say, “I SMASHED hiking today!” My friend, K, and I went on a overnight camping trip to the Pinnacles in Hollister. It was a FRICKING awesome trip. The best part was that we hiked for over five hours straight. We stopped a couple times to take pictures or to move to the side so people could pass us out on the trail, but other than that we kept on trekking! We did at least 12 miles. 1.1 more and we would’ve hiked the distance of a half marathon. The next day we got up and hiked some more (not that much though. Hiking machine, I’m not…yet. 🙂 )

We saw wildlife like condors, rattlesnakes, deer, and wild turkey. We climbed through caves, and for the first time I wasn’t afraid that I was going to pull a “Winnie the Pooh stuck in the honey pot” moment. The last time I hiked at the Pinnacles I had that very experience. The rocks were so close and I had to really suck it in with everything I had in order to not get stuck between two rocks. Sigh. NOT THIS TIME, BABY! I was so ecstatic and felt a huge sense of relief and awe.

It is amazing to be able to just live. I have been struggling way too long and now is my time to go and do the things that I couldn’t even dream of before (like going on a 12 mile hike that isn’t flat)! I can’t wait for my next adventure…

June 23, 2012

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NIKE RECORD, Fastest 5K – 39:31

I heart Nike + GPS! Okay, so there are a lot of things that I’m loving right now. Tonight I ran 42 minutes without stopping or walking. I even carried on a conversation while running. Yes, at times I sounded a bit like a fraggle. I was squeaky and breathy, but that went away after the first mile.

I was almost in tears on the way home from the track. I couldn’t have even imagined that I would be able to accomplish such a feat a year ago. A year ago from today I was on a diet and struggling with my weight. I was exercising at the gym. I’d do the elliptical, cross trainer, BUT I would never ever touch a treadmill. The treadmill would kick my ass. I couldn’t even walk without shooting pains in my legs. I was on the metaphorical treadmill to nowhere. I was not losing significant amounts of weight. I was not gaining stamina at a decent pace. I was not getting better health-wise even with changes to diet.

It’s crazy how much 62 extra pounds effects your body. I was close to this weight before (okay maybe 10 pounds more than what I weigh now) and I was never able to run even a mile without stopping. What’s changed? Is it all in the mind? I give lots of credit to my sleeve, but the rest of the credit goes to me. I have been working at running for the past seven weeks. I can tell that I have made such physical growth. It’s empowering!

I’m looking forward to my first 5K that’s quickly approaching. I never thought that I would be able to run the whole thing. Well, after tonight I think that it is possible!

Llepell, BABY!

June 18, 2012