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2012 Do Life Challenge: Week 1

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Harbison Weaver) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 12:45:00 +0000

You may have heard about Ben Davis and his Do Life movement (if not you should check out his youtube video of his 120 pound weight loss) and how he's putting together a life changing challenge for the first 12 weeks of 2012. I felt like I really stagnated physically in 2011 and so I'm signing up to Do Life in 2012! I want to get in better shape while really taking control of my health and wellness. I've been really bad about taking care of myself in grad school and I want to make a big focus on taking care of my health and wellness!

WEEK ONE CHALLENGES Assess, Resolve, and Act.
This Week's Quote: "You have to act your way into right thinking."

Write down five quantifiable goals for yourself.

Lose 8lbs by February 1.
Attend Yoga three times a week.
Run three times a week.
Do "Killer Abs" workout twice a week.
Track all food on SparkPeople for 30 days.

Assess yourself and write down your current stats in all five areas.

Right now I'm at 225, I want to be 217 by February 1.
I've been attending 1 time a week through the holidays.
Haven't been running since November.
Killer Abs workout has been done once.
I'm starting to track on SparkPeople again and have entered my one year goal!

By Monday night, get on the floor an do as many pushups as you can. Modified (from your knees) or regular. I did 10 modified pushups before my arms gave out. This makes me sad because I used to do 20 of them in my rotation with my trainer last summer.
Beginners: Do 120 minutes of exercise this week. I'm putting myself at beginner since I haven't been doing much of anything and my body shows it unfortunately! I will be so happy if I make the 120 minutes each week!
Identify your biggest excuse. I don't have enough time in the day! To circumvent this I should do the abs workout during commercial breaks.
Each night before bed, write four things you did well that day. I'm going to start a paper journal for this. Last fall I would write down three "wins" each day at work and I want to get back in the habit of this. Even if it's as small as drinking a water bottle each day or avoiding the candy bowl/snacks at work I should celebrate my wins!

I also wanted to try to track my progress in the challenge visually so here's my starting photos:

I'm ready to Do Life in 2012, won't you join me?

Day 1: Operation Reset

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Harbison Weaver) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:06:00 +0000

After a way too indulgent New Years Eve today was the perfect restart to getting back in shape and focused. I slept a lot, didn't eat any meat, had two salads along with lots of water and iced tea. No exercise, but I'm starting a streak here of healthy living and moderation from here on out. No excuses for why I didn't work out, but here's to hoping I can add that to my routine tomorrow! Also, everyone should root for the Bengals in the playoffs so that I can see them in the Super Bowl here in Indy. -- Post From My iPhone

Life takes over in 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Harbison Weaver) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 00:17:00 +0000

Over the last six months my life has changed so much, my life in 2011 was so different from 2010! I went from a fairly easy online class in the summer to two fairly writing intensive grad school classes along with a career change. I ran a marathon in October (sub-6 hour which was my goal!) and didn't even have a chance to blog about it since I feel like I was going about 100 MPH since July 5th!

Why yes, that is the worst race picture I've ever taken. My eyes are shut, my head and neck is one piece and I think you might be able to see me flat foot striking! I loved the Detroit Marathon though, everything about it was fantastic and I'm amazed at how much I fell in love with the city. I bailed on the Indianapolis Monumental Half-Marathon a few weeks later due to being super sick that morning. I wasn't even able to be around light that day. I've had my best marathon, my worst half-marathon and my first DNS half-marathon this year. I've learned to be content with two B+ grades this semester instead of at least one A-. It's been a year of growth and I'm ready to try to get myself back into a healthier weight with less meat, more fruits & veggies and more yoga in my life.

I've also been enjoying the semester break before I start marathon training for the flying pig marathon in January and three grad school classes in the spring. I'm trying to schedule everything out but this past semester I found it hard to stick to the plan. I think I just need to suck it up and try to get through the first 12 weeks of 2012 to build new healthy habits and then see where I am!

How do you stay motivated?

Detroit Marathon - DONE!

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Harbison Weaver) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:35:00 +0000

I finished with over a 12 minute PR from my Chicago Marathon 2010 time which I consider to be a huge accomplishment since my life radically changed in the middle of training (for the better)!

Onward to celebrate my way across Michigan today and tomorrow!

Detroit Marathon Taper Madness: Weather Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Harbison Weaver) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:08:00 +0000

How can two weather channels have two separate forecasts for the same day? It's mindblowing to me, but at least it gives me something to obsess over going into the home stretch of waiting to run the 2011 Detroit Marathon.

I'm just hoping for upper 50's at the finish and chilly to start out. I don't want to expend all my energy trying to keep my body temperature regulated and I don't want to putter out at the end due to the heat! Keep your fingers crossed for cloudy and upper 50's. Heck, I'll keep the forecast as it stands as long as it doesn't get any warmer than 65 that day!

At least we're no longer unseasonably warm?

Return to the Breath: T-Minus 6 Days Until Detroit Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Harbison Weaver) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 23:40:00 +0000

For the first time in almost a week I returned to my yoga mat and found my breath. My hammies were tight and only a few short minutes I was afraid I wouldn't be able to return to the mat after a brief hiatus. As I loosened up and stretched I found my intention.

My intention for this week is to try and build a foundation to make up for the missed training and poor eating this summer. To make my intention come true I'm going to do a light run tomorrow on my lunch and a couple of more yoga and pilates classes before hitting the road for Detroit. I'm hoping that I just finish strong, I want to rock Detroit and have a good time on the course. Plus I'll be able to cross into Canada and back without carrying my passport on me!

Namaste?

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Harbison Weaver) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 01:30:00 +0000

Last weekend I ran a ridiculously hot half-marathon that ended in a personal worst. The race was black flagged about 15 minutes after I finished so I consider myself lucky to have finished.

As part of my half-marathon celebration and to try to get myself back on track for Detroit and the family cruise in November I'm doing my own personal 30-day yoga challenge. I'm trying to take as many yoga and pilates classes as my schedule will allow. I'm going to squeeze my long runs in while trying to increase my fitness in other ways. So far I'm doing really well - I've done a yoga, pilates or trainer workout each day this week with two workouts today and 2.5 hours of yoga planned for tomorrow night!

I could say this is for national yoga month, but really it was for my own sanity for Detroit Marathon month! Are you "celebrating" national yoga month?

-- Post From My iPhone

Traveling August: Traverse City, Michigan Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Harbison Weaver) — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 14:23:00 +0000

Due to a couple of last minute changes August has turned into the month of vacations. This weekend I'm enjoying a four day weekend in Traverse City, MI at the wonderful Sugar Beach Resort.

On the drive up I stopped in Grand Rapids for lunch at Founders Brewing Company. I enjoyed a cerise and a caprese sandwich.

Laying out at the beach was great, I was able to finish two books on my kindle and also started a third. I'm hoping to do some reading later today to finish the third! After showering and relaxing a bit I headed into downtown Traverse City to do some exploring.

I had a great dinner at Red Ginger and kicked things off with a wonderful blood orange martini.

I had two specialty rolls, the rainbow roll and the vegetarian roll. I also had a serving of edamame.

I loved the note about reasonable dessert portions on the menu so I decided to treat myself to a coconut caramel sundae which was the perfect size (just one scoop) and was delicious!

After dinner I did some exploring and wandered around the city. I love the quaint downtown area and the vintage look of a lot of the signage.

Today it's rainy so I'm hoping to do a little wandering and enjoy a movie this afternoon. I'd like to make it out to the shopping center located in the renovated old mental hospital and just wander the grounds!

This weekend was just what I needed to relax and rejuvenate!

Detroit Marathon Training Lesson #5: Relax

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Harbison Weaver) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:12:00 +0000

Be sure to take time off for rest. Preferably in Traverse City on the beach.

-- Post From My iPhone

Detroit Free Press Marathon Training: Thing #4 Learned

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Harbison Weaver) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 20:02:00 +0000

Detroit Free Press Marathon Training Tip #3:

"Cupcake deliveries are your friend."

Especially from new food trucks that are just opening. The carbs totally convert into running fuel, right?

It takes an otherwise meh Monday to a much better level! Thanks to Scouts Treats!

Detroit Free Press Marathon Training: Thing #3 Learned

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Harbison Weaver) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:30:00 +0000

Detroit Free Press Marathon Training Tip #3:

"Humidity is not your friend. Neither would be cocktails the night before a long run."

Looks like I need to get back in the training mindset and also clean up my eating (aka my pants are getting tight). This is why I'm committing to the Thrive in 30 program through Vega. Thrive in 30 is a series of 12 video lessons over the course of 30 days, with Ironman triathlete and best-selling author, Brendan Brazier. It provides tips as well as action steps, that I am going to try to use to increase my energy and drive over the next four weeks.

Let's hope it does - or at least makes me feel like I have a couple more hours in the day!

I Didn't Know Who I Was...

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Harbison Weaver) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 14:12:00 +0000

Growing up one of my favorite movies was Reality Bites and I fell in love with Lelaina Pierce (Winona Ryder). She worked in TV and quit her job. She worked at the Gap and had a dreamy boyfriend (Ben Stiller) with the hot grunge friend with sexual tension on the side (Ethan Hawke) - it was everything my high school self wanted to be when I grew up.

One of my best friends and I would even regularly quote the movie to each other and I think when I went through my post-college existential crisis I probably watched the movie about a million times. Lelaina was a character I could identify with, she was driven all through her life and then when she got to the real world she drifted a bit.

One quote that really summed up how I felt after college was from a scene when Winona Ryder and Ethan Hawke are talking and it just spoke to me:

Lelaina Pierce: I was really going to be somebody by the time I was 23.
Troy Dyer: Honey, all you have to be by the time you're 23 is yourself.
Lelaina Pierce: I don't know who that is anymore.
Troy Dyer: I do. And we all love her. I love her. She breaks my heart again and again, but I love her.

To bring this all home, after trying to figure it all out and struggling a lot with my short lived foray into Television I ended up in college athletics. I found my passion and after a lot of hard work and struggles over the past two and a half years, I was promoted to be an administrator. I'm still in my graduate program, but I'm on my way in my career. I may not have been someone other than myself by the age of 23, but I am something other than just myself at the age of 28.

Detroit Free Press Marathon Training: Thing #2 Learned

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Harbison Weaver) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:42:00 +0000

Detroit Free Press Marathon Training Tip #2:

"Pilates may not feel like much of a workout until the next day. Then your abs kill and you can barely sit up straight."

Please tell me that Pilates will help my core and therefore help my running?

Detroit Free Press Marathon Training: Thing #1 Learned

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Harbison Weaver) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 17:45:00 +0000

Detroit Free Press Marathon Training Tip #1:

"When you have frozen yogurt at Costco, don't go running for four miles in the heat afterwards. You will feel sick."

That is all.

2011 Geist Half-Marathon Race Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Harbison Weaver) — Fri, 27 May 2011 13:15:00 +0000

Last Saturday morning I was up at 4:45 for my second half-marathon in 14 days and I was excited to finally run a race in 2011 that wasn't raining or cold or a combination of both. The Geist Half-Marathon is a fairly new race to Indianapolis and it lays claim to the only slightly hilly spring half-marathon in the area.

Since it was my second half-marathon in May I qualified for the "Month of May Marathon Club" in which you run two halves in May and get a lot of sweet benefits. One of which was having an awesome low number bib with a sweet Month of May design and another was special parking in a less crowded lot!

Race Tip: I've started pinning my race number to my spibelt and I find that I'm less likely to tear it or get all caught up in the bib which is awesome since I'm such a klutz when it comes to running sometimes!

The race started off with a flyover by planes in a formation and the race starts at the bottom of a hill. I was amazed at the amount of people who ran down the hill before the race even started!

The temperatures at the start reminded me of the Chicago Marathon last fall, starting in the upper 60's with a slight breeze. I think I would have been okay if I had been training in heat all summer but it's been pretty chilly around here as of late so that threw me off.

I was doing well for the first 5k and really had my pace under control and then I started getting flustered for some reason. Luckily I was able to punt the sunglasses to the hubs around mile 4 and also around this point I realized I wasn't really having a great time. I missed my running partner and having to keep at a regular pace for him!

This was me being oh-so-graceful at trying to hand off the sunglasses without taking out anyone behind me! The course isn't too bad for being billed as a course with rolling hills, that is until you get to miles seven through nine. Mile seven takes you down to one of the lower points of the course and there's not a lot of tree cover and then you wind around Courageous Drive to get to the top of the biggest hill on the course. Unfortunately this is when the temperatures started raising and they changed the flags from green to yellow. I wish I had trained better for hills, but that's something I can work on for the next hilly race I run.

When we pushed through to around mile 10 the hubs was there with his camera and he cheered me on saying that the course was both literally uphill and downhill from there - just the thing I didn't want to know! I was hoping the hills were done, but to my dismay they were still there - the biggest was just behind me!

The race finishes just past the bridge over the reservoir at the Geist Marina and that bridge was a beast. I remember thinking that I just wanted the race to be over so I could get a cold drink! I noticed in the pictures the hubs took of me on the bridge that my stride had really shortened which doesn't make me happy but it just further reinforces that I need to work on hills for the next half I run!

For my first hot race of the year and my first hilly half-marathon I was pleased with my final time of 2:48:22. My A goal was to get a PR which I was about 10 minutes off of (boo). My B goal was to finish in under 2:50 (yay) and my C goal was to finish in under 3 hours. I knew the course was more difficult as people at work had recommended it as a bit of a challenge but I was glad to make two out of three goals for the race!

The post-race party was pretty sweet and the Month of May club was worth it to get a sweet tech tee, all the food and beer I could enjoy and fancy portable restrooms! I just wish I could have gotten my husband in the month of may area but instead we hit up Scotty's Lakehouse for a delicious burgers and sweet potato fries.

I would recommend the Geist Half-Marathon to anyone who wants a smaller race with a bit of a challenge that is run smoother than any large race that I've ever run! The medals is also really awesome with the water being glass and the ribbon is really pretty! I'm glad to have qualified for Half-Marathon Maniacs and that I'm a member of the Month of May Club. I still can't believe that as of January 2009 I hadn't run before and now when I see how much I've accomplished I'm so proud of myself!

What big accomplishments have you achieved by putting your mind to the test?

Namaste or My Mind Takes a Break

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Harbison Weaver) — Thu, 19 May 2011 18:36:00 +0000

Yesterday I headed to my local Lululemon store for a free yoga for runners class. I gotta say it was so much better than any other yoga class I've taken before. I've always taken them at health clubs and hated the instructor or never was able to get into the calming side of yoga.

Well stop the presses kids, the class last night was different. I was able to center myself and I felt good when I left, not defeated. I woke up this morning and felt strong and not weak after practicing yoga. I liked hearing the teacher tell us to observe our bodies in the poses and not to force ourselves into them. It was a different way of practicing yoga than the health club variety where I always felt like I was doing something wrong or wasn't getting the moves down.

I had purchased a groupon for a month of unlimited yoga and now I'm looking forward to it instead of dreading it as I was (I was looking at it as cross training). I also really liked the teacher's centering at the beginning of class and then bringing the class back home at the end. I'm hoping that I can recenter myself regularly with my new love of yoga.

Have you tried yoga before? What were your experiences with it?

Giveaway and Kicking Around an Idea

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Harbison Weaver) — Tue, 17 May 2011 17:37:00 +0000

After the great Blogger fail of 2011 I think I can finally access all of my entries again and I get to re-giveaway the Freschetta pizza coupon and cutting board!

Congrats to Emily for winning the Freschetta pizza! E-mail me with your address and I'll get it shipped out to you!

In other news I'm kicking around the idea of running the Detroit Free Press Marathon as a Girls on the Run SoleMate. I'd need to raise about $270 but it would be going to a good cause and it would be supporting the local chapter of Girls on the Run. I like the idea of encouraging girls to be strong, confident individuals through sports and how much the community can benefit from programs similar to Girls on the Run.

Have you ever raised money for charity on a large scale? What about running a race for charity?

2011 500 Festival Mini-Marathon: The Hubs Edition!

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Harbison Weaver) — Mon, 09 May 2011 11:45:00 +0000

Saturday was the 35th running of the Indianapolis 500 Festival Mini-Marathon and the first time the hubs ran a half-marathon. We started out slow (aka weaving around all of the walkers) and tried to pick it up by finishing in 2:44:04! Pretty good for his first half and just starting out running!

My stats:

I felt like an awesome running jerk because I could be "that guy" who complains that the course is too long due to my garmin measuring the course long. Never mind that weaving around everyone for the whole race adds that much to the course!

Important things learned from my garmin this race: OMG I CAN RUN AT A FAIRLY CONSISTENT PACE! Also miles where I took GU (other than mile 9) I ended up being able to make up my time quicker. I find that running with my garmin I'm more consistent during a race and am able to keep my pacing due to keeping an eye on my average pace. I was really proud of us keeping up a consistent pace and meeting our goal of a 12:30 pace average!

How have you found to get better at running at an average pace?

Taper Week Happenings: 500 Festival Mini-Marathon Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Harbison Weaver) — Sun, 08 May 2011 15:42:00 +0000

This week, in addition to being taper week for the 500 Festival Mini-Marathon and having TAPER MADNESS I was faced with a huge task - my second semester of grad school FINALS (and a huge release at work)! I kicked off my study stretch with a good workout on Tuesday with the trainer. I'm starting to feel better about my body situation, I just know I need to keep up the healthy eating and workouts to keep myself on track!

To try to start the healthy eating off right I made a trip to Whole ~~Paycheck~~ Foods for a big bundle of veggies and vegan eats from the hot bar. There's vegan pad thai, seaweed salad, vegan dumplings, shoyu tofu, cucumber mint salad and roasted veggies in that tasty bowl. I was glad for the boost it gave me, because I had Public Management Economics to study for and I was not glad for that!

At least the healthy eats kept me focused on the econ (and the graphs) while allowing me to burn off some of the fidgeting caused by TAPER MADNESS.

Since my econ final was on Cinco de Mayo I went for some Qdoba on the way home and tried their new street tacos. You get three tacos with your choice of pork or beef (I went for pork) and a container of Ancho BBQ Pinto Beans for less than 500 calories!

I also had chips and salsa to round out my fiesta for one since the hubs was on the road and watched Real Housewives on TV. It was quite the celebration of my first year of grad school being finished. Now I'm just waiting for my final grades to come in and enjoying not having a class until June 27th!

How did you celebrate Cinco de Mayo?

Fresh Tasting Frozen Pizza for Half-Marathon Taper Week?

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Harbison Weaver) — Wed, 04 May 2011 13:50:00 +0000

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of FRESCHETTA® for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

It's the taper week for the 500 Festival Mini-Marathon and instead of just running and eating less I've been craving some carb loading in the form of simple cheesy pizza. I was glad to have been given the opportunity to review the new FRESCHETTA® Simply…Inspired™ frozen pizza that comes in eight different varieties.

I went with the "Classic Bruschetta" variety with plenty of cheese and tomatoes piled on top of the thin and crispy crust. I was pleasantly surprised to see the nutrition info wasn't too wacky for something frozen and wasn't totally depressing in the sodium arena. So many frozen foods are sodium bombs and this was pretty decent in that department!

That's right, fresh tasting frozen pizza that comes in a pretty small package, their FRESCH-TASTE SEAL™ Packing locks in the vibrant flavors, while using 30% less packaging material than other frozen pizzas.

I really enjoyed the carby goodness of this pizza and also how nice it cooked up in the oven. I was impressed by how fresh tasting the tomatoes were and how the garlic sauce had real basil flavor and everything tasted like a very fresh restaurant pizza.

I also was really happy with the reduced packaging, normally frozen pizzas create so much waste and this streamlined packaging is much better than the regular box, plastic and cardboard. Plus the tomatoes tasted like fresh tomatoes, can't beat that in a frozen pizza! The hubs enjoyed the cheese and the sauce and thought that it had a great garlic flavor.

The Giveaway:

I was also provided with a coupon for FRESCHETTA® Simply…Inspired™ and FRESCHETTA® Simply…Inspired™ bamboo cutting board to give away to my readers. The bamboo cutting board is pretty cool with hidden cheese tools inside and are a great thickness (TWSS)!

The nitty gritty details of the giveaway:

1 Bamboo Cutting Board and 1 FRESCHETTA® Simply…Inspired™ coupon.
Limited to US residents only 18 years old and above (sorry Canada)!

Now how to win:

Leave a comment on this post about your favorite taper methods or ways to relax when you can't exercise.
Become one of Let's Get Fit's followers on Facebook OR Google for a BONUS entry, and leave a comment to let me know you’ve done so.
Tweet about the contest for a THIRD entry then leave a comment to tell me you’ve done so (please include @jharbweave so I know you've tweeted)!
Link back to this post on your blog for a FOURTH entry, and (you guessed it) comment to tell me.
Be sure to check them out @FreschettaSI on Twitter and “Like” http://www.facebook.com/FreschettaSimplyInspired on Facebook!

You may leave as many as 5 comments on this post and each will count as an entry! I'll be drawing the winner on Wednesday, May 11th at 12PM Eastern time so you have just around a week to enter! Good Luck!

Filling Dinner Eats

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Harbison Weaver) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 00:24:00 +0000

In trying to get my eating in check it's a goal to eat in more and also to use some of the meat we've got stored up in our freezer. Last night for dinner the hubs prepared some frozen shrimp with bacon, tomatoes, carrots, avocados and a homemade lemon vinaigrette for a simple cobb salad. That huge plate was about 662 calories and I was full all evening!

Tonight after an exciting trip to the eye doctor I raced home to meet the hubs for a short run in the rain. I just didn't think about how much mascara + rain + contact lenses would be a bad idea. Hooray!

Tonight I'm just relaxing a little while enjoying salsa chicken from the crock pot and a Kirkland Diet Green Tea. Salsa chicken is seriously the easiest recipe ever, you dump a can of corn; a can of black beans; a jar of salsa (we used Mrs. Renfro's Hot Jalapeno Salsa) and two chicken breasts into a crock pot and let it simmer away all day. Then top with a little queso fresco (Mexican cheese), cilantro and a dollop of greek yogurt for a delicious and filling healthy bowl of Mexican goodness.

A perfect yummy bowl of goodness for a chilly, rainy night! Now I'm catching up on the DVR and procrastinating participating in my online class.

What is your favorite healthy meal for a chilly, rainy night?

Pros and Cons: 11 Mile Training Run Done

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Harbison Weaver) — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 17:53:00 +0000

Since my grumpy post about my weight struggle I've been tracking my eating and also trying to stay positive about eating healthy in moderation while perpetually training for a race. It's paid off though because since weighing myself on April 11th I'm down two pounds (yeah probably some water weight due to watching sodium) and I haven't felt deprived. I've enjoyed a big breakfast at work on Friday and delicious mango french toast this morning. I had a tasty jalapeno cheddar melt post-long run yesterday. I'm just trying to balance it all out by keeping calories in/calories out on my mind.

On to the long run yesterday, in training for the 500 Festival Mini-Marathon with the hubs I've learned a lot about myself and him in the process. For one I've realized that I really do love this guy a lot. Back in March there was the Mini-Marathon 10k training series run/race and I was going to achieve a PR. Instead I turned around and coached the hubs to crossing the line in his first 10k. It was worth it to me to miss my PR in order to cross the finish line holding his hand. I've also learned what motivates him and also how much the mental aspect of running can derail things.

This weeks run was good for me but I know it was rough for the hubs. I really wanted to keep running at a long slow distance run pace of 13:15 to achieve our race pace of 2:45 and instead that didn't happen. I notice when the hubs starts out fast he burns himself out pretty quick, but I also know how tough it can be when you're starting out running. It can be hard to slow down if you don't have the confidence in your running to know if you'll be able to start back up!

On to the Garmin chart:

I'm still new to using my garmin so I'm not sure what the first lap was - or what happened there. Also boo on the positive split, but that's what happens when you're run/walking towards the end of the run. I'm glad that I have trained for these two races with the hubs, I just wish that we had worked harder and completed more of our weekday runs for a better base.

I'm thinking what I'm going to do post-Geist Half-Marathon and post-Mini is take three weeks of just light, easy runs until I kick off my Detroit Marathon training on June 13th. I might toss in a 5k or 8k on the 11th if I can find one, but otherwise I'm just looking to maintain fitness while slimming down some before I start training.

I'm thinking of this as my Easter resolution: run more, eat in moderation and enjoy life's simple pleasures.

Happy Sunday (and Easter if you celebrate it)!

Abysmal Run to Kick it Off?

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Harbison Weaver) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 15:27:00 +0000

Last night I wanted to enjoy the weather and after the hubs got back from procuring a growler of the Sun King/3 Floyds collaboration beer we went for a run. I made sure to change into running gear and take lots of pictures of myself in which I realized that I'm really out of shape. Both gave me lots of motivation to actually get out and run which seems to be my problem lately (e.g., only going on long runs).

WARNING! THE FOLLOWING PICTURES AREN'T PRETTY:

I'm at my highest weight since college and I'm not too pleased about it either. Somewhere along the line I got it in my head that I can eat a ton of food and run occasionally and not have to worry about my weight. Unfortunately, that's not true. In addition to everything else in my life I need to keep an eye on my calorie intake and so I'm going back to tracking calories. I think it's as simple as eating less food, exercising more and just keeping it all in moderation.

Now, on to my incredibly unspectacular run. I did 2.63 miles in an abysmal 33 minutes with positive splits. The hubs was running circles around me (literally - he was "chipper" hubs, I wanted to strangle him) and I realized how much my cold and allergies party earlier this week had messed with my body when I was struggling to keep up.

At least I have a fancy Garmin Forerunner (thanks Mom and Dad for the most useful birthday present - serious, no sarcasm here!) that produces this lovely chart so I know how much I need to pick it up, right? I think I need to listen to my good e-friend Angry Runner and just log more miles. As Angry Runner says, champions run miles.

All of this is leading up to my motivation thanks to Skinny Runner:

I can have a bad workout, I can have a bad day and thunder thighs (I'm a runner after all), but it all boils down to the fact that I need to run more and eat less. I'm recommitting to not being a total slug and using grad school as an excuse to not run. I'm recommitting to not eating 9 billion cupcakes and trying to balance out one cupcake with a pile of veggies. I need to bounce back so I can spring into my Detroit Marathon training!

How do you bounce back from a bad workout?

Mini-Marathon, Mini-Marathon, Mini-Marathon: OH GOD I'M SICK.

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Harbison Weaver) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 20:29:00 +0000

With being sick the last two days I've had a little extra time and though I'd pop back into my blog. Training for the Mini-Marathon with the hubs has been rough, running was going well until an ice storm, grad school and life got in the way. I'm still running the 500 Festival Mini-Marathon with the hubs and the Geist Half-Marathon for myself, both in May. My goal instead of PRing is to just enjoy myself and have a good time in the May weather!

I just wish I didn't have an allergy/sinus explosion going on only a few weeks out from a race. At least I'm getting a chance to bond on the couch with a box of tissues and lots of fluids?

Pardon my double chin. I'm not usually wearing glasses and stuck on the couch either.

I'm in the home stretch of the semester though. I only have a few discussion groups, two essays and an econ final between myself and almost two full months off of grad school (before the summer semester starts). I also need my two months to gear up for my newest announcement - I'm going to be training for the Detroit Free Press Marathon!

I'm excited to be training for my next full marathon but I need to take those two months to get back into shape before starting my official training. I'm also reading a couple of running books and watched Spirit of the Marathon last night to get pumped up for racing season. Especially since I seem to have let grad school and work take over my life lately!

I can't WAIT to wear this around my neck in October:

What running books have you read? How do you get motivated for a big challenge?

Pump ME Up: Les Mills Body Pump and Post-Workout Refuling

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Harbison Weaver) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Recently I have been trying to get in strength training as part of my 500 Festival Mini-Marathon training and also try to build my muscle (and boost my metabolism)! I still work out with a trainer once a week but my gym offers Les Mills Body Pump classes on just about every day of the week. My goal has been to try to go at least once a week and to go twice a week.

Image from here.

I love the class because of the fast pace and the songs are so catchy. I also really enjoy being pushed to do higher reps and more weight than I would probably do on my own in a regular strength workout. Post-Body Pump (and post-long run) I've been refueling with EAS Myoplex Lite to make sure that I'm making the most of my workouts.

Tonight I paired the Myoplex with a little fruit salad and Kashi GoLean Crunch to give myself a nice healthy post-Body Pump snack.

It appears that the "lite" is due to the 2 grams of fat, but the EAS Myoplex Lite does have 20 grams of protein which is pretty impressive in one shake! Plus these taste pretty good for protein shakes!

How do you like to refuel post-workout?

Disclaimer: Abbott Nutrition provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review in return for the free product.