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By kilax, December 3, 2009 5:15 am

This summer, a friend said to me, “You look great! Better than you ever did in college!”

Um, thanks?

Not to bash this friend – I know she meant it as a compliment. But ouch! The truth HURTS! Most of my five years of college were spent very overweight. And you know why? I felt like I had NO control over my schedule (until my last year). And I was STRESSED out. No time to exercise + stress eating = overweight Kim.

Now, I have a more stable schedule and a very supportive husband. Of course it’s easier to fit exercise in now, and make healthier meals (that doesn’t mean I’m not overweight now, I most definitely AM!). I don’t all the time, but I try.

That comment from my friend made me think – when do I want to be in my best shape? Should it have been in college? Should it be now? Should it be a goal for the future?

Sadly, there was a time when I told myself “You have years to get healthy. Eat those sweets, who cares?!” Whoa, that is MESSED-UP thinking right there. And why would I even ask myself to set a goal to be in my best shape? I would like to get there, and stay there, forever. I want to be one of those ladies who’s 60 but looks like she’s 50 because she’s so fit and active.

Do you think about this? Do you feel like you’re in your best shape now, or where in the past? Are you working on getting there?

Side Note: Don’t forget to enter my Eating Animals Giveaway!

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By kilax, November 28, 2009 7:20 am

We celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday with my sister, Christina, and her friend, Will. What does a vegan Thanksgiving look like? Let me show you…

The Sous Chef and Chef

The main dish: Stuffed Acorn Squash

Your choices are lentils and rice or…

Dressing!

We also had lentils and rice

and dressing on the side!

A delicious new Green Bean Casserole recipe! We used the leftover sauce as gravy for…

… the potatoes! Nom nom nom.

Of course, we had to have Cranberries. We just bought the canned Ocean Spray kind, but I may make a fresh cranberry dish for Christmas.

And you can’t forget the rolls (from ALDI)!!!

The fully set Thanksgiving Day Table…

and the fully set table with peeps!

My plate (this is all I ate – I knew we would have LOTS of leftovers)

Christina makes the classic mashed potato sandwich!

There were just a FEW servings of leftover mashed potatoes

We waited a few hours (Christina and Will played Wii the whole time) until we got out the DELICIOUS vegan pumpkin pie (new recipe here)

My plate

Everyone else’s plates!

The only thing that wasn’t vegan at this meal was the butter for the rolls, the whipped cream, and ice cream.

We had a lot of fun yesterday. Steven and I did the food prep while Christina and Will chilled, then we just played Wii all day and hung out. Sometimes, it’s good to spend a day indoors!

I didn’t do a thankful post this year. After reading many of yours, I can say I am thankful for the same things. But one unique thing I have to mention is how thankful I am too have a supportive husband who loves to experiment with food. I became vegan on June 15, but Steven is still a vegetarian. However, he fully supports my decision to be vegan and is always “veganizing” dishes we used to make with animals products, and trying out new recipes that I can eat. What a sweetie! Being vegan is not impossible, but Steven makes it much easier.

Comments (14)

By kilax, November 24, 2009 5:00 am

If you don’t already read the Well blog on the New York Times, I highly recommend you do. The blog is focused on health and wellness topics and updates a few times a day. I always find the articles interesting.

Yesterday, the author linked to an interesting article called “Food, Kin and Tension at Thanksgiving.” I recommend reading it. You’ll either find it amusing, or that it hits too close to home and makes you dread the upcoming holiday meals.

The article is about all of the family drama that happens during holiday meal times – people commenting on you eating too little, people commenting on you eating too much, people sneaking stuff into your food*, people telling you to quit eating so fast, etc. The article gives specific examples, some of which I find ridiculous, like this story:

A Long Island woman, who like others interviewed for this column didn’t want to be named, said she and her family traveled 12 hours by train for a summer vacation gathering with her husband’s family. When her husband asked for seconds, the sister-in-law said there wasn’t any more food.

“There was all this food around, but she had cut us off,” the woman said. “We were just really shocked we were being told you can’t eat any more after coming all this way. We found out later she really controlled food in the household.”

Whoa! Kind of unbelievable, but then again, kind of NOT! People get weird about food, especially around the holidays! I know I felt territorial in my kitchen this past weekend (even though I love love LOVED that my grandma made breakfast).

Food is just so personal, but then again, it isn’t. Everyone pays attention to what other people are eating (makes me crazy) and a lot of people love to comment on it. That’s just the society we live in!

So, do you have any crazy family food drama like in the article?

I bet most of my family finds my vegan ways ridiculous! But, that is why we are hosting Thanksgiving and Christmas, suckas!** I have had people watch what I eat and tell me to eat more. Or eat meat. Or slow down. Or not to use margarine. Or hey, that is the wrong kind of baking powder! Don’t use that salt! What?! You eat SOY?!

Ha ha. The article has a pretty humorous solution at the very end. My solution? Grin and bear it then bitch to my husband later!

*Well, I added that one, but it’s happened to me!
**Just joking here.

Comments (7)

By kilax, November 22, 2009 5:37 pm

Day 29 | November 16, 2009: Stretch and Strengthen

I’ve only been doing my little strength routine for a month but I can already feel definition in my legs, arms and chest. I am excited to see how my body reacts if I keep it up!

So, what’s up with people who don’t clean off the gym equipment after they use it? They go from machine to machine, do a bunch of quick moves, and never clean up. Do they have some special privilege I don’t know about? Are they germ free? Am I just paranoid?

Seated Row: 15 @ 30 lb, 15 @ 45 lb, 15 @ 45 lb
Lateral Raise: 15 @ 25 lb, 15 @ 37.5 lb, 15 @ 37.5 lb
90 Degree Chest: 15 @ 20 lb, 15 @ 40 lb, 15 @ 40 lb
Pectoral Fly: 15 @ 30 lb, 15 @ 45 lb, 15 @ 45 lb
Arm Curl: 15 @ 25 lb, 15 @ 25 lb, 15 @ 25 lb
Leg Press: 15 @ 60 lb, 15 @ 60 lb, 15 @ 80 lb
Leg Extension: 15 @ 30 lb, 15 @ 45 lb, 15 @ 45 lb
Leg Curl: 15 @ 30 lb, 15 @ 40 lb, 15 @ 20 lb
Hip Abduction: 3 x 15 @ 115 lb
Hip Adduction: 3 x 15 @ 55 lb
Lunges: 10 each side with 5 lb weight each hand
Crunches: 15
Bicycle Crunches: 16

Day 30 | November 17, 2009: 4 m run

I don’t know if it’s the cold weather, losing a few pounds, or having to poo, but we’ve been running faster, and it’s been feeling pretty good.

Distance: 4.00 | Time: 39:31 | 1: 10:17 | 2: 9:51 | 3: 9:42 | 4: 9:36

Day 31 | November 18, 2009: 2 m run or cross Strength

I had to fit my strength routine (same as Monday + shoulder press) in Wednesday morning because of my busy schedule this week. I enjoy using the office gym when it’s so empty. There’s hardly anyone there, except for the well-intentioned gym manager (a new one this time, goes by “Captain Ed”).

He waited until I was done with my routine to introduce himself. Then he asked where I got my routine. And I told him the truth – I just made it up using the machines available. He kind of laughed at me. I know he was trying to be helpful. He mentioned classes he teaches and offered to help me develop a (better?) routine. Unfortunately our schedules don’t match up any time soon. I was somewhat annoyed that he was laughing at me. I used to not do any strength training at all, so I’ve been giving myself huge pats on the back. I guess it’s time to get more serious about it?

Day 32 | November 19, 2009: 4 m run + strength

I only got 4.5 hours of sleep, so I took a rest day. I don’t feel good when I run on so few hours (and I am already kind of worried about exhaustion and running burn-out after this summer).

Day 33 | November 20, 2009: Rest 4 m run

I (selfishly?) ran this 4-miler alone while Steven and my dad were working on the car, and my mom and grandma were cutting up pizza toppings. My mom, grandma and I walked around Chicago for about 6 hours during the day. My legs felt SUPER tired while I was running. But I really wanted to get out there and run, because I knew I would not be eating so healthy the next day… and needed some time to decompress too!

I was surprised that I could run negative splits without Steven with me. Maybe that means I am getting better with pacing? That would be great! I keep telling myself “the slower you start off, the easier it is to run negative splits!”

Distance: 4.00 | Time: 39:55 | 1: 10:35 | 2: 10:19 | 3: 9:43 | 4: 9:18

Day 34 | November 21, 2009: 40 min cross

I really wanted to fit in a whole 40-minute (or more!) walk with my family, but we were just TOO busy. I am happy we at least got these 25 minutes in. I was excited to show my grandma and mom the Nippersink Forest Preserve. I enjoy showing family members the areas I frequently visit.

Grandma and mom…

… mom and me.

Distance: 1.26 | Time: 24:52 | 1: 19:41 | 2: 5:10

Day 35 | November 22, 2009: 6 4 m run

After cutting it so close (with sunset and the park closing) last week, I though we would work out our schedules better today – NOPE! We were super busy and didn’t start running until 3:50. Then we both had to stop and poo at 3.66 miles. After that, it was too dark, so we just finished the 4 out, and decided to do 6 next week (I think it’s a slower week or something).

I felt good running, at least! But damn, my calves are SO SORE from all of the walking downtown and standing in the kitchen all weekend.

Distance: 4.00 | Time: 41:16 | 1: 10:17 | 2: 10:28 | 3: 10:24 | 4: 10:03

Week Summary: 13.26 miles

I think our trip to Disney World for the Half Marathon is off. Sounds like we are just following a training plan for fun now! That’s fine with me – I need something like this! And running has been getting much easier and more enjoyable so I am happy about that.

Comments (9)

By kilax, November 15, 2009 5:45 pm

Day 22 | November 9, 2009: Stretch and Strengthen

Same strength routine as last Thursday. I was having a very stressful and hectic morning at work, and tried my hardest not to let it affect my workout. I hoped breathing slow and taking my time would calm me down. It did, a bit, but I still did the routine faster than normal. At least it felt somewhat easier, which I take as a sign than I can start trying heavier weights soon.

Day 23 | November 10, 2009: 3.5 m run

All of our evening runs are in the dark now. Did you read the Runner’s World online article Run to the Dark Side (it’s an old article that was in this week’s newsletter)? In the third paragraph they mention how runners have always been warned not to run too close to bed time, because they’ll feel wired all night and won’t be able to fall asleep. But then they go on to discuss a University of South Carolina Study showing that people who exercised intensely for one to three hours were able to fall asleep a half hour later.

First of all, I hope the people in the study refueled with food and drink since they were working out for so long. And secondly, they were able to fall asleep because they EXHAUSTED their bodies! Anything over an hour is fairly taxing. For me, anyway.

Do you ever have issues falling asleep after an evening workout? I don’t. Not recently anyway. I have had issues of waking up an hour before my alarm since we switched off of Daylight Savings Time.

I decided to wear shorts for this low 40°F temperature run. I told Steven that my white legs would work well as reflectors! The wind on my legs made me feel like speeding up, so I did! Or so I thought. Our first two miles were almost the same as last Tuesday! Wah. Hmm. At least we’re consistent?

Distance: 3.50 | Time: 36:24 | 1: 10:42 | 2: 10:38 | 3: 10:18 | 4: 4:44

Day 24 | November 11, 2009: 2 m run or cross

Hooray for Veterans Day and having the day off! Steven and I went on a relaxing, slow and long bike ride at the same place we rode last Saturday. We both had sore legs before, during and after.

If you click on the “cross” link above, you can check out our garmin stats, and it shows an interactive version of the little map below. It’s fun to get home and look at the map and see how far we went!

Bike Time: 1:25:47 | Distance: 12.30 miles

Day 25 | November 12, 2009: 3.5 m run + strength

I didn’t get my full strength workout in because my fellow gymmates were annoying me so much – I had to get out of there! (One person was using the weight machines to balance themselves while they did karate moves. WTF? A few other people were chilling on the weight machines, waiting for the gym manager to show them how to use them.) On the plus side, the gym manager interrupted me in the middle of using the leg press machine to show me how to improve my form. And, I upped the weight on a few moves.

Seated Row: 15 @ 30 lb, 15 @ 45 lb, 15 @45 lb
Lateral Raise: 15 @ 31.25 lb, 15 @ 43.75 lb, 15 @ 43.75 lb
90 Degree Chest: 15 @ 20 lb, 15 @ 40 lb, 15 @ 40 lb
Shoulder Press: 15 @ 20 lb, 15 @ 20 lb, 15 @ 20 lb
Pectoral Fly: 15 @ 30 lb, 15 @ 45 lb, 15 @ 45 lb
Arm Curl: 15 @ 25 lb, 15 @ 25 lb, 15 @ 25 lb
Leg Press: 15 @ 60 lb, 15 @ 60 lb, 15 @ 80 lb
Leg Extension: 15 @ 30 lb, 15 @ 45 lb, 15 @ 45 lb
Hip Abduction: 3 x 15 @ 115 lb
Hip Adduction: 3 x 15 @ 55 lb

I don’t know what my deal with Thursdays is, but I always just want to chill. So I asked Steven if we could run on Friday (We ended up watching The Ugly Truth and chilling. It was kind of funny? I love Gerard Butler but he didn’t look as good as he normally does. This is Sparta!)

Day 26 | November 13, 2009: Rest 3.5 m run

I am getting really sick of running circles in the park, so we ran through the neighborhood instead. I could feel it on the top of my right foot (we did right turns) right away. And the next day. Boo.

Distance: 3.51 | Time: 36:51 | 1: 10:45 | 2: 10:39 | 3: 10:29 | 4: 4:57

Day 27 | November 14, 2009: 40 min cross

We took a very leisurely walk through the neighborhood. It was nice enough to ride our bikes during the day, but I accidentally (?) feel asleep and kind of wasted the daylight. So… walk it was.

Distance: 2.77 | Time: 44:53 | 1: 16:18 | 2: 16:12 | 3: 12:22

Day 28 | November 15, 2009: 5 m run

Whoa! Check out those awesome negative splits below! The rapidly setting sun must have made us speed up – I was worried we were going to get kicked out of the “we close at sunset” forest preserve. We had a super busy day and were trying to get out of the house to run. We didn’t make it to the park until about 4:00, and yeah, doesn’t the sun set at 4:30 now?

Who cares! This run was a whole 5 minutes and 28 seconds faster than last Sunday’s 5-miler. Boo-fuck*n-yeah!

(Okay, my breathing sucked the last mile (Steven kept saying “breathe!”) and my shin was a bit achy. But I feel pretty good!)

Distance: 5.00 | Time: 49:48 | 1: 10:18 | 2: 10:06 | 3: 10:01 | 4: 9:50 | 5: 9:30

Week Summary: 14.77 miles

I feel really good about our training this week. I hope we can keep it up! We bump up to weekday 4-milers next week and a Sunday 6-miler. We have a crazy week ahead of us (see tomorrow’s post) so it will be interesting to see how much we can fit in!

Comments (6)

By kilax, November 8, 2009 5:11 pm

Day 15 | November 2, 2009: Stretch and Strengthen

Same routine as last week, plus the ab moves, minus the 90 Degree Chest (I think the machine was broken or something).

So, when are these darn arm curls going to get easier? I am using a machine like this… which makes doing arm curls look easy, when they are really NOT. I wonder if I have the seat too low. I guess I’ll keep trying. What strength move do you find to be struggling?

I totally wish we had weight equipment like this at home. Doing strength training makes me feel so worn out and calm… I bet I would sleep well after doing it in the evening! (“It” being strength training!)

Day 16 | November 3, 2009: 3.5 m run

Ha. The temperature was about 37°F but I was being a total baby about the cold and got all decked out in my Under Armour and hat and gloves! I love running when it’s cold like this. I felt like Steven and I were going super fast, but alas, our splits say “No. You weren’t.” I do like that I am not constantly looking at the watch when I am running in the dark.

A super bright shirt and a reflective belt for safety!

Distance: 3.51 | Time: 36:58 | 1: 10:41 | 2: 10:40 | 3: 10:29 | 4: 5:06

Day 17 | November 4, 2009: 2 m run or cross

We made this a functional walk – we somehow managed to get exactly 2 miles in between our home and our neighbors – where we were picking up some pizza kits we ordered from their daughter. Steven asked if walking counts as cross-training. Well, Hal Higdon says it does! Ha ha. I hope it does. I feel like it works my calves more than running. And it makes me sweaty so… it counts, right?

Distance: 2.00 | Time: 29:36 | 1: 14:46 | 2: 14:49

Day 18 | November 5, 2009: 3.5 m run + strength

Early morning strength training at 6:30 am (that means I got up at 4:30, people!). I did Monday’s routine, plus the 90 Degree Chest, which was fixed. Damn, I hate getting up that early, but LOVE having the gym mostly to myself.

I convinced Steven (it wasn’t that hard) that we should do our run on Friday in the daylight, at a park. I won’t be surprised if I put off every other Thursday run to my Friday off!

Day 19 | November 6, 2009: Rest 3.5 m run

We “ran” at the Rollins Savanna Forest Preserve. It was nice and sunny and warm (about 53°+F) but DAMN was it windy. The last 2.5 miles were straight into the wind. I felt like I was running through water. Or wading, actually. Bleh. We got to see a lot of beaver dens at the end. That was fun.

Matchy McMatchersons!

Distance: 3.50 | Time: 38:00 | 1: 10:19 | 2: 10:38 | 3: 11:22 | 4: 5:40

Day 20 | November 7, 2009: 40 min cross

Steven and I celebrated the 70°F  (!!!) November weather by taking our bikes to the Singing Hills Forest Preserve to explore a bit of the Millennium Trail.  The Millennium trail will eventually connect 35 miles of trails (with forest preserves as hubs) in the county I live in. Only certain parts of it are completed right now – 11 of those completed miles are very near our home, but we had never visited! I wanted to run on the trail this summer, but there are not many toilets on the path. Ha ha!

We had a fun ride. We actually really enjoyed the scenery, and are sad it will be winter soon and we won’t be able to ride much on this trail. I noticed that our mile splits were lower than an elite runner, but that doesn’t mean we weren’t getting a workout! Plus, we spent about two hours painting when we got home. That counts for something, right?

My brother-in-law gave me a gift card for my birthday and I used it to buy a bike helmet in August! I didn’t have one!

The start of the trail at Singing Hills – can you tell it was getting dark when we got there? We both wished we could have started earlier! We wanted to keep going!

Wouldn’t it be great to have a home right off the trail? Easy access AND fun people watching!

Bike Time: 44:00 | Distance: 7.39 miles

Day 21 | November 8, 2009: 5 m run

Sad Face McMatchersons. Have you noticed I like for us to match? I don’t think Steven likes it, but he puts up with it! Another runner started a conversation with us by asking about the shirts. See – good conversation starter!

I don’t know what to say about this run. I actually had high hopes for it, since we had a nice temperature (low 70s) and since I was feeling pretty crappy all day. I figured the run would make me feel better.

But, it didn’t. We started off well, and I felt like I had to go to the bathroom about 1.4 miles in. When I finally got to a toilet at 3.4, the phantom poo went away, and I was very upset, because I have been feeling constipated for… well, too long (I went when I got home).

Steven took off ahead of me at the last mile, and then I felt even crappier for being slow. I am going to blame it on the weather, and my sour mood. At least my shin felt good!

(And I have a suspicion I should be running all of my “longer” runs at the pace of my last mile. Ha. 5 miles used to be a SHORT run!)

Here are two pictures of the beaver dens (is that what they’re called?) we saw on Friday (we ran at the same place on Sunday). I thought it was neat to see them all together!

Distance: 5.00 | Time: 55:16 | 1: 10:32 | 2: 10:53 | 3: 10:50 | 4: 11:11 | 5: 11:46

Week Summary: 14.00 miles

I enjoyed our workouts this week, except for the last one, because painting, website issues, and a work report left me in a bad mood. I have a feeling that the workouts will be even more fun when I am carrying LESS weight around. I’ve lost 9 pounds in the last three weeks so let’s HOPE I keep that up!

Comments (6)

By kilax, November 1, 2009 3:16 pm

Day 8 | October 26, 2009: Stretch and Strengthen

I followed the same “Strengthen” routine as last Monday – minus the crunches, plus the moves below. I am really enjoying strength training. I feel focused while I am doing it, and nice and relaxed and tired when I am done.

Lunges: 10 each side with 5 lb. weight each hand. Thanks for the recommendation diane and ChezJulie!
Hip Abduction: 3 x 15 @ 115 lb.
Hip Adduction: 3 x 15 @ 55 lb.

Day 9 | October 27, 2009: 3 m run

I felt like I was pushing it, in a good way, this entire run. It made me hopeful that I will get back to my normal pace soon. Of course, it’s still too slow for Steven… unless he has to go to the bathroom, that is! Muah ha ha.

Distance: 3.00 | Time: 32:34 | 1: 10:55 | 2: 10:55 | 3: 10:37

Day 10 | October 28, 2009: 2 m run or cross

This was pretty casual cross-training… we took a walk but didn’t even change out of our street clothes!

Distance: 2.00 | Time: 30:02 | 1: 14:58 | 2: 15:01

Day 11 | October 29, 2009: 3 m run + strength

I got up super early (4:30) so that I could do my strength routine (same as Monday) before work. Usually I do it at lunch and take it nice and slow, but I felt rushed because a coworker asked me to go to an 8:00 am meeting for them at the last minute. Meh.

Steven and I ran together in the evening, in the light rain. I like running together in the evening. It gives us a good chance to talk to each other with few distractions.

Distance: 3.00 | Time: 32:14 | 1: 10:57 | 2: 10:47 | 3: 10:26

Day 12 | October 30, 2009: Rest

Day 13 | October 31, 2009: 30 min cross

We took a walk during trick-or-treat time, so it was fun to see kids in their costumes and our neighbor’s home decorations.

Distance: 1.79 | Time: 27:30 | 1: 15:22 | 2: 12:08

Day 14 | November 1, 2009: 4 m run

Ugh. I really thought this would be an easy run since the other two this week went so well, but my breathing was all off, and I felt like I was struggling. And I also felt bad that I was slowing Steven down. I hope this gets easier soon.

Distance: 4.00 | Time: 43:31 | 1: 10:52 | 2: 10:57 | 3: 10:57 | 4: 10:32

Week Summary: 13.79 miles

I felt pretty good while running this week, so I am hopeful that my speed and ease will continue to increase each week. I am still icing my shin a few times a day and massaging it.

These recaps have been pretty lame. Sorry. I just like to keep track of my training here!

Comments (19)

By kilax, October 28, 2009 7:11 am

The interesting thing about the vegan diet is that if you let it, it can be FULL of variety. I feel like I actually eat a larger variety of food now than I did when I was a vegetarian, or even a meat-eater. This happens because you begin to look to different sources for the nutrients you need. You begin to try new things, and it develops a curiosity about food that keeps you exploring.

I have to admit though, it didn’t start out like this. I did my research, and I started a vegan diet on June 15th, but it took awhile to figure it all out. I’m still figuring it all out. In the beginning, it was really Steven who was pushing me to eat cups of spinach a day (only a slight exaggeration) and multiple servings of beans, among other things. Damn, can’t I just eat oreos, swedish fish, and wafers (all vegan)?

Now, I am really starting to get into researching vegan recipes (I have my eye on The Kind Diet and The Conscious Cook). I am really enjoying trying new things.

But here’s the problem – I am afraid of cooking. I love to research the recipes, but bringing them to life? That’s something I usually expect Steven to do. Which is NOT FAIR (even though he usually loves to cook).

A few Sundays ago, I really wanted to try a recipe from the vegan cookbook that Gina got me for my birthday – Vegan Italiano. I read through all of the pasta recipes, and found one that sounded appetizing and didn’t call for any ingredients that we didn’t have. Then, I showed it to Steven, expecting him to be excited to cook it and… he wasn’t! He was in the middle of working on something when dinner time came around, and he was worn out.

So I tepidly made my way into the kitchen, read the recipe about 6,000 times, and put all of the ingredients out on the counter. Oh no! I told Steven the recipe called for 6-8 garlic cloves and we only had two. He politely informed me that we had two garlic bulbs, not cloves. Ha! That would have been one garlic-y dish and I would have used those two “cloves.”

I made the dish, with minimal supervision, and it turned out really good! I was so pleased with myself. It encouraged me to think that I might actually be able to cook things on my own some day! I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to put a dish together without a recipe, like Steven, but there’s hope…

I forget the name of the dish, but it was a garlic-broccoli sauce! Edited to add: the breaded stuff is Boca Chik’n! Yummy!

I think that as a vegan, it is important for me to learn how to cook, so that I can take care of myself (duh), but also so that I can share these wonderful recipes with family and friends… and hopefully help them realize that vegan food is not “gross” or “weird.”

Comments (10)

By kilax, October 25, 2009 1:21 pm

Last Sunday I was cleaning off my desk and found a printed-out copy of Hal Higdon’s Half Marathon Novice Training Plan. “Hmm,” I thought, “I should see when I need to start training for the January 9th half marathon we signed up to run.” Even though we may not do it, I still want to train like we are.

Yeah, it’s a good thing I checked. I needed to start training on the next day – Monday the 19th! (Um, so I was originally going to run a marathon on the 17th and start half marathon training the 19th?! Bad idea, Kim!)

So… my Sunday training posts are back! MUAH HA HA! I am not sure how much I will have to modify them, because of my shin, but my plan is try to to run three days a week, but cut it down to two and walk one if I need it.

Day 1 | October 19, 2009: Stretch and Strengthen

I used the office gym weight equipment for the first time the week of October 12th and damn… my arms were SORE! Like, “you can’t put your coat on” sore. I am hoping that will go away!

I don’t know much about weights, so I did three sets of 15 reps (to build endurance?) on each machine. With the arm machines, I rotated back in forth between two at a time, but with the leg machines, I did all three sets together.

So… I am doing it right? I put my workout in small print below because it’s boring.

Seated Row: 15 @ 30 lb, 15 @ 45 lb, 15 @45 lb
Lateral Raise: 15 @ 25 lb, 15 @ 37.5 lb., 15 @ 37.5 lb
90 Degree Chest: 15 @ 20 lb, 15 @ 20 lb, 15 @ 40 lb
Shoulder Press: 15 @ 20 lb, 15 @ 20 lb, 15 @ 20 lb. Yeah, these are killer!
Pectoral Fly: 15 @ 30 lb, 15 @ 30 lb, 15 @ 30 lb
Arm Curl: 15 @ 25 lb, 15 @ 25 lb, 15 @ 25 lb. OUCH!
Leg Press: 15 @ 40 lb, 15 @ 60 lb, 15 @ 60 lb
Leg Extension: 15 @ 30 lb, 15 @ 45 lb, 15 @ 45 lb
Leg Curl: 15 @ 30 lb, 15 @ 40 lb, 15 @ 20 lb
Crunches: 10
Bicycle Crunches: 10

Day 2 | October 20, 2009: 3 m run

Steven and I “ran” these 3 miles together, in the dark, but in a perfect running temperature – 55°F! The nice thing about running in the dark is that you are not constantly checking your Garmin. The bad thing about running in the dark is that you CAN’T check your Garmin to see if you are running too fast (well, I can’t figure out the back light). Oh, and that you might trip and fall. Or mistake a branch for a snake, as Steven did. Ha ha.

Distance: 3.00 | Time: 32:33 | 1: 10:23 | 2: 11:10 | 3: 10:58

Day 3 | October 21, 2009: 2 m run or cross

Yawn. Treadmill walking…

Distance: 2.00 | Time: 30:00 | 1: 15:00 | 2: 15:00

Day 4 | October 22, 2009: 3 m run + strength

I did the same strength work-out as Monday, just mixed it the order a bit. I’m liking it so far. I can feel its effects. I think I need to add some lower-leg strength moves though. Do you know any lower-leg exercises?

I put the 3 miler off until Friday, since it was raining.

Day 5 | October 23, 2009: Rest 3 m run

So, I ran in the rain, on Friday with Steven! The “hills” in our neighborhood were killing me, but I can tell my fitness level is increasing!

Distance: 3.00 | Time: 33:05 | 1: 10:48 | 2: 11:08 | 3: 11:07

Day 6 | October 24, 2009: 30 min cross rest

Day 7 | October 25, 2009: 4 m run

Another “run” with Steven, with more difficulty on our neighborhood “hills.” I am struggling with breathing now. I used to not have to think about it at all, so it’s frustrating. But I did enjoy the nice fall weather – clear blue skies and a nice temperature in the 50s.

Distance: 4.00 | Time: 46:02 | 1: 11:02 | 2: 11:19 | 3: 11:47 | 4: 11:51

Week Summary: 12 miles

Starting over is exciting (because it seems like you are reaching a new goal each day) but frustrating (because you feel like the goals you are reaching are something you did months ago). I have been making sure to take it nice and slow, and stop if I feel any strong pain in my shin. I hope I don’t have to modify this training schedule too much!

Comments (15)

By kilax, October 22, 2009 6:49 am

As my weight has gone up and down over the years, I’ve noticed how differently I’ve taken it off and put it back on (ha!) each time.

Now, I know this is extremely unhealthy, and it is something I am trying to get away from (aren’t we all?), but I thought I would share.

When I first tried to lose weight, in 2004, I just ate less. I got the skinniest I had ever been, and it didn’t take that long, but it didn’t last that long either. Later on, I dabbled in exercise a bit, and lost weight, but was never really committed. However, when I started to really dedicate time to exercising and eating healthier in summer of 2008, I noticed that the weight came off faster, and I got to a smaller size sooner than I had when I was just eating less. And as my weight has gone up and down since then, I have always been able to fit in smaller sizes, at higher weights than ever before. It makes me wonder if I am retaining muscle and am a bit smaller at a higher weight, or if the sizes have just gotten bigger over the past few years (or if I have really, really stretched my clothes out).

This time around, besides running a few times a week, I am also doing weight training. It’s weird, because I am sore in places I have never been sore. It makes me wonder how my body will react to the weight training. Will I get smaller, quicker? Will it take longer? Will my weight stay high because I gain muscle?

This is all extremely vain, I know. I just wondered – have you experienced anything like this?

Gosh, what I would LOVE to get to a goal weight/size/comfort level and just MAINTAIN it. Maybe that will be one of my goals for 2010.