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By kilax, April 18, 2009 2:28 pm

I ran the Take a Step for Kids 10K today in Libertyville, IL – my longest race to date! So of course, that means I set a new personal record by default. Yay!

The weather was absolutely perfect – clear blue skies, sun and 60° F by the time the race started at 9:00 (it later warmed up to 75° F!).

Originally, Steven and I were going to run this 10K together, but his ankle has been bothering him all week, so he thought it was best if he didn’t run it. Please send some good thoughts his way! We want to be in optimal condition for our half marathon on May 2nd!

I ran the first three miles of the race at 8:00 minute mile pace. Then I slowed down a bit when the course went from asphalt to dirt (see photo below) and I began to encounter hills.

It was nice to see Steven halfway through the race. Of course, I just had to be messing with my MP3 player in the photos!

My fourth mile was around 8:30. And I think the last two were around 9:00 or 9:25. Boo! But I finished with a time of 51:00 which was much lower than my goal of 54:00, and I also came in second place for my age group!

Sprinting to…

… the finish line!

Posing with my medal. Such a shameless poser.

One of my favorite restaurants, Sweet Tomatoes, was a sponsor, so they had tables set up with their yummy muffins as well as bowls of pasta and salads! I passed on the food, but did stop to pose with the giant tomato (who looked like the Kool-Aid guy to me!).

As if this post wasn’t already long enough, I have to mention: I have actually been listening to some of Jillian Michael’s Talk Radio Shows, and I am shocked to admit… I am really liking them! I feel like she is upbeat and inspiring, but real and relatable (not a word?) on the show. And I love the segment where she answers listener’s questions.

During the 4/12 show she talked about methods for managing stress. Even though these methods may seem obvious to you, thinking about trying them really gave me hope that it would help with my anxiety. I’ve put the methods in an extended entry below. I know #3 is a huge help for me!

Continue reading '10K numero uno: Take a Step for Kids / Jillian Michaels Radio Show'»

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By kilax, March 18, 2009 4:10 am

I have to share two dirty little secrets:

1. I am a runner who NEVER does strength training. (BAD BAD BAD!!!)
2. I am a runner who NEVER gets sore from running. I push myself, but never feel the burn the next day. Lucky, I guess.

With that being said – for me to find a workout DVD that gets the strength training in, AND makes me feel sore as hell, that means a lot! And that’s not mentioning that is also gets my blood flowing and my heart rate up.

I’ve been doing Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred at Level 1 for four days now. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the DVD, it is split into three levels of workout intensity. You become comfortable with one before you more on to the next. I think the idea is that you do it once a day for 30 days straight, but it never actually explains that on the DVD… anywhere that I’ve found anyway!

Each level is a “20” minute (more like 30) workout with a warm up, then 3 intervals each of 3 minutes on strength, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of abs, and a cool down. It is fast paced and keeps your heart rate going the whole time.

Pros: Just doing this for four days has me walking around like I have stiff, sore legs. It hurts to bend over. My chest is sore. It feels great! I can really see this DVD changing my body in the next 30 days. And I like that it only takes 30 minutes of my time, can be done without leaving my house, and requires minimal equipment – just free weights.

Cons: I worry that the DVD is only going to strengthen my upper legs and chest/upper arms. I hope that we get to a calf exercise in the later levels. And I find Jillian annoying and fake. But I bet a lot of people say that. (In the last ab exercise of Level 1, she says “I know you feel that little knot in your stomach. That’s your body getting stronger.” Ugh. Every time she says that, I DO feel it. Those bicycle crunches ARE HARD.) And one more thing – the DVD doesn’t play nice with our DVD Changer. Oh well.

Overall, I really like it, especially being the first workout DVD I’ve ever tried. I hope that if I ever surpass Level 3, I will have a new found inspiration to continue strength training on my own! I really think anyone* could do this DVD – no matter what your exercise level is. It is tough at first, but even four days later, it’s feeling easier to me.

Side Note: I just remembered that Jillian Michaels has this game for the Wii. I don’t have the Wii Fit, but the game sounds kind of cool.

*Let me know how it goes if you try it! I know Tori is talking about it! And based on offline conversations with Denise, Mom, Courtney and Gina – I think you four would like it as well!

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By kilax, March 15, 2009 2:44 pm

I can’t figure out why I am so angry/frustrated/anxious this weekend. I tell myself that recognizing something is wrong is the first step in solving the problem, but I am not going to get very far if I can’t figure out what is bothering me so much.

We’ve had gorgeous spring weather here all weekend, which means I got to do both of my runs outside. Yesterday was a quick 3-miler. Today, I did Level 1 of the 30 Day Shred*, then, after my legs quit shaking (approximately 20 minutes later), I did my 8 mile run. I used a hydration belt for the first time, and even brought along some sport beans to take for energy. The park in our neighborhood has a .48 mile (thanks to Steven’s Garmin for the calculation) oval sidewalk, so I just ran that 16+ times. It was a great run, and I felt like I could keep going. I felt great when I was done. I love running outdoors. I love that the breeze keeps me cool. I love watching people in the park, to keep myself entertained. I love the warm sun on my skin.

So why, after my glorious run, did that rotten mood come immediately RIGHT BACK?

I’d like to blame it on hormones, but I think it is more than that. My energy levels have been having some weird swings** lately, and I wonder if I have some sort of imbalance that might be affecting me. Yeah. That’s be great – if I could blame it all on biology!

*I’ll try to write a review of the 30 Day Shred later on, after I’ve been using it awhile. For now, just let me say – push ups and crunches kick my butt!
**More on that later too.

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By kilax, March 14, 2009 8:13 am

I participate in an alternate work schedule at my office, so every other week, I get a Friday off. I use it as a day to get a lot of errands done so Steven and I can have a relaxing weekend. Yesterday, I ran 5 miles, went to the dentist*, went  shopping for a suit (FAIL), picked up a DVD (more on that below) and went grocery shopping (at 2 different stores) all before 1 pm!

Then I came home, ate lunch, walked Data, got the mail, read blogs… and passed out on the couch for an hour and a half. Oops!

Anyway, I decided to surprise Steven by getting up early and making him some of those banana donuts**  different people (Meghann and Mica) in the blogosphere have been making. Here’s the recipe, which I halved, making six donuts.

One minor problem with the recipe – it calls for egg whites, and I started mixing everything up before I remembered we used the rest of the eggs for Thursday night’s dinner. I had a little mini-panic and contemplated giving up and pouring the batter into the trash, then decided to improvise by using an extra tablespoon and a half of oil. Not the healthiest alternative, but it worked. The only other way I altered the recipe was by putting in a tad of banana extract flavoring.

I really wanted them to look like donuts, so I put all of the batter into a large plastic bag, then cut off the edge of the bag and squeezed the batter through to shape into donuts.

They look kind of “donut-y!”

I am estimating that one has approximately 200 calories.

I had to jump on the treadmill and run my 5 miles before I could try one. I was a bit worried they wouldn’t taste that good, but Steven LOVED them! He even took a couple to work so I could live up to my reputation as the wife who bakes things (formerly, “the wife who bakes cookies“). And I tried one after my shower – I LOVED them too! They make a very good breakfast, and are not too sweet.

I picked up Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred DVD while running my errands. I’ve been reading a lot of health and fitness blogs lately and I think about 50% of them are using this DVD to work out at home! I can’t wait to try it today, with Steven!

*I am SO EXCITED to have dental insurance now. I love going to the dentist. I hadn’t been since September of 2002. A lot has changed since then! Now they can take photos of your teeth inside your mouth and show it to you!
**I AM THE BONANA KING!!! If you have time, and a sense of humor, spend the 6+ minutes to watch this ridiculously silly video.