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Monthly Archives: March 2012

Just 2 miles

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Since I am training (again!) to be able to increase my running mileage from 3 miles to 6 miles (hopefully it will only take me 8 weeks to do this), I only ran 2 miles today. AND, since I only ran 2 miles I told myself I was going to see how much time I could cut off of my miles. Not a lot, but enough to tell a difference. AND enough to feel a difference. 🙂

Usually when I run I do so at a SLOW pace of about 12 1/2-13 minute miles. YEAH-real slow. But at least I’m running-that’s what I tell myself!

Today I ran 2 miles in 23:02 which comes out to about 11 1/2 minute miles. So I felt pretty good. I mean, I felt good about having run at that pace-not that I felt good while I was running! 🙂

Here is my training schedule, and I skipped week 1 and have replaced a 3.75 with a 4 miler this week.

WEEK 1: 2, 3, 2, 3, 3.25-Totally skipped using the schedule for this week because I just ran what I had been doing.

WEEK 2: 3.5, 2, 3.5, 2, 3.75-This is the week I am on and so far I have done 4, 3.5, and 2.

WEEK 3: 3.75, 2, 2, 3.5, 4

WEEK 4: 3.75, 2, 4.5, 2, 4.5

WEEK 5: 4.75, 3, 3, 2, 5

WEEK 6: 5, 3, 3, 2, 5.5

WEEK 7: 5, 3, 3, 2, 6

WEEK 8: 6.25, 3, 2, RACE DAY

I am using this training program to be able to run a continous 6 miles, NOT to run in a 10k race. That will have to wait until next year. I’m only planning on doing 5k races this year (hopefully 1 each month). Of course, I might have to repeat weeks once I try to run more than 4 because let me tell you. 4 miles is a KILLER right now!

This is probably the best way to describe my facial expression when I have run 4 miles (which has only been twice now).

LOL!

So far this week I have run a total of 9.5 miles in 3 days. Tonight I decided that YES! I am going to start doing SOME kind of strength training. I started REAL easy-just to say I had done something. I did some squats, some bicep curls and tricep thingies with my teensy weensy weights. I did 50 crunches. Whew! We’ll see if I can get up early enough in the morning to do it again (Have I mentioned I am NOT a morning person?). 🙂 I’m going to try to do this little strength training (and I really need to plan/write it out) about 2-3 times per week. Tomorrow I’ll try to post some before pictures and then after about 30 or so days I will post some after pictures. Here’s to hoping they look different! 🙂

Goodnight!

Need some magic

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It’s plain and simple. I need some magic. Something to put the “get up and go” back in my 6th graders. 🙂 They are so tired of ARMT practice-and so am I!!! I mean it’s actually easier on me because I don’t have to really plan that much. It’s just a bunch of reading passages/questions that I have to copy. So my life as a teacher is E.A.S.Y. right now and B.O.R.I.N.G. 🙂

Every day I have them do some reading packets independently and then we go over them together discussing the why and why not for each one. Yesterday we started working on answering open ended questions (We have actually done this all year with our fresh reads). Each day we are going to answer 1 open ended question TOGETHER. I’m talking-complete teacher guidance. 🙂

We use the RAPS method that I sort of came up with this year:

R-Restate the question(Do you know how hard this is for some of them?)

A-Answer the question(This comes from their own head)

P-Prove their answer(Pulling something from the passage to prove their thoughts)

S-Sum it up

BUT, sometimes the questions don’t lend themselves to the EXACT RAPS method so that throws them OFF! 🙂

Anyway, we will continue to practice this week and the next. Our ARMT begins on April 10th. Thank goodness it is only 4 days!!!!!!! Then we will be back to normal for 1 week and then SPRING BREAK!!! Did you hear me??? FINALLY, spring break!! 🙂

Anybody else have a spring break that is late like ours?

Ready for summer challenge Week 1

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This is the first week of the Ready For Summer Challenge, and I’m so excited to have goals set. You can link up over at their blog if you want to and join in the fun!

The challenge has you set 4 major goals to hopefully reach in the next 10 weeks. This week is week 1 so I am breaking my goal down into manageable chunks for this 1st week. (Should have posted this on Sunday night-please forgive the procrastinator in  I’mme!) 🙂

1. Fit into size 6 jeans: This week I will increase my running mileage AND do strength training 2-3 times. The strength training will consist of using my body weight as resistance since I can do this at home. I WANT to do it in the morning to get it over with because I don’t look forward to this kind of exercise, BUT I’m not a morning person so we will see. 🙂

2. 137 pounds to 125 pounds-I need to lose a little over a pound this week.

3. 3 to 6 miles-I am going to s.l.o.w.l.y increase my running mileage so that I can run 6 miles at the end of the 10 week challenge. So this week’s schedule looks like this: 3.75, 2, 2, 3.5, 4 (Not necessarily in that order) Got this from a 10k training program even though I’m not planning on running in a 10k-just want to be able to run it on my own.

4. Healthier eating (fruits, veggies, protein)- I’m going to try and eat 2 veggies and 2 fruits each day. Haven’t decided on the protein yet-need to get to work on that.

So there are my chunks! Happy challenging! 🙂

My 2nd 5k race!!By the w

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Oh yeah! I ran my 2nd 5k race yesterday afternoon. The Auburn University Pharmacy school was sponsoring it. It had some steady inclines throughout and some flat areas. The 1st incline was the worst. 🙂

My time-I think- was 34:30, but not exactly sure. My time in my 1st 5k back in February was 39:52 so I was PLEASED!!! Of course, today I ran 4 miles in 53 minutes-guess I was dragging from yesterday. 🙂

Here’s a picture of my bib.

Here is “moi” before the race:

Here is my wonderful husband who just LOVED going with me to this race! 🙂 Let me explain a little. He’s a country boy (if you can’t tell). He works 6 days a week in another state where he stays while he works. He comes home on Saturday nights and leaves at 3:30 am on Monday mornings headed back. We have 74 acres of land with cows, horses, donkeys. He also takes care of another guy’s cows on about 300 acres of land in a nearby county. Needless to say I was proud that he only made one negative comment yesterday concerning his “Sunday” that was pretty much taken up with my race. He said, ” I’m more behind this weekend than any other weekend.” That’s not too bad is it? 🙂 On a sidenote-he has interviewed with a company back home and goes for his 2nd interview this upcoming Monday (4/2/12). Please.pray. 🙂

I know he is thinking about me-NOT cows! 🙂

Here we come-of course I’m a “back of the pack” kind of gal!

 We’ve only just begun!

 Still smiling at this point!

The long stretch home!

I’m still running and almost finished!

I’m smiling again!! Because I can see the finish line!

Yes, I did it. I saw the finish line and sprinted toward it. It was either that or fall out before I got there. 🙂

January 1st was the beginning of this adventure in running and losing weight, and I’m so.glad. I.started. 🙂

By the way, one of the pharmacy students that I ran with for awhile asked me to come and speak at a meeting for their Alabama Obesity Task Force after I shared my story of 163 lbs to 136 lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂

Thanks to my wonderful daughter for taking these great pictures!

 

Revisiting my summer challenge

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I am modifying one of my goals for the 10 week summer challenge. This is great news!! The goal I’m changing is the one about fitting into a size 8 jeans. I am going to go for the gold and say I want to fit into a size 6 jeans!!! Why you ask? Because I was able to put a size 8 on Friday when I was getting ready to go see The Hunger Games!!!!! YEA!!! Now, does that mean I can fit into ANY size 8? I’m sure I can’t! My 17 year old daughter almost fell out when I put HER size 8 jeans on!! And she even gave them to me. How nice-conisdering I paid for them at one time. 🙂

So let’s revisit my 4 goals for this 10 week challenge:

1. Fit into a size 6 jeans

2. Decrease weight from 137 to 125

3. Increase running 3 miles to running 6 miles

4. Eat healthier-veggies, fruits, protein

 

Last week I actually weighed 136 on Monday, but then GAINED weight toward the end of the week because of being a woman, eating out TWICE including MOVIE POPCORN!!!! But I think I have my head back together, my mind is set, and I WILL do this!!! I felt so horrible Thursday and Friday because of how much I was eating. I mean-HORRIBLE!! Stuffed. Full. Sick. You get the picture. 🙂

I’ll be kicking off my 10 week challenge a day early this afternoon because I am going to run in my 2nd 5k race!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m excited!! And my husband will be able to go to the race with me this time. My goals for the race this afternoon are:

1. Finish without walking (you never know how many hills there are going to be!)

2. My time in the 5k in February was 39:52. I would like to be under that time. It would be nice to be under by a minute. 🙂

3. Have fun!!!

Wish me luck!!! 🙂 My hands are sweaty right now just thinking about it! 🙂

Jodi Picoult fan

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I am a huge-did I say huge?- Jodi Picoult fan. I had already read The Pact sometime this past year, but over the last few weeks I have read 2 other books by her and LOVED them! Change of Heart and Handle With Care are 2 great reads. Book reviews coming soon.

Check out her website. I think I’ll go broke trying to read all of her wonderfully written novels. 🙂

http://www.jodipicoult.com/