Seattle Mom Blogs

So it is no secret that I’ve been struggling with my weight the past few years.  Well, actually my entire life but you’ve only been around the past couple of years.  I finally sucked it up and went to a nutritionist recommended by Trainer #1.  So, after tweaking my diet so that I eat extremely clean, on the 40% carb, 35% protein and 25% fat breakdown every day and removing alcohol from my diet, I watched my weight go up and down within a 2 pound range for over 2 months.  I hit a breaking point about 6 weeks ago: I AM doing everything in my power to change this.  I workout 7 days a week and I workout HARD.  I eat as clean as humanly possible and as directed by my nutritionist.  Why won’t my body let go of the damn weight?

Well, the first part of it we decided to address with an elimination diet.  I took EVERYTHING out of my diet: soy, wheat, gluten,corn, citrus fruits, dairy, eggs, corn, peanuts, you name it.  All I had left was some proteins, vegetables except corn (which is in everything by the way) and fruit except for citrus fruits.  Yep- and after 2 weeks, I had lost a grand total of 1.25 pounds.   I’m in week 6 now and have found out that I cannot have milk and may have an issue with soy.  This week I am going to try adding egg whites and then yolks to see how that goes.

The second part of this is something that has taken me a long time to come around to believing.  For all my life, despite all the information to the contrary, I have operated on less calories is better.  I have gotten to the point where most days I don’t even eat 1,000 calories.  Every week, the nutrionist would implore me to eat more, choose some lean proteins instead of always choosing the extra lean proteins.  She started on a goal calorie intake of 1,500 calories a day.  (Remember, I burn between 800-4,000 calories a day working out, depending on the workout.)  She modified the goal as it became more and more clear that I just could not break through the mental barrier to eat more than 1,100 calories a day.  Then one week, I finally realized- this is NOT working.  Maybe it’s time to just believe I can eat 1,200 calories and not gain weight.  So, for the next week, I tried.  My daily average was still closer to 1,100 calories but I had more days closer or just over 1,200 than not.  And I lost several pounds.  Same with the next week.  My trainer (Sven the best trainer in the whole world in my unbiased opinion) even mentioned that I looked leaner.  I think I’ve lost just about 10 pounds and I think all of those pounds must be pure fat.  So, progress is finally being made.

During my exasperation with this process, I also called my doctor and went in and talked about my frustrations.  She and I went over my food intake and calorie burn.  Other than being scolded for not eating enough, she agreed that there must be something else going on.  So a referral to an endocrinologist was made.  I had that appointment 2 days ago.  The endocrinologist went over my history and current issues.  She then looked me in the eye and said that she knew something was amiss and that not only would she find it, she would fix it.  I almost broke down.  Really?  Maybe the fact that I’m not thin is not 100% my fault after all. 

And just so it doesn’t come across as if I’m looking for an excuse (and I fear that it does), I am doing everything in my power to make my body thin and strong.  OK- the increased calories have been hard for me but I’m trying and getting there.  But the workouts, clean eating, modifying my entire diet, etc.  I am already doing all of that.  If the solution was purely to take in less calories and burn more calories, then I should be 100 pounds and a size 0.  Damn it.  I HAVE been working the eat less, move more model for years and it hasn’t worked for me.

Whew- clearly I have some resentment around this.  In reality, I’m just feeling a bit of relief in knowing that medical professionals know that something is amiss and are confident it can be fixed.  Please.  I just need a little boost.

So weekly updates didn’t last too long, did they?  Sigh.  I’ll just plead life and know you all understand.  This will be a quick one but here’s what’s been going on:

Sven the trainer is still awesome.  Last week, I emailed him and told him I was game to up the intensity of the workouts. He answered that with a workout yesterday that left me in a sweaty puddle on the floor at times.  It was one of those intense, push yourself to the limits workouts where you are so fatigued yet have a huge grin on your face because you are enjoying every minute of it.  It truly was awesome and I look forward to what he has in store for me next week.  And, the workouts are working.  I have muscle definition in my shoulders and back  for the first time that I can remember.  If I could lose the excess pounds around my middle, I have a feeling there are some toned ab muscles under there.  I can see a hint of the muscles so that’s exciting.  Muscles in my stomach?  Who would have guessed!

On a different note, I did suffer an injury 2 weeks ago.  L and I had a 2o mile training run scheduled and she had to cancel at the last minute.  I was dressed and ready to go so I figured why not, I’ll go alone.  I hadn’t taken a day off in over a month and was achy and tired when I started out.  About 8 or 9 miles in, my back started to hurt.  By mile 16, I was in agony and had to quit.  By Tuesday, I was unable to get out of bed because I couldn’t sit up or roll over due to the insane pain.  I was unable to bend over and put my shoes on.  But, you know me, I still went to run. I gritted my teeth through the first 30 minutes and then slowed to a walk.  After another 30 minutes, that was it. I couldn’t move another step. The next day I tried to walk a mile just to loosen the muscles and then went and iced it for 20 minutes.  I worked out with Sven on Thursday and managed to get through the workout but was in a lot of pain when I was done.  (And, yes, when I told Sven yesterday that I had hid the pain from him, I was in trouble.)  I took a couple of days off and pounded ibuprofen and by Sunday I was able to run 13 miles and am almost off the ibuprofen now.   Thank goodness.

And now for something exciting! I was able to put together a team of 12 runners and we all signed up for the Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage Run.  We’re running 187 miles over two days from Blaine to Langley.  I am psyched!  And the relay race ends on my 40th birthday.  How exciting would it be to run the final leg and cross the finish line on my 40th?

Next time: An update on the relay team and I’ll fill you all in on what’s been going on regarding the diet and nutrition side of all this training.

I’m back from the week out of town.  I packed my running gear and workout clothes and started off with a bang.  The first morning I got up and my mother in law took me to a fantastic trail in the mountains.  I ran 8 miles on a snow covered trail, along a river and loved it.  I had forgotten to bring my Zune so I ran to the sound of the river and my shoes on the snow.  The 2nd day, I went with my mother in law to her “gym”.  Interesting.  I’ll leave it at that for now.  But I managed to decent strength workout and was feeling like I had a handle on the workout while traveling deal.  Then it went downhill from there.  Day 3 I spent 7+ hours in the car driving to a wedding of a close friend of mine.  Day 4 was spent driving the 7+ hours back.  No exercise and lots of sitting in the car.  And then we got up on the next day and headed to NYC and to the airport to fly home.  Again, no workout.  But, by being very careful of my diet, I did manage to lose 1.5 pounds while gone which I was happy about.

Workouts with new trainer are going well.  He is perfect for what I wanted in a trainer. I can’t say enough good things about him. Turns out he has a masters and I love “talking the science of working out” with him.  Generally, I ask a question and then he provides me with a fascinating and relevant discourse on the subject.  Of which I retain about 2 concepts.  And then I email him and ask for the information again.  He’s nice enough enough to take the time to write it all out so I can read it and understand it.  Yesterday, we talked about the different methods of fatigue and my goal is to work out to volitional fatigue this week.  Last week, we talked about how to increase my ability to workout at a high intensity level without hitting my lactate max.

Of course, it’s not all lectures.  We also laugh a lot.  Last week, while I was working on a set of abs, he sat down on a stability ball that, unfortunately for him, was on top of a dumbbell.  He literally rolled straight backwards and fell off the ball, head over heels.  Since  he’s 6′3″ and all arms and legs, it was one of the funniest things I had seen in a long time.  AND, he got up and totally laughed at himself.

I had my last physical therapy appointment today.  Yes- I’ve been released!  My knee is healed and my shoulder issues are improved to a point where I can work on the shoulder myself at home.  Fortunately, the physical therapist is willing to answer any questions over email and I can make an appointment with him at any time for a follow up to check on any soreness that may arise, if it does.

So, what’s next?  My running partner and I are starting to increase the mileage on our long weekend runs.  The last 2 were 12 miles each (I missed the weekend in between) and this weekend we’ll run 18 miles.  The first marathon of 2010 is coming up in about 7 weeks so it’s time to get some distance in and start thinking about race strategy.

I’m also considering adding a spinning class to my schedule now that I am done with physical therapy.  My bike still has its triathlon number on it from the race at the end of September.  Yes, that is the last time I got on it and rode.  Sad.  I have made a friend through dailymile and we’ve talked about him joining L and I for a weekend run for him to work on his running and he’ll take me out on a bike ride as he is a biking fanatic.  I need to do something if I plan to improve my sprint triathlon times and compete in an Olympic distance triathlon this summer.

But, wow, no matter what I do, I can only seem to find 24 hours in a day.

(OK, it’s a day late, a dollar short, whatever)

So I’ve met with my new trainer twice now and I am so much happier.   It doesn’t hurt that I have a little crush on him.  A ridiculous crush as he’s 26 and in amazing shape.  Me?  I’m closing in on 40 and not in amazing shape.  But he’s whip smart, funny as hell and makes me laugh.  So, yes, these training sessions are going very well.

Unlike the last trainer, this one has mandated that we meet once a week.  I do the workout he designs for me once during the week and take his circuit training class once during the week as well.  I run a long marathon training run on the weekend and do a shorter run (7-8 miles) once during the week.  I do a 2nd circuit training class on the weekend.  That’s 6 days of working out.  The 7th day is supposed to be a rest day but the trainer (God, I need a name for him, let’s call him Sven (obv not his real name)) has finally come around to my way of thinking and has agreed to that I can do a swim workout on my “rest” day.  The swim workout is supposed to be light and not for training purposes so I’ve been swimming a 100 laps (2500 yards) but without pushing myself to do sprints.  I think of the first 1 mile open water swim on my 2010 schedule as I swim lap after lap after lap.  It helps pass the time.

So, my schedule looks like this right now:

M- strength program from Sven; T- circuit training with Sven; W- short run (7-8 miles); Th – workout with Sven; Fr- 2500 yard swim; Sat- circuit training; Sun- long run (12-20 miles)

That’s a lot of time for working out.  It’s a struggle to fit it all in but so far it’s working.  Unfortunately, I am now in physical therapy for my knee and shoulder injuries I suffered during my (embarrassing) fall during the Seattle Marathon.  My knee should be fine soon but my shoulder is a bit more problematic.  I have a strained supraspinatus and my shoulder joint is also impinged.  I went to physical therapy yesterday and the therapist did joint manipulation (ow!) and deep tissue massage (ow!) before setting me up on the ultrasound and electrical stimulation machine (weird and ow!).  Add in weekly appointments with the nutritionist to learn the best way to fuel for training and my weeks are full.  Before I add in my full time job and the fact that I have a husband and 3 busy kids to take care of.

(Try calling bullshit on my workouts! Sorry, bad joke.  Email me if you don’t know what I’m referring to.)

So, this is the plan for now. Of course, life does happen and I’ll be out of town for a week and am not too sure how I’m going to manage everything.  I won’t be able to workout every day but I do plan to take my workout gear and do what I can, when I can. I’ll be back in 2 weeks with another update.  I know, that doesn’t make this a weekly update but I’m doing what I can here!   I’d love to hear from all of you as to your workouts, your time management strategies, etc.

(republished from 1/2/10)

Back in September, I started working out with a personal trainer.  I wrote about that trainer and my feelings about it.  As time went on, I knew she was working to protect my best interests and health but I wanted more.  I wanted to work out harder and longer and not take so many rest days. I actually hid from her one day when she had made me swear (including shaking hands) to take a rest day and I wanted to run instead. I kid you not. I snuck into the gym, went through the aqua center to the dark cardio theater and took a treadmill far from either entrance to avoid being caught.  That day I realized there was something wrong if I was lying to my trainer so that I could work out MORE.

I switched to a different trainer and had my first workout with him yesterday.  I. Am. So. Sore. today! Yes!  Mybody hurts from my neck all the way down through to my calves.  I love it.  This is what I was after- to work my body to a new level and push it to its limits.

I’m a little reluctant to put my 2010 goals on here but I’m going to do it.  If I don’t put them out there, where is my accountability, right?

1.     Marathons #5, 6, and 7: Yakima (March), Seattle Rock N Roll (June) and St Georges (October)

2.    At least two 1 mile open water swim races : Green Lake (June) and Seward Park (August)

3.    Better my time and placement in the 2 sprint triathlons from 2009: Sammamish (August) and Kirkland (September)

4.    An Olympic distance triathlon: not yet decided but summer 2010

5.    This is the big one: qualify for the 2011 Boston Marathon.  I need to run a 3:50 marathon in 2010 to qualify.

6.    This is the pipe dream: get into the 2010 NYC Marathon by lottery.  I entered in November and will find out in March if my lottery number was chosen.  Very slim chance.

Yeah, it didn’t go so well.  The weather was perfect- cool, overcast but not raining.  I got dropped off literally 2 blocks from the start line in plenty of time as we hit no traffic down to the start.  Gun went off, I headed out.  The plan was to take this marathon easy and finish at about the 5 hour mark.

My first mile was 8:37.  Huh, need to slow down.  It took about 4 miles for my legs to start to loosen up and, out on I-90 and right as I was starting to relax into the race, BAM.  My foot hit a bolt that had worked itself up and was raised about 3 inches above the road.  I went down hard.  Scraped both palms (blood!), smashed my knee and scraped it up and wrenched my shoulder.  The guy who had been running next to me was very nice and stopped to make sure I was ok.  I hopped up (EMBARRASSED) and said I was fine and started running again.  Oddly enough, I was only embarrassed for about 2 minutes.  After that, I was too busy assessing all of the aches and pains shooting through my body.

So, yeah, that was right before Mile 5.  Still had 21.2 miles to go.  I kept running and trying to push through the various pains.  I hit the half marathon mark at 2:03.  Not my best half marathon time but respectable enough.  But wait.  I was going to run this one in 5 hours which means I had about 3 more hours to run the 2nd half.  OK- I can do this.

Right at Mile 14, cramps starting shooting through my stomach.  Every few steps, I would gasp.  I ended up stopping at every port-a-potty (Honey Bucket, whatever) for the next FIVE miles.  That was a lot of stops.  Finally, after emptying my entire stomach and intestinal track of every molecule, the cramps went away.  Good.  And we’re at Mile 19 so only 7.2 to go.

Somewhere between Mile 20 and Mile 21 (3:30 mark), we passed the Seattle Tennis Club and made a left.  And were hit with a STEEP hill.  Yeah.  Walk.  Turn left onto Madison and surprise! Uphill again.  OK. Walk again.  Alright, hit the crest of Madison and headed downhill so run time.  Run through the Arboretum and turn onto Interlaken.  Hill.  Slow to a painful shuffle.  Curse the decision to run this damn marathon.  Think about how I just don’t want to be running anymore.

Oh but wait, it gets better.  We cross 24th (or is it 23rd there, I never know) and head up up up.  Yeah.  I pretty much walked all of the Interlaken trail.  Finally came out in Capital Hill and was able to run up to the crest and start down the hill.  OK, shuffle run.  Kept it up until we hit a slight uphill.  Had to stop and walk.

Finally made it to the freeway overpass and started shuffle running again.  Oh yeah, downhill on Republican!  But wait, ouch ouch ouch.  We somewhere between Mile 25 and Mile 26 and everything hurts.  Oh yeah, I realized on the ride to the start that I had forgotten to take ibuprofen before the race.  Dumb.

Kept up my increasingly slow shuffle run until we turned onto Mercer and yep, you guess it, had to run uphill again.  Walk.  Fortunately, it was short and we passed Mile 26.  Only .2 left to go.  Either I have finally gotten smarter about that last .2 or I was in just too much pain but I held off from sprinting immediately.  I waiting until there was .1 mile left and then I decided to ignore every signal from my body and sprinted to the finish line.  End time was 4:58:20.  So, I ended up at the 5 hour mark after all.

Fortunately, I am already getting over the feeling of hating all marathons but my shoulder is still killing me.  I’ve decided to swim tomorrow.  Swim slowly.  Hopefully that will help ease some of the soreness.

So I thought I was done with the training for marathons and triathlons until next spring.  And then I went and registered for the Seattle Marathon which is 3 weeks from today.  Yes, 3 weeks.  And yes, I may bit a bit insane.

My trainer, who is running the Seattle Half, was dead set against me running the race at all.  Apparently I have been over training which has resulted in stalled weight loss progress.  So, I’m going to try and respect the rest days on my schedule and really try and do the shorter, less instense workouts she plans, instead of always feeling like I have to kick it up a notch.  And, I am going to start seeing a nutritionist as of this week.  So, I am doing all of that and in exchange, she didn’t give me a hard time about registering and running the marathon against her advice.  Whew.

Didn’t break 4 hours.  Started out well as I ran the first half in 1:58 but the hill up to mile marker 17 tapped out my legs.  Oh well, still a personal best for me.  And 36 minutes faster than the race one year ago.  Will post more later.  Am WAY TOO tired after driving right back to Seattle after the race.

It’s 9 am on Saturday and I am still in my pyjamas, sitting on the couch with my laptop and a cup of coffee.  I need to go shower and pack as I am leaving for Portland in less than an hour.  Yep, tomorrow is the day: Portland Marathon.

Tomorrow marks one day since I ran my first marathon.  In the past 12 months, I will have run 3 marathons, a half marathon, done my first open water 1/2 mile swim race and my first and second triathlons.  Almost all of those races were actually done in the past 3 months.

L and I have set a goal to run the marathon tomorrow in under 4 hours.  A goal that is more than likely impossible at this point but one that we are going to shoot for.  I’m going to give my Blackberry to my fantastic friend, Debie, who may live Tweet updates on the race from my Twitter account.

Regardless of whether or not we are able to finish in under 4 hours, the whole thing will be over in less than 27 hours from now.  Here’s to shooting for impossible goals!

Despite having some sort of bug for the past few days that has given me a nightly fever and upset stomach AND despite lying awake from 2:30 to 4:00 am this morning with a racing mind that wouldn’t let me sleep, I was up with husband at 5 am and out the door at 5:45 to take part in the Kirkland Triathlon.

It was a whopping 54 degrees as we waited for the start and was actually a relief to step into the water as the 63 degree water was WARMER than standing on shore.  This triathlon started with a 1/2 mile swim, about twice as long as the last (and only) triathlon I did.  So I swam swam swam and was only bothered by 2 facts: 1) I can’t swim a straight line to save my life; and 2) the sun finally came out and was at such an angle that I looked right into the sun every time I took a breath.

Then came the bike leg.  Oy.  “Hilly” does not even begin to adequately describe this course.  I was huffing and puffing for most of it.  It didn’t help that I had my bike adjusted 2 weeks ago (and then had NOT ridden it since then) and when I started up the FIRST (OF MANY) hills, my bike seat started to twist and then DROPPED all the way down.  Yep- I was riding with my knees in my armpits.  Sigh.  At one point, at some steep hill, people were dropping off their bikes to walk and I was struggling, some guy along the side of the road started yelling at me that I had another wheel and to switch gears.  I was trying so hard to switch gears and was at a loss until he yelled at me HOW to change to the other wheel.  Yes, I was that brain dead from lack of oxygen at that point.

Then came the run.  After that horrendous bike leg, I had no feeling (0ther than pain, obviously) below my hips.  I started off (uphill, BTW) with my soon to be patented triathlon run shuffle and it took at least 2 miles for any blood or oxygen to reach my legs.  During the last mile, I saw one of husband’s co-workers who gave me a cheer and that helped.  Then out of nowhere comes husband sprinting like no one else and gives me a hug as he runs by.  That gave me the oomph to reach the top of the last hill and head down to the finish line.

And my second triathlon was completed.  16th out of 74th in my age division.  I’ll take it.