River Run 5K Recap.

Ugh.

That sums it up in one word.

I only ran once last week, trying to save my legs for a solid 5K Saturday morning.  I ate super healthy all week, stayed super hydrated even with the increasing heat, and felt really good overall.  Friday night I went to Zumba with my friend Nina and got a shin splint so bad I had to leave.  I was a little worried that this might come back to haunt me Saturday morning, so I got some pro tape on the way home and prepared to wrap my legs in the morning.

When I woke up Saturday, I felt fantastic, minus menstrual cramps and some serious back tightness. I stretched my legs out really well, ate a healthy breakfast, and swaped the coffee for some Vitamin Water to keep myself hydrated since it was super humid out.  I met up with my friend Laura and her boyfriend at the starting line to get my t-shirt and race bib.  My legs were feeling awesome.  I felt ready this time.

The race is an out-and-back that starts on a nice downhill and heads straight across the Susquehanna River between York and Lancaster counties, loops around, and heads back uphill for the last portion.  I sprinted downhill with Laura, falling behind as soon as we hit the flat stretch.  I was still feeling pretty strong, ready to beat my last 5K time.  As I was passing the 1 mile marker, the leaders were passing me going the other way.

Disheartening.

Seriously.  I felt like turning around and giving up. 

As I rounded the turn about halfway in, I gave up caring and wanted to walk, I was cramping and starting to feel sluggish.  I took a cup of water from the volunteers and tossed it on my face to cool myself off, but it only helped momentarily.  As I hit the 2 mile marker, the volunteer shouted out "23:50!"  I did some mental math, realizing that I could potentially beat my time from the last race.  Then reality hit and I realized that I didn't stand a chance since the last part is uphill and hills and I have a complicated relationship.  With a mile left, someone called out "25 (something)!" and my legs gave up.  I walked, forcing myself to keep pace to my music, and realizing that walking to the beat of my music was actually putting me farther ahead than running because my strides were wider.  I let myself walk about 1/5 of the last mile, forcing myself to run that last hill so no one would see me giving up. 

That damn finish line as I was walking back to my car
with my head hanging.

I took baby steps up the hill, sweat dripping down my face and blurring my vision.  I thought the clock said 33 minutes when it came into view and I started to run a little faster until I realized that it actually said 39.  I slowed my pace back down, accepting the fact that it couldn't get much worse.

Final time?  40:06.  419 out of 530. 

Almost 3 minutes worse than my slowest time.  You know, when I was 30 pounds heavier.

Grr.

But at least I got Rita's when I crossed the finish line...

It really was an easy course.  I think it was a combination of boredom with the out-and-back across a bridge, my period, and the humidity.  It just sucked the life right out of me.  The race was incredibly well organized and the volunteers were great. It makes me very nervous about my hopes of a 10K in July and a half-marathon in November, but I just think the situation wasn't ideal for me and, unfortunately, I haven't come to terms with the fact that conditions will never be perfect.

Just Make It to the Stop Sign

Ugh.  The weather has been beautiful these past few days.  Mornings have been the perfect temperature for sunrise runs and the afternoons have made me restless to get out and hit the pavement.  Thursday morning, I woke up with my alarm and jetted out the door to knock out as much distance as I could in the 20 minutes that I usually use to sit and eat breakfast while I check my e-mail and watch the news. 

Yesterday, I spent the whole day itching to get out of work and change into my running clothes, ready for a nice, long afternoon run.  I made sure to hydrate well so I wouldn't cramp, ate well, blah blah blah.



Okay, maybe not quite, but they
sure as hell felt this tight.

 Two blocks in, both calves tightened into tiny, little balls of muscle.  It felt like tennis balls were sitting on the backs of my legs.  I slowed down to a walk, hoping to shake it out and keep going.  I started running again on a slight downhill and my left calf tightened again.  I forced myself to just make it to the stop sign and then I'd walk the next uphill.  I could barely drag myself to the stop sign.

ARRRRRRGH.

When I tried to jog again, something just didn't feel right with my knees and my quads.  Every muscle in my legs felt tight.  My left knee felt funny during Body Combat on Monday, almost like I could feel it grinding, and they've both been bothering me walking up steps and hills.  Instead of pushing the issue, I decided to just walk the rest of the run I had planned, and actually finished the walk just a little over the time I had imagined running it would've taken me.  I forced myself to move a little faster than usual, rather than completely giving up and being pissed off for 4 miles.

I hate days like that.

I hate that feeling of being so motivated, so excited to do something, and then you can't.  And it's not a conscious decision to be lazy and give up, it's your body telling you no.  If I've learned anything over the past year with my stress fracture, it's to listen to your damn body.  One day without a run will not kill me.  One day with a run with an injury will.  I'm not willing to be sidelined again. 

Today, I'm heading out for a hike and hopefully a nice, slow one will stretch out whatever is bothering me.  Tomorrow will be a rest day, and then hopefully I'll be ready for another full week of Zumba and running, especially with the River Run 5k on Saturday.

Low Sugar Skinny Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bakes

If you know me at all, you know my love of two things:

1. Dark chocolate
2. Peanut butter

Once upon a time, I discovered Peanut Butter & Co.'s Dark Chocolate Dreams and my world has never been the same.  It is sinfully delicious, but actually has fewer calories, fat, and sugar than any other peanut butter I've tried, and there's nothing bad hidden in it -- no hydrogenated oil or high fructose corn syrup, just genuine, amazeballs dark chocolate peanut butter flavor.

So, today, I was having one of those restless mind days sending me into an anxiety attack, so I had to do something to keep me busy.  I stalked around on Pinterest, trying to find something healthy, yet decadent.  I came across Skinny Taste's Skinny No-Bake Cookies recipe and decided to try my hand at it.  I did some tweaking, so here's what my recipe looked like:

6 packets of TruVia
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa
2 T. Blue Bonnet light
1/2 c. fat free milk
2 1/2 c. quick oats
3/4 c. Dark Chocolate Dreams

You boil the first four ingredients, then combine the oatmeal and peanut butter.  After it was mixed, I measured mine out by tablespoons and rolled them into balls, placed on wax paper, and popped 'em in the fridge.

Now, Skinny Taste's measured out to 40 per batch with a serving of 2 cookies being 106 calories.  I measured mine, and I got 32 cookies, so with a serving of 2 cookies, it's 126 calories per serving.  HOWEVER!  There is very little sugar in my version.  The peanut butter itself, divided up by 32 cookies, has only 1.3 grams of sugar per cookie. HOLLA!

So, yea.  Go buy some Dark Chocolate Dreams (but buy it at Walmart or Target where it's about $2 or $3 less than in a grocery store like Weis or Giant) and make yourself some no-bakes.

How long do you think they'll last in my fridge?

;)

F'ed.

I f'ed up real bad this weekend.  And last weekend.  So much for weighing myself in on Tuesdays so I don't do that.

Last weekend, I was home for my sister's graduation and then Josh's birthday was Monday.  I did great at home, except for the cookie binge after graduation.  It was all downhill from there.  Beer, Doritos (my own personal kryptonite), cheesesteaks, birthday cake, Oreos... ugh.  It makes me sick to think about it.

Luckily, I had lots of Zumba to keep me going last week, although I only got one run in on Wednesday.. and I really did push myself on that run. 

Then there's this weekend.  Family had a picnic for Meg's graduation on Saturday.  I didn't eat any breakfast because I know how I get at picnics.  Bad idea.  I ate so much I felt like I had a lead food baby in my stomach.  My mom wanted to go for a short run Saturday night, but I couldn't even wrap my head around putting on my sneakers and moving my body.  I woke up in the middle of the night with terrible heartburn, cursing myself for the dumb choices I'd made. 

Sunday was a little better.  I didn't gorge myself and I went for a 3 1/2 mile walk, doing some sprint intervals. 

I forced myself to run this morning, since I haven't really gotten to go lately.  I had to wait for Safelite to fix my windshield, then I was ready to roll, except the weather wasn't.  As soon as the Safelite lady left, it started to rain.  Rather than make an excuse, I threw on a hat, tied my sneakers, and was on my way. The first mile sucked, I won't lie.  But, I actually got a much faster run in today even though I had to walk a little bit because I was cramping. 

I know that I am capable of making better decisions.  I don't expect to be perfect.  I realize that there will be more picnics and I will make more bad decisions, but I need to not let it ruin me for the weekend.  So I ate too much at a picnic... I should still force myself to get out and run or go for a long walk.  I also need to get away from this whole mindset of I might as well eat it all I want now because I won't have it again.  I need to be satisfied with a scoop of macaroni and cheese, not three plates of it.

Random Thoughts & Week in Review 4/29-5/6

Sunday, April 29: 2.51 mile run - 31 minutes (12:24 mile)
Monday, April 30: 2.1 mile run - 27 minutes (12:57 mile), 1 hour Zumba, 1 hour Body Combat
Tuesday, May 1: 1 hour Zumba Toning
Wednesday, May 2: 2.1 mile run/walk intervals - 32 minutes (15:05 mile)
Thursday, May 3: 1 hour Zumba
Friday, May 4: 30 minutes elliptical
Saturday, May 5: 3.96 mile run/walk intervals - 54 minutes (13:41 mile)

Total miles: 10.67

So glad to have a weekly mileage of over 10 miles again.  I've been trying to squeak out a few miles whenever I can.  I have to get in that mindset that when I run, I don't need to run for an hour at a time.  I'm happy if I can log at least 2 miles non-stop.  I want to be at that point again where a 5k was just a workout, not an event. 

My girlfriends from LHU and I just signed up for the River Run in July as our girls' weekend getaway.  There is an option for a 5k or a 10k run.  I'd love to be at the point by then that I could crank out a 10k.  After going through the stress fracture training for the 1/2 marathon, I feel like 10k is a comfortable push for myself.  6.2 will never be an average workout for me again, but it's definitely within the realm of possibility for pushing myself once in a while. :) 

I was home for my youngest sister's college graduation this weekend and Josh and I went to a Phillies game yesterday.  I was completely prepared to eat junk, but I ended up being very proud of myself.  I ate a little more than usual Sunday and Monday, and definitely ate stuff that I typically wouldn't -- cheesesteak, Oreos, birthday cake, Twizzlers, etc. --  but I never ate to the point of feeling sick, minus Sunday night.. which I think was from the cheesesteak. :\  I ate the other half this afternoon for lunch and felt sick afterwards again.  Lesson learned. :) 

So, tomorrow's another day, this is another week, and I'm feeling good. :)