April Picture and Lost Weight

I weighed in this morning, and no surprise here, I lost weight. I lost 5.6 pounds to be exact.  Excited to see the scale plummeting down, but I don't want to gain this week because I can eat again.  I just have to remind myself that this is a process and if I gain a bit back this coming week, it is okay.  I will lose it again. 

I also had my April picture taken.  The quality of the picture is not great because my photographer had to use my camera phone, and I don't have a high quality phone or camera on my phone so I apologize for that now.  Also, my official photographer has decided that when I pose I need to do so with my arms out so I can see more a change in my body.  That is why I am doing that in this month's picture.  Without further adieu, here is my latest photo:

April 2013

This week I plan to get back on track for training.  I will be running 45 seconds and walking 15 seconds.  I also will be keeping a food journal to help keep track of my points and daily goals.  This is to keep me on track. 

I hope you all have a stellar week!

First Run Post Sickness

This morning I woke up early and headed to the park to run.  This was my first physical activity since getting so sick last Sunday.  It felt good to be outside. It was a cool, crisp morning, and I was excited to be doing something physical - finally.  Then I started off...yeah, being sick and taking a week off of working out makes it difficult to do what you normally do.  I could only do a mile with my forty second run twenty second walk cycle.  I also made decent time being that I felt very sluggish while running.  Here is my time:

I did walk some more after the first mile, but my body is still just very tired.  The bad news?  I didn't do the two miles I wanted today.  The good news?  I did SOMETHING.  Something is better than nothing.  Something got me moving and out of bed.  Something helped me start my day in a healthy, positive way. 

I did also notice a difference in my pacing when I wasn't running with a friend.  I am not sure if I would have been able to keep up with someone today or not.  While I was running I did work on my breathing.  It gave me something to focus on, and I need to change the way I breathe when I run.  That will benefit me in the long run (no pun intended). 

On a completely different note, I told Kristal about what happened to me yesterday at recess.  Her first question, "Did you cry?"  (She knows me so well.)  Then she said something that made me laugh.  She said, "Hey, you should feel good that she called you chubby and not fat.  You are obviously losing weight!"  Well, I guess looking at it that way, it puts a more positive light on the situation.  Thanks, Kristal, for making me smile when I wanted to burst into tears!

Tomorrow is weigh in day and April picture day for me.  I am sure I lost weight because I was not able to eat for three days.  So for that reason I am kind of dreading weighing in (just because I will be worried about gaining weight the next week since I am able to eat now...I know, I know...just constantly thinking about it).  Should I break out the awesome teacher sweater for April's picture or do a different outfit?  Decisions, decisions. 

Have an awesome Saturday! 

No Filter

I teach children - little ones ranging from the ages of 7 and 8.  They are very funny, and I laugh daily at the things they say or do.  They also have absolutely no filter and will oftentimes say exactly what they are thinking.  I have experienced this many times throughout my teaching career, and I usually can handle these no filter moments rather well.  Or, I thought I could until today.  I am not sure why this no filter moment caught me off guard and made me tear up.  Maybe it was because it came from one of my quietest, sweetest girls?  Maybe it was because I am extra sensitive right now?  Or, maybe because it is true?

This is what happened.  It was a beautiful day outside at recess.  I was actually excited about having duty to get out into the sunshine and maybe play some kickball (my favorite thing to do at recess).  As soon as I walked out to recess, a first grader came up to me and handed me the biggest bouquet of dandelions I have ever seen that she had picked for me.  Pretty awesome, right?  I was making my rounds and checking in on some kids when one of my girls came running up to me.  She said, "Here you go, Miss Whisman.  I brought you a jump rope so you could exercise.  You are chubby."

Um...thanks?  How do you even respond to that?  My eyes immediately filled with tears but thank goodness I was wearing dark sunglasses so she didn't see.  I am not even sure what I said to her, but I must have mumbled some sort of reply because she ran away and enjoyed the rest of her recess.  I spent the rest of mine circulating the playground and trying not to burst into tears.

It is bad enough that I battle these own thoughts on my own.  I also just assume that others think them about me.  But to have one of my sweet, innocent children vocalize insecurities about myself in a public forum like a playground was just not what I needed today or any day really.

I didn't break down and cry.  I didn't come in from recess and stuff my sorrows with junk like I could.  Instead I signed up for Warrior Dash, skipped all food items at spring party today, and have the sudden urge to go run...for the rest of the night. 

And, here is a picture of my dandelion bouquet.

Outside My Comfort Zone



Lori posted on my Facebook about doing the Warrior Dash in Crawfordsville on August 17th.  She wondered if I would be interested.  I checked it out, and it terrifies me.  The run part?  No problem.  It is the obstacles that I am worried about...especially things where I have to pull myself up and over.  What did I tell her?  Yes! 

Argh!  What was I thinking?  I totally blame my decision to do it on the fact that I have been sick.  Clearly it has affected my brain. 

Seriously, though, it does terrify me that I have committed to doing this.  At the same time, the whole journey I have been on started with a decision that terrified me so it should probably continue with more terrifying decisions, right? 

Bring on August 17th! 

 



I want to share part of an e-mail that I received from a friend of mine.  These words were exactly what I needed to hear when she sent them, and maybe some of you may need to hear them, too.

"Remember this is something that is a life change - it won't happen in a day, week or month - it's forever. So, it's very normal that you just want to throw up your arms and enjoy some junk! We all do that! Let yourself do that and get it out of your system and move on!"

I am hoping to head back to work tomorrow.  I miss my kids, and I miss the outside world.  I may try to do a walk tomorrow to see how it goes.  I don't want to have a relapse.  Hope you are all having a great week!

Grumpy Allison

Yes, I am grumpy.  Very grumpy.  Locked-in-my-house-no-one-should-set-foot-in-it grumpy.  Why?  Because I am sick.  Again.  This happened about two weeks ago and I recovered pretty quickly.  This time, not so much.  It hit me Sunday, got progressively worse, and is still going on today.  Today just happens to be the first day I could get to my computer for an extended period of time.  Even though I am an adult, the first thing I did when I got sick was call my mom.  Not only is she a nurse, but she is my mom, and I know for a fact that no matter the age I am, she will always be my mom and treat me like the little girl she still sees in her mind.  Mom cancelled her plans yesterday and spent the day taking care of me.  She drove me to the doctor because I was too weak to drive myself.  She took me to the pharmacy to get my prescription.  She made sure I was settled in before she made the forty-five minute trip home last night. I don't think I will ever be too old to need my mom. 

Today I am feeling slightly better.  Like I said, I can get up for longer periods of times.  I was so sick yesterday I could not even go to school and do my sub plans.  The ones I typed at home last night were awful. It took me forever to type them because I would get a few sentences done and then have to rest. I feel sorry for the sub that is in my room today.  Praying my kids will hold it together for the poor individual. 

I hate being sick, and I am really grumpy about it.  The other reason I am really grumpy is because I feel like whenever I make progress and make positive changes in my life, something happens to knock me down.  This time it is illness.  There is no way I could run or do any sort of training at this point.  I am hoping I will be able to run this weekend.  That would probably be the earliest.  I just get so frustrated!  I totally had a pity party yesterday (my mom was the privileged guest to this one) and whined and cried about how I am trying to do what is right for my body and my health, and I get sick. 

That is why I have not posted in a couple of days.  Too sick to be able to.  I did weigh in on Sunday, and I lost 4.6 pounds.  That is the silver lining at my grumpy party.  I am praying I make a quick recovery and can get back to changing myself into a healthier version of myself.  I am sorry that you just had a glimpse of Grumpy Allison! 

Saturday in the Park

Today I woke up, put my running shoes on, and headed to the park with my dear friend Kristal to tackle two miles.  The first mile we ran 40 seconds / walked 20 seconds.  When we got to less than a tenth of a mile to go, we ran until we reached the first mile.  Our first mile time (shown by my wonderful GPS watch):

We then went for our second mile.  We again ran for 40 seconds and walked for 20 seconds.  When we reached 0.87 of a mile, we ran until we reached one mile.  I am confident that our second mile run was about the same as our first mile run even though my GPS watch has it timed longer.  The reason I know it was better than this is because I kept my watch going while we took a restroom break. When we started after the break, the watch showed us at a pace of a 22 minute mile. We made up some serious time from the restroom break.  Our second mile time (with restroom break included):

I personally hit a rough patch in my second mile where I was getting a cramp in my side and my breathing was all out of control.  Kristal coached me through it and encouraged me to keep going.  I was so thankful she was there with me.  I love running with someone!  Kristal, this is for you:

I started thinking about how much I enjoy running with people.  Even though it is an individual thing, you can still incorporate others. Every time I have ran with a person, they have encouraged me and motivated me to keep going or do something I was not sure I could accomplish. I hope that I helped them in some way in return, and that I am not just a "taker." I mentioned in an earlier post that I bought the bible study Run for God to check out.  I got it while I was on spring break, and I literally read the entire book in one day.  I loved it!  It made me start thinking that maybe this would be fun to do - a bible study which would culminate in running a 5K as a group.  The book even encourages group members to train throughout the week together.  So, I am putting "feelers" out there...anyone interested in doing this with me?  I know Kristal is.  We even talked about having our bible study at the park and then doing a run after the bible study.  I know there are others out there who would be interested...make yourself known!  I also put an invitation out there on Facebook to see who might want to do it.  Here is what the book looks like:

Tomorrow is weigh-in day.  The truth of this week's non-tracking will make itself known.  Should I be nervous?  Probably.  I will let you know how it goes! 

Going Through the Motions

I am definitely just going through the motions right now.  My exercising is going great.  I have been able to incorporate the last five minutes of any run/walk with complete running.  That is awesome!  I have noticed that, overall, my willpower has gotten stronger.  That is great, too!  For example, there were yummy looking sugar cookies with green sprinkles in the lounge this week, and I did not eat one of them!  I have many things to be proud of.

I guess I am struggling most with eating right now.  I have not binged ate in a couple of weeks so that is good news.  But I have not been great about tracking my points, and daresay, almost to the point where I don't care!  Yikes!  It is like I am growing complacent in that area of my get healthy journey.  Does that happen to anyone else?  I am nervous about weighing-in on Sunday, and I will be disappointed if I gain even more weight, but I can't be shocked if I do because I have not done great with the tracking this week.  Any advice on how I can snap out of it? 

Tomorrow I am planning on completing a long run.  I believe I have recruited a friend to run with me.  Not sure where we will run, but I do know that I would love to be outside so we will need to bundle up because it is going to be cold!  I am also excited about using my GPS watch to track our distance for us.  I cannot remember if I shared this epiphany with you or not, so I am going to mention it (perhaps again), but I have decided that there is just something about running in my neighborhood that I hate.  Not sure why, but it seems like running in my neighborhood takes longer and maybe I am just bored with it.  So, I will be off to run somewhere else.  Maybe a new adventure awaits me! 

Have an awesome evening! 

God of This City

The world's attention has been turned towards Boston and the horrific incidents at the Boston Marathon yesterday.  My heart grieves for the city and the lives that were lost and forever changed because of hate.  As I was praying for Boston, this song kept coming to me, and I wanted to share it with each of you.  This song speaks so much to me when I pray for Indianapolis, but it really kept coming up as I was praying for Boston.  God is the God of Boston and every city in this world.  I declare these things for Boston.  Take a listen and while it is playing, pray for Boston. 

Many people feel the same way I do.  Many of us mourn and pray for Boston. I saw this beautiful tribute on Facebook: 

I think about the people who were doing something they were passionate about whether it be running the marathon itself or being a spectator cheering on the runners.  I think about the people who after yesterday will never be able to run again.  I think about people who are now living in fear.  Today when I laced up my running shoes, I did it in honor of those people. 

If I learned anything from yesterday, it was the fact that life is just a vapor.  One minute we are here, and the next we are at our eternal destination.  It could happen anywhere, anytime.  I know where my final destination is, but there are so many things I want to achieve before that time comes.  I am not going to live my life in fear.  I am going to live my life pursuing my dreams and accomplishing my purpose on this planet.  I encourage each of you to do the same thing. 

If we live in fear, the bad guys win.  If we live in fear, we do not bring honor to the victims in Boston.  If we live in fear, we don't live. 

I commit to continue to pray for Boston, and to remember those that were affected by this tragedy.  Join me in covering the city of Boston in prayer, love, and support.  Then lace up those shoes and RUN!

Jet Lag and Time Changes, Oh My!

I did something this morning that I have not done in a very long time.  I slept in until 11:00!  Obviously the jet lag and three hour time change affected me more than I thought.  I am glad that I took today off work because I would have probably been one grumpy girl today.  The jet lag affected my brain more than I thought, too.  I reread last night's post and chuckled to myself at all of my typos.  There were so many of them I had to go back and edit yesterday's post to change the mistakes.  I am anal like that.  (If you notice anymore in yesterday's post feel free to point them out to me so I can fix them.)

When I finally did manage to wake up this morning, I had a bit of a mental battle with myself.  I was debating whether I should track points and eat well today or just scrap it until tomorrow since I would be back at school and my routine.  I am happy to report that I chose not to scrap it until tomorrow (old Allison would have) and that I did my run / walk first thing and have been tracking points.  It is crazy how many times daily you have that mental battle with yourself.  Making lifestyle changes is difficult and a constant fight. 

I did something new today during my training.  I was inspired by my five minutes of running nonstop at the end of my run / walk on Saturday.  I decided that the last five minutes of today's workout I would run the entire time.  I did it!  I am so proud of myself, and I am going to try to do this every time.  I want to build up to running without walking at all.  Thank you, Randi, for challenging me to do this on Saturday! 

Tomorrow is a walk for 30 minutes day.  My plan is to get up at 5:00 a.m. to complete this.  I just hope I can go to bed at a decent time tonight since I slept in!  Happy Monday! 

California Dreaming

Just made it back to good old Indiana after being in California since Thursday evening.  I did not feel well enough to train last week, and I was SO busy while in California.  I was able to squeeze in a run on Saturday, and I am very happy that I did.  Because let's face it, I ate - a lot.  Every time we had a break, there was food out.  I couldn't resist it because it was always good snack food, and I was trying desperately to stay awake.   I had my first headache related to caffeine withdrawal on Friday.   Take that and factor in the jet lag, I had to fight hard not to drink a soda pop of some kind to help me out.  I ended up going to bed very early that evening, and I missed the group outing to the beach. 

I was determined to do some form of exercising on Saturday.  We had a two hour break between our last meeting and our awards dinner so my roomie Randi and I took advantage of it and tried running to the beach.  Now, Randi is a seasoned runner.  If you ask her, she will say she is not, but she has long legs and has trained and run in the Mini-Marathon here in Indy before.  I tried to keep up with her, but I couldn't.  It was quite comical.  She was a good sport about it, and she would come back for me and literally run circles around me to keep her heart rate going.  We saw some beautiful homes and enjoyed the beautiful weather on our run.  We never did make it to the beach, but we ran for at least forty-five minutes.  Randi even challenged me at some point near the end to run the entire way back to the hotel, and I did it!  I was able to run 5 minutes and 18 seconds without stopping!  That is huge for me since I have been doing the interval running / walking. 

Tomorrow I am back to the regularly scheduled program.  I will be starting my running increments of 40 seconds running and 20 seconds of walking.  I am excited about that.  I am also excited about getting back to eating healthier (and not as much!) and tracking my points. 

Here are some highlights (in no particular order) of my weekend in Cali:

*Seeing the All-State guy at the airport
*Meeting the Marathon Goddess
*Honoring the memory of my father during training
*Running outside in CA
*Getting on airplanes and fitting in the seats and being able to tighten the buckles! 
*Getting to know someone from our affiliate a little bit better and hearing about her own journey and struggles with weight loss
*Getting purple sunglasses
*Planning a possible road trip in October to help out with and run in (possibly) the Nashville PurpleStride
*Wearing a side ponytail
*Realizing that my clothes are loose on me

I promise to do better now on updating the blog more often.  I hope everyone had a great weekend! 

No News...Not Necessarily Good News

I know I have not posted in a few days, and that is because there has not been much to post.  That is not a good thing, though.  I have not been feeling well enough to train which stinks.  I hate losing momentum right now.  Now that I am feeling better, I am getting ready to go to California for the weekend.  My running shoes are being packed, and I plan on using them.  I am going to try very hard to maintain my healthy eating while I am gone and to run hopefully outside in the beautiful California weather.  These two things may be challenging because this is not a vacation.  I am going to training for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. I am very excited about this, but I know that I will have a schedule and prepared meals so working with those two things may be challenging for me. 

I did weigh-in this morning because I am not getting back until Sunday evening.  I have lost a little over 3 pounds this week.  Woo-hoo!  Not bad for being sick and not being able to work out. 

Still not one drop of Diet Coke (or any other soft drink) has touched my lips since I officially gave it up.  I never thought I would be able to do that.  I think this weekend will also be a test in that area for me because I would use soft drinks as pick me ups during conferences and trainings. 

I am very excited about California. I have never been there, and I am going because of something that I am passionate about. 

Pray for me! 

Celebrating!

I have lots to celebrate!  I was trying on some clothes, and they were so big I have to get rid of them!  I have gone through only part of my closet and already I will be giving away four pairs of pants.  That is something to celebrate!  I also tried on a coat that I have not worn all winter.  It has been a cold winter, and this coat is not the warmest so that is why I have not worn it.  That, and the last time I wore it, I could not even zip it.  I could only use the buttons on the front to keep it together.  I took a chance the other day and got it out of the closet.  I was so excited because IT FITS!  One of my friends even said it looked a little too big to wear!  Wow!  Do you know how amazing that feels?  To actually have clothes that do not fit because they are too big and not because they are too snug? 

Besides the clothes not fitting anymore, I have officially been Diet Coke free for six days!  That is a huge accomplishment because I was seriously a Diet Coke junkie.  I would drink multiple cans daily.  I have not had any headaches from not drinking Diet Coke anymore so that is good.  I have been struggling with craving sweets, though.  Is that normal?  I tried googling it, and I haven't found much on the Diet Coke withdrawal craving sweets side effect so maybe it is just in my head.  I don't know.  Anyway, it has been almost a week, and I don't plan on going back to drinking Diet Coke.  Another thing to celebrate. 

I am only focusing on the positive in this post so I will briefly mention that I did gain weight this week.  5.8 pounds to be exact.  Normally I would be hyperventilating and crying uncontrollably and throwing a tantrum and giving up.  There are lots of reasons this could have happened: not sticking to tracking points, going out to eat more this week, satisfying my sweet tooth craving (but not bingeing!), feeling not 100% which impacted the intensity of workouts, and maybe there are some other things like water retention going on because that is a lot of weight to gain in week.  Next week will be better.  I will continue to make positive changes in my life. 

Another thing to celebrate is that I have looked for ways to incorporate physical activity into my life.  My car was in the shop on Thursday.  I was at school for something and the shop was a little over a mile away from school.  When my car was done, instead of arranging a ride to the shop, I chose to walk over there to pick up my car.  It was such a beautiful day, and I loved every second of that walk.  Old Allison would have made sure she had a ride.  New Allison was balking at people who tried to offer her a ride or told her walking may not be a good idea. 

So yes, the number on the scale went up but so has my confidence.  My clothes are fitting better or are so loose that I cannot even wear them.  I am doing things that will have a great, positive impact on my life.  That is worth celebrating. 

Hey, Out of Shape Girl

I found this on Facebook. Someone posted it on the Favorite Run page that I have liked.  This is exactly what I needed to hear this morning.  Enjoy!

Hey, Out of Shape Girl

Yes, you. The one feigning to not see me when we cross paths on the running track. The one not even wearing sports gear, breathing heavy. You’re slow, you breathe hard and your efforts... at moving forward make you cringe.

... You cling shyly to the furthest corridor, sometimes making larger loops on the gravel ring by the track just so you’re not on it. You sweat so much that your hair is all wet. You rarely stay for more than 20 minutes at a time, and you look exhausted when you leave to go back home. You never talk to anyone. I’ve got something I’d like to say to you.

You are awesome. If you’d look me in the eye only for an instant, you would notice the reverence and respect I have for you. The adventure you have started is tremendous; it leads to a better health, to renewed confidence and to a brand new kind of freedom. The gifts you will receive from running will far exceed the gigantic effort it takes you to show up here, to face your fears and to bravely set yourself in motion, in front of others.

You have already begun your transformation. You no longer accept this physical state of numbness and passivity. You have taken a difficult decision, but one that holds so much promise. Every hard breath you take is actually a tad easier than the one before, and every step is ever so slightly lighter. Each push forward leaves the former person you were in your wake, creating room for an improved version, one that is stronger, healthier and forward-looking, one who knows that anything is possible.

You’re a hero to me. And, if you’d take off the blaring headphones and put your head up for more than a second or two, you would notice that the other runners you cross, the ones that probably make you feel so inadequate, stare in awe at your determination. They, of all people, know best where you are coming from. They heard the resolutions of so many others, who vowed to pick up running and improve their health, “starting next week”. Yet, it is YOU who runs alongside, who digs from deep inside to find the strength to come here, and to come back again.

You are a runner, and no one can take that away from you. You are relentlessly moving forward. You are stronger than even you think, and you are about to be amazed by what you can do. One day, very soon, maybe tomorrow, you’ll step outside and marvel at your capabilities. You will not believe your own body, you will realize that you can do this. And a new horizon will open up for you. You are a true inspiration.

I bow to you

Brrrr and Grrrr

Last night I tested out my new toy - my GPS watch.  I was super excited to test it while I took a casual stroll around the neighborhood.  I went around 7:00 p.m. last night, and it was colder than I thought.  My goal was to walk around all three adjoining neighborhoods, but I was too cold, and I only walked around two of the three.  Had I worn gloves and a hat, I would have been okay.  It is April, though, why should I still need gloves and a hat?  Here is a picture of my first use of my GPS watch:



First outing with GPS watch


 



This morning I woke up to do my run, and I felt it - the grossness in my chest and throat.  The "crud" that makes me want to cough all of the time.  Ugh!  I hate that, and I know I would not have it right now if it would just get warm and stay warm!  I didn't feel like running this morning because of it, but I made myself do it anyway.  This time I was better prepared and bundled up more including gloves and a hat.  Since I had my GPS watch I didn't really have a route in mind, I just went.  I noticed that my pacing was much slower today, but I just feel more sluggish.  I am assuming it is because of the gross stuff.  Here is today's run / walk:

April 3, 2013 run / walk

I am hoping I will get rid of this rather quickly!  I needed some reassurance about my slower pacing today, and I found this:

Recent Purchases

I have recently splurged on a couple of purchases for myself.  One of them is this book:

It is a 30 day devotional so I thought I would give it a try.  I am not doing the diet plan part of this book, but I have enjoyed the devotionals.  There is a passage from the book that I wanted to share today.  It really made me think. It says:

"I can't help but wonder if the first fall of man, which was between a woman and food, is why we women have been struggling with this food issue and our body image ever since.  Was it that first act of disobedience that birthed this battle with the way we women see ourselves...how we measure our worth?  Prior to the fall the woman was not aware of her body; however, after the fall she felt shame for the first time."

Makes sense, right? 

The second splurge came in the form of a watch with a GPS device in it.  Isn't it pretty?

 

I decided to get this to help me when I run.  This will help track distance and my speed.  Some of my long runs have not been accurate because I did not have a way to track the distance I ran.  This will also calculate my speed for me which I think is awesome.  I can record the distances and speed and then work to improve my time and distance.  I will be super excited about this purchase as soon as I figure out how in the world to set it up.  Have I mentioned that I am terrible with new technology? 

 

My other recent purchase has not arrived yet.  I ordered the student version of the Run for God workbook.  This is a bible study and running program to help beginners.  It is designed to be used in a small group and then your small group runs a 5K together.  What an awesome way to get connected!  I want to check it out more before I talk to Pastor Damon about possibly doing this bible study / running group at our church. 

 

Just FYI, no one that I encountered yesterday was harmed during my Diet Coke detox.  I did survive a day without it so hopefully Day Two will also be successful. 

 

I didn't have a chance to walk yet this morning.  Today is my walk for 30 minutes day so I plan on doing that later.  Tomorrow will be my next running / walking day so I have to figure out the watch before then so I can use it! 

 

Have a great day!

Proceed with Caution

I have a confession.  I am a: 

I could easily drink 3-4 of these a day.  I have been hearing over and over how bad it is for me, and I have been working on decreasing my consumption of this beverage.  Last week I had only one Diet Coke each day.  Starting today I am no longer going to drink Diet Coke.  I thought since I am still on spring break, this would be a good time to kick the habit.  That way if I go through withdrawals and am super grumpy, a minimum number of people will be affected.  This is your warning.  I am an addict giving up Diet Coke and may be going through withdrawals.  Proceed with caution!