Weekly Wrap-Up

Monday I was surprised at how I could barely feel any effects of the 30k run. I did my weights at work and got out for an easy 6 miles at lunch. 

Tuesday I intended to do a tempo run. 12 mins warm-up, 15 mins at half-marathon pace (7:13mins/mile), 3 mins recovery, another 15mins at half-marathon pace and then 12 mins cool down. Well I got out and immediately noticed my legs felt dead...I think the long run was finally catching up with me. I barely held on to my pace for the first interval and came in right at 7:13. The second interval had a lot of uphill and the wind picked up. It was a total write-off. I actually wanted to sit down and call my rec tech to come pick me up! My second interval came in at 8:21. I also managed to miscalculate my distance and ended up running 7 miles in an hour at lunch!

Tuesday night Hanna got up at just before 4 and I couldnt get her settled again until 5:15. I got back to my own bed at 5:30 and I get up for the day at 5:45. That's just cruel in my opinion! She ended up making it to daycare but I was home with a sick T who couldnt stop coughing. It was a beautiful day and I had intended on running some trails at work at lunch, but instead the best I could do was squeeze in a treadmill run while T was content with her iPad.  

Tuesday: Happy well rested Jess vs. Wednesday: Up all night with sick kid Jess! 

If  Tuesday's legs were dead, Wednesday's had gone on strike. Its hard on the treadmill anyways when you are tired but I couldnt even do a 10 min mile. I ended up running for about 45 mins, doing 3 mins of running and then 3 mins of walking fast on a steep incline because that's all I could do! Oh well, burnt some calories, some days that's the best you can do!

lame treadmill run!

Thursday was supposed to be a speed drill day. I was worried about how it would go after my last two days! I was hopefully that Wednesday had given me enough rest to tough it out. The plan was 10 mins warm-up, 10 - 1 mins intervals sprinting followed by 2 mins recovery jog. I had hoped to do the sprinting portions at sub-6:30, but I was in Port Alberni and there's sections of that route especially at the beginning that are quite hilly, so that combined with the uncooperative legs issue had me second guessing myself.  

The intervals were tough, I was out with my running buddy and we pushed ourselves hard. To the point where he asked repeatedly why I was trying to kill him, threatened to have a heart attack and then tried to bribe his way out of the last two intervals!

  

I got back to the office and looked at our times though and was ecstatic! I was pleased not only at how quickly we had done those speedy bits, but the consistency in our pace. Lots of them right around the 6 min/mile mark. My post run email below which I think was titled "want to be amazed at our awesomeness" :) Speed drills suck but they sure can make you feel good afterwards! 

Friday I ended up working through lunch and not getting a run in. I did my weights but that was it. But I managed to turn down chips again and eat around maintenance (2400calories). My kids were being terrors and once I got them to bed I drank my two ciders too quickly. It was a bit of a straight up, straight down situation...

Saturday is normally my busy with family rest day. But I'd taken Friday off so I wanted to sneak some exercise in. I took the kids to there skating lessons and while they were doing that I ran up and down the stairs at the arena. I totally embarrassed Tegan who shouted at me from the ice "mom!...why do you keep doing that?!" But I figure its just part of my job as a parent to embarrass my kids :) Then I took Hanna to gymnastics and got out for a 20 mins run while she was busy in there. Later I was able to get out for a walk with them as well. So through the little bits and pieces of exercise I was able to burn 500cals. I managed to keep it 2400cals again for Saturday. 

Sunday morning I was ready to head out for a long run. The plan was to do a fast finish run. 14.5miles at under 9 mins miles and then finish with 1.5miles at around 7:30.  Unfortunately it had snowed a bit overnight and the area I was running wasnt cleared. The first 3 miles were running though an inch of slush. It was like running through a slippery, thick, puddle the entire time. Soaked feet, trying to brace myself with every step. It felt like so much work just to stay below 9 mins miles. 

I also was out of my yummy gels and had to resort to some old gross tasting ones in the back of the cupboard. I didnt realize how much I look forward to the chocolate peanut butter and caramel macchiato gels! Its like a bit of dessert during my run :) I brought 2 with me and took them at 4,7,10 and 13 miles. I ended up with no runners high, I just couldnt zone out and get in the groove. I spent the majority of the run wishing it was done...which is unusual for me! 

The sun came out on the way back and the wind picked up. When it came time to do my speed bit I knew sub-7:30 was a lost cause but figured I would just push it as best as I could. I ended up with 7:53mins/mile but I was so over-heated and exhausted I felt like puking. 

Those were 16 hard-earned miles!!

Also this weeks low:

Down another lb...yay! 3 weeks till the race and I'd like to be under 132. 

A full moon :)

Maintaining fitness and trying to make gains is a lot of freaking work...just saying...

Thursday at work I did my weights at morning coffee, ran 5.5 miles at lunch and got a quick walk in at 3pm coffee. Those are days when everything goes right and I dont have meetings or deadlines getting in the way.  I ate on plan which these days is ~2000cals. 

Friday was supposed to be a 6.5 mile trail run. Unfortunately when we got out to the trails the melting snow had turned them soupy and full of puddles too deep to run through or get around. So we bailed on those and ran around the neighborhood a bit. Without a plan in place though its hard to push yourself. My running buddy was also starving and neither of us was really feeling it so we cut it short at 5 miles and headed back to the office. I checked in on the body fat machine at Save-On and was pleased to be back down 1.2%. My lowest is 20.5...bring it on! 

I had one cider at home that night and managed to turn down chips. Thats two weeks in a row now, who am I :)

Saturday was my rest day and I took the girls to a family get together at my mom's. There was appy's, drinks, pasta, ribs, brownies, ice cream.  I had a good time hanging out and of course ate and drank too much :) I remember going to bed though and thinking hey I feel proud of myself I didnt go too crazy and eat to where I felt so full my stomach hurt...baby steps right...lol. I also alternated every alcoholic drink with a big glass of water because I knew I wanted to go out for a long Sunday morning run. 

I slept restlessly, alcohol always does that to me and Hanna was up several times in the night. I got up for the day about 6:20 and had my breakfast that I brought. Yes I go stay with family and bring my own food...they are used to it :) As I was doing that I started entering my calories from the day before. By the time I had every bite from the cheese platter and dessert plate entered I realized I ate over 5000 calories for the day....geez!! It somewhat deflated my feeling all proud of myself!! I'm hoping I over estimated on a lot of things, but still...that's pretty epic. 

I honestly dont mind enjoying myself at a party like that though. The food was great and I didnt eat out of control until I was too stuffed. Obviously I could have turned down a lot more things, but it was fun and a nice break from the week. And really there's not much you can do about it the next morning!

I had planned to do 16 miles that morning with 10 intervals of 0.25M at sub-7 mins miles. It was dark grey and pouring rain when I set out and I was worried that with the bad sleep and evening excess it was going to be a bad run. Instead it was the exact opposite. I had such a good run, like deliriously happy, amazing runners high, cant stop smiling like a fool type of run. When I got to the 8 mile turn around point I didnt want to. I just kept on going, touring the back roads of Comox and decided I would do 30k in total which is 18.64miles. I had brought 2 running gels and I ate half of each at mile 4,7,10.5 and 14. I didnt have any water with me which wasnt the smartest move since I was probably already dehydrated from the drinking but I didnt notice myself feeling parched at all. 

 I was soaking wet not only from the rain, but having to cross a creek (in photo behind me), but nothing could get me down. 

At one point I was running up a logging road and hadnt seen a car the entire 30 mins I had been on it. I decided to step off the road to pee behind a tree (not much of a tree I'll admit) but like I said the road had been empty. I finished and tried at the same time to walk out towards the road while pulling up my pants.  I hadnt really thought about the fact that my running tights were soaking wet and my legs were as well and this might not be a quick smooth motion...

I get them barely above my knees and I hear a truck coming around the corner. I'm too far from the tree and start to panic as I'm basically standing roadside with my pants half down! I turn around so I'm bum out and keep yanking on them but they get caught under my bum cheeks! At this point I'm laughing so hard at the ridiculousness of the situation and just praying the truck doesnt stop!  Thank god whoever they were they just kept on driving, I'm sure they went home and told people about the random girl in the ditch on the Comox Mainline mooning them :)

I finished the run feeling good, a bit tired but not sore. I even made all 10 intervals at goal pace. That feels pretty cool. I can go run 30k like its no big deal...I'm proud of that. Apparently 5000 calories gives you a little boost :)

I weighed in for the week and am getting back down to where I like be. Its a lot of work, running, doing weights, meal planning, packing and cooking. But, I feel so much better when I do it.  First mini-goal is getting back to 134...almost there :)

Logging lots of miles!

Tuesday my running buddy and I hit the trails beside work at lunch. There was a lot of snow still on the ground so we couldnt go too fast, but that was fine by both of us! It was just a get out and burn some calories and with the bonus of the ability to chat while we are doing it. 

I'm lucky to have the option to trail run quite frequently with my job. I definitely notice running in the woods has a more positive impact on my mood versus running in an urban setting and yet I like the pace and speed of road racing. I wouldnt want to run trail races.   

I read this poster and then of course had to go google #3 for more info...

Now every time I trail run that's going to be going through my mind "you cant mess with me universe, I'm out here getting down with my primal self"... cause those are the random thoughts that pop into my head on runs :)

It was Valentine's Day yesterday and I debated trying to plan a run that ended up looking like a heart on my RunMeter App but then I thought better of that idea. I'd end up jumping fences, running through people's yards stubbornly trying to make the shape look right! Try and explain that one when someone calls the cops on me!! 

Today was pouring rain and miserable out. So I decided my running buddy and I should do a speed drill, on a super hilly route. You can imagine how popular that suggestion made me. The plan was 10 mins warm up, 6 intervals of 3 mins at 7:13 mins/mile (my half-marathon pace) with 2 mins recovery, 10 mins cool-down. Did I mention the hills? 

   It was hard, like legs burning, gasping for air, when is this going to be over hard. But we rocked it. We finished soaked, exhausted and with an interval average of bang on 7:13...awesome! It felt great to be done and to have worked so hard and hit our target.  

I did my weights in the afternoon and continued my healthy eating plan...hoping to be down another couple lbs by the end of this week. 

Long Runs

As usual Saturday was family day (our weekly family day not the Stat holiday) and so I took it as a rest day from running. Although "rest" is a bit misleading. There was skating, gymnastics, groceries, kids haircuts, snow fort building, and then my brother-in-laws birthday dinner at The Keg. I had worked hard all week with the intention of indulging at the restaurant. Unfortunately dinner was terrible! Like bordering on inedible...so disappointing. It also arrived 90 minutes after we got there so in the meantime I drank two keg-sized bellinis and demolished the majority of a loaf of table bread...mmm

 Instead of hanging around for cake we decided to hit up DQ on the way home. Dinner was a bust but I figured this new treasure I found wouldnt let me down... This thing might literally be the death of me. I only order a mini which comes in at a meager 6oz. Less than 1 cup in total and costs over $5 dollars and has 520 calories. Ridiculous right...? Ridiculously freaking delicious! This might top Nutella in the Jess's kryptonite department.  I live, work and run right by one of these stores...this could get dicey :)

Sunday I woke up and headed out for my long run. The plan was to do 2.5miles warm up, 10 intervals of 0.25M fast with 0.75M recovery, 2.5miles cool down. I brought one running gel with me to split and eat half at 5miles and the other half at 10miles (GU- chocolate peanut butter- my current favourite!). Normally I might pack 2 for a 15 mile run, but that Blizzard and Keg meal was still fresh in my mind...and body!! I wasnt sure how it was going to go because last time I tried to do a similar run with 8 intervals of the same I was too tired to do the last one. 

The run went really well though. There's something to be said for a well fueled body! I had some good tunes and just kinda zoned out. The intervals are short enough to go really hard, but still be manageable. I maintained a sub-7mins/mile average for all 10 which I was pleased with. 

Sunday night the kids stayed at my dads so I had the chance to get out for a second long run on Monday morning.  I love bonus long runs! I ended up waking up at freaking 5:05am though!! I have zero ability to sleep in...

I was sitting on the couch googling when sunrise was to figure out how long I had to wait before I could head out! I planned to go to Westwood Lake for 8am and knew I would have about 2hrs before I had to go pick the kids back up. It was pretty cold out and I couldnt find my running gloves so I borrowed Tegan's #LOVE mittens.  They were so cute and made me smile every time I looked down at them :)

I hate being cold and it was -2 still. I knew I wasnt going to run for speed so I put on a lot of layers. I packed a caramel machiato GU and hit the road.  

I got to the lake and the trails were completely covered in compacted snow and pretty icy. I was able to jog a lot of it, but some of the steeper bits I had to stop and walk. It was actually pretty nice though. I set my RunMeter App to run for 2 hrs and just went out without a care as to how fast I was going, which is so unlike me :) It was liberating and fun!

 I stopped often to take pictures, but it was hard to capture how beautiful it was.  The sun was rising on the frozen lake and looked amazing. I loved the brightness and enjoyed the sun shining down on me and warming me up. It was so different from the past few weeks and gave such a feeling of optimism!

Up on the lookout...I dont know quite what it is but this place makes me so happy. 

Maybe its cheesy, but I think it's good for my soul :)

I ended up getting almost 9 miles in which was nice for a bonus run. But it was more about getting out and enjoying the beautiful morning. 

I also did my weekly weigh in this week and came in at 135.6. I feel pretty good about that. Closing in on my happy place of 134 and below :) Just gotta keep up the running and pick my indulgences carefully. 

Motivated!

I havent felt this motivated in a while. I think part of it is seeing the light at the end of this ridiculous winter tunnel. I've never been particularly affected by winter sadness, but this year was tough! The snow is starting to melt though, the sun is coming out and fingers crossed that snowstorm was the last hurrah! I hate being cold and not being able to run and as much.  As much as I am obsessed with running and how happy it makes me feel the idea of going outside in -6 is so unappealing!

Yes...but I can still complain about it!!

I'm ready to come out of hibernation and run in decent weather and not have to remember my mitts, neck warmer, hat, 3 layers, etc!! It just means there is so many more items I'm likely to forget :)

After 3 or 4 layers it gets harder to move your limbs...just saying.

 I'm also ready to ditch these winter lbs! I did my meal planning this morning and knew that I wanted to have two drinks tonight...Friday...woohoo! I also knew that I needed to lay off the chips if I wanted to come through the weekend not back where I started on Monday! So I had 2 goals...burn the 700 calories I needed to enjoy my regular meal plan plus 2 drinks and say no to chips!! Chips are purchased every Friday at my house. 

I got to work today and did a slightly extended weights session. I wore my heart rate monitor so it took 16mins to burn 100 cals. Then at lunch I went out to run 10k. I was concerned the roads were going to be a sloppy mess but it wasnt bad at all. Port Alberni drivers are usually jerks but people were so courteous, smiling and giving me a wide berth so they didnt spalsh me! I was running a decent pace and the sun was out and I was feeling great when I saw a branch on the road and went to hop over it. 

For the record I have terrible spatial judgement. I get it from my mom. We bump into everything. I also dont lift my feet very high when I run, I'm always tripping over roots and uneven sidewalks. You would not believe the amount of times I have bailed over a piece of sidewalk that is raised an inch or two! And roots...they are out to get me...

I also have almost permanent bruises on the side of my legs from bumping into the foot of my bed frame in the night. I've had that frame 15 years and I havent figured it out yet! Anyways, all this is to say that I did not leap as intended like a gazelle over the branch on the road. I kicked it squarely with the top of my foot.  

(ouch)

I couldnt believe that with all the snow and water issues I was worried about I got taken down by some random branch?! Anyways this photo was taken immediately after and there are three different sections of my foot that have turned increasing shades of purple! I ended up limping around the rest of the afternoon with a throbbing foot! 

Despite the branch kicking incident the run felt good though. My hamstring only bothered me a tiny bit near the end and I was able to keep up a decent easy pace on a hilly route. 

That afternoon I went to the store to look at chip replacement options for part two of my plan of attack. There was no way I could sit and have a drink and not eat something crunch and salty. But I wanted a low cal replacement. I was thinking either popcorn or crispy minis. I ended up buying some salt and vinegar crispy minis. Half the bag was 200 calories and seemed like a decent amount. 

I got home and made a yummy greek dinner. We ate later than normal which might have helped but when it came time for evening snacks it wasnt even a battle. There were 2 bags of chips in the house and I didnt even feel tempted. I had a cider my bowl of crispy minis and felt good. I didnt even eat Hanna's pretzels that she picks out of her "Munchie Mix"...such restraint :) I ended up heading to bed early and didnt bother with the second drink. 

Why is it so easy sometimes and other times I want to demolish everything in site and nothing is enough?! Also Facebook has picked up on my love of Peanut Butter cups and keeps sending me suggested posts like this... fuck you FB, that's not helpful!!!

It all adds up!

Continuing on this trend of getting moving again...yay! Thursday I went to work and it had snowed another 8 inches in Port Alberni...ugh. I did my weights at coffee break but running at lunch was not an option. I'm such an all or nothing person and I'm working on getting over that. I like to either run 5-6 miles for a short run or 10+ for long. There never seems to be a point in doing any less. Silly right? Moving your body is good regardless of how long! So at lunch I put on my bogs and went tromping through the snow.

I had my headphones in at first but then as I was walking I realized how quiet and peaceful and beautiful it was. I took them out and just enjoyed the moment. There's this trail behind my work that leads down to a river so I headed down that way. It was actually a good workout walking through a foot of snow! I got a little freaked out at one point when the only other person I passed looked less than sane, but I made a point of showing him I had my cell phone on me and decided that he was less likely to attack me when the cops could totally track his footprints through the snow... :)

I walked for about 30 mins and ended up burning over 200 calories! 

I got back to work and around 2:30 I heard people freaking out because it was snowing super hard...again! I was on daycare/school pick-up duty and not sure what to do...do I wait it out and hope it turns back to rain or do I potentially get stuck overnight in Port Alberni on the one night my husband has plans?! I decided to take a chance and leave while I could. I'm glad I did but the drive was so dicey!! It was snowing hard and driving on slippery compacted snow for an hour, I couldnt go above 60 on a highway that goes to 120. My commute is normally 55 mins and it took me 1hr and 25 to get back. 

But I got back to my house and it was 4:15 and I have to get Hanna by 5. I realized I could fit 20 mins in on the treadmill. That is so not me...to do 2 miles on the treadmill?! But I put the treadmill on 10 mins miles and then every 3rd min I upped the incline to 8% which is quite steep. At the end of the 20 mins I had burned another 185 cals. The treadmill calorie counter says 265 but it lies!! I use my heart rate monitor which is way more accurate. Its always at about 65-70% of what the treadmill says...stupid treadmill!

But I was pleased because with the random short workouts I did throughout the day I managed to burn as many calories as if I had gotten out for a run...win!

Stop Freaking Snowing!!!

Monday I woke up feeling resolved to shake off this off weekend and get back on track. I got to work and did my weights at first break. There was a ton of snow on the ground and it was still snowing off and on so a run was not an option at lunch. I did my best and got a bit of a walk in. The sugar cravings were so bad though. I desperately wanted chocolate which is something I never crave. I felt hungry all day even though I ate a decent amount of healthy food. I hate coming down from the "high" of eating junky food. I just kept reminding myself day 1 of 3 and it will just get easier. 

I made some yummy stuffed peppers for dinner, drank a ton of water, got a bit more exercise in shoveling snow and had an early night to bed.  Tuesday I was excited because I knew my new heart rate monitor was to arrive that day and I found that very motivating. So I had plans to go to the gym and workout at lunch. Unfortunately Hanna was sick and so I had to stay home with her. I wasnt about to let that get in the way of my resolve to get moving again. First thing her and I walked T down to school. By walked I mean she walked 20ft and I carried her the rest of the half mile!

Then when I though she was significantly engrossed in Paw Patrol I propped the garage door open and went on the treadmill. I only dared to do 30 mins with a 3.5year old unattended! Even then I had to pause 15 mins in to go get her some apple slices and when I was finished I found her wearing some of my jewelry (little opportunist!). But I got a run in and even did a bunch of speed intervals, 1 mins fast, 1 mins recovery. 

(feeling good to get back at it!)

We got out and shoveled some snow and then walked to the mailbox because I got a notification that my new heart rate monitor arrived. My new one is pink and I love it!! :) I was so excited to start using it again! I wear the chest strap type as I read they were the most accurate and I barely notice it. 

I decided to do a strength training routine at home to test it out and Hanna was pretty funny copying all my moves. When I first started strength training ~18 months ago I could barely do 10 push-ups, now I'm up to two reps of 30 :) I'm not sure what I could max out on if I was only doing 1 set...I should test that out some time. 

(Hanna copying my push-ups)

So Tuesday was a good day. Ate healthy, got a lot of exercise in and the cravings for junk werent nearly as bad. Today was even easier...the magical day 3 where my body gives up asking for treats and accepts the healthy eating :) I did my weights at coffee break and went to the gym at lunch. I did a quick 20 mins on the treadmill where I did a warm-up, 2 intervals of 5 mins at 7:13mins/mile (my half-marathon race pace) with a 2 mins jog in between and cool down. Then I hopped onto the bike and did a hard interval work out on that.  

You can see with how high my heart rate was that I was pushing it hard! I'm feeling super motivated again. I have 5 weeks left to train for the Comox Half-Marathon. I cant let snow totally derail me. I have a treadmill, there's a gym close by...time to rock it! 

Lastly I'm super excited because I registered for one of my favorite races of the year. It on Mother's Day and my 7 year old is going to run the 5k portion with my uncle. She's done one 5k before, but I love the idea of her doing this one, I hope she has fun!!

Feed me all the food!

I posted last Wednesday about breaking that habit of eating badly all weekend and busting through my plateau. So how did I do with that? Epically bad!! Thursday for work I had a field visit with a few staff members and my Provincial Manager to check out how one of my site expansions was coming along. I was nervous and anxious about how it was going to look and what he was going to think. The meeting went great thankfully and I was super relieved!

I had hoped to get back in town and get to the gym & pool. But then the manager suggested we all go out for a sit down lunch. We went to a little cafe in town and I ordered the butter chicken special. But, it was this odd non-traditional version of the meal and it wasnt that good.  I was annoyed at having wasted the calories on something not satisfying and then it took so long I didnt have time to go work out afterwards. So... excess calories and no exercise.

Friday I was supposed to go for a run with my running buddy but when I got up there was a layer of ice on everything and it was snowing on top of that. I was annoyed at having had a bad lunch out the day before and had heard of a pub nearby that had good food. So I tabled the idea of going for lunch since our run was not happening. My justification (in my mind) was that my dad was taking the kids on the weekend and I could run both weekend days instead. So...once again...excess calories and no exercise...

My heart rate monitor also kicked the bucket which frustrated me. I have a pretty good idea how many calories I burn running, but not having my heart rate monitor during this snow meant I had no idea how many calories I was burning doing alternate exercises...isnt that a sad reason not to exercise!! I'm so addicted to data!!

Saturday we woke up to a ton of snow. Enough that my dad was snowed in and could not come get the kids. We couldnt get the kids out to any of their lessons and we were stuck inside for most of the day. There went my plans to get out and make up for my Friday indulgences! It was also my buddy's birthday party that night at a pub downtown. I met up with him and few friends for some drinks, and nachos and wings...can you see the pattern here?!! I actually went to bed with a tummy ache from eating so much, I hate when I do that!!

The weekend was a food disaster and the snow never stopped. By Sunday I had given up on the chance of getting out to run and focused on getting trying to get my eating back under control. I also refused to step on the scale Monday morning! I always find after a few days off track it takes about 3 days of healthy eating to get my sugar/bad food cravings under control. Exercise plays a huge role in that too, its so much easier to eat healthy when I run and work out.

January Catch-Up

January has been tough. Work is absolutely insane. This is usually my slow time but I'm slammed with campsite expansions and a million other things going on.  My husband has been working late many nights and its tough not to bring that work stress home. Combine that with mom-guilt that I come home tired and feel like I dont have enough energy to give to the kids. Man life can be hard to balance!!

I always say that running keeps me sane and so I've been doing my best to continue to make that a priority. I'm trying to run or exercise every work day, take Saturday as a rest/family day and then do a long run on Sunday. The weather has been extremely cold and icy though making it harder to be motivated to get out or to do any speed. I wonder if the cold had something to do with the hamstring issues I have going on (gotta find something to blame right...and not my ridiculousness of jumping immediately back into 50 mile weeks or going out and running 30k on a Sunday...). 

I do take advantage of running on the treadmill sometimes, but its just not the same. The entire time its a mental battle about how long I am going to stay on for. I find I only like to use the treadmill for speed drills where I can program paces in I just cant do instantaneously in real life. 

(dripping sweat in -2...that was a tough one!!)

Despite that all I have been working hard as I wanted to do well in the Cobble Hill 10k. Not only that but after Christmas half my pants were tight!! I may have only gained a few lbs but with the minimal running and no strength training I was definitely feeling softer than usual! I should have done my measurements actually as I havent done that in a long time. But maybe I didnt want to know :) 

I found the weight came off fairly quickly. By January 10th I was down around 134, but then it just stopped. I seem to finish the work week around 134 and I'm beat and feel like I need to reward myself for making it through the hard week by drinking and eating chips Friday & Saturday night. Then I weigh in Monday close to 137 again...grrr.  This is regardless of running 20-30k every Sunday. I know, I know...you cant outrun a bad diet! I need to get better at non-food rewards! 

The upside is that even though my weight is staying the same the combination of all the running and strength training means I'm still getting more toned. My clothes all fit comfortably again which is nice and I can see the change in my arms. I've also had to up my push-up reps again to two sets of 30...woohoo!

 

(feeling body confident again)

I was feeling optimistic, as we had a week of warm weather, that spring was coming and I could feel more like myself. But now this ridiculous -5 is back and potentially more snow. 

(Unimpressed Jess -  up all night with my 3 year but still heading out for a run)

If someone could kidnap me to the Caribbean next week that would be great! But, I guess until that happens I need to just buck up and push through :)

 (Bundled up and going for a quick jog while waiting for the Powell River ferry)

Looking forward in February to warmer weather, no more hamstring pain and getting past this stupid 134 plateau!