#NotEatingAllTheThings (Week 17)

This will be the final installment of my super interesting weight loss journey. You can read about previous weeks here.

Tuesday - 2 mile bike ride with A around the neighborhood. While I was doing my videos (tank top arms, abs & obliques, butt & thigh, little black dress boot camp), A was doing a training run on my treadmill. Had I mentioned that she is running the "mini marathon" that is linked with Denver Rock n' Roll this year?

And I think I'm finally getting some definition in my arms???

Wednesday - 5+ miles on the treadmill at a SPEEDY pace for me.
Thursday -  Videos (tank top arms, abs & obliques, butt & thigh, little black dress boot camp)
Friday - Nothing. I had dinner at Hope's house because A was spending the night! After leaving A, I went to a friend's house and had a few beers and watched some tv. Home "early-ish."
Saturday - I officially joined Runner's Edge of the Rockies! A had spent the night at Hope's house the night before so that I could join Hope for the long group run down in Lone Tree. We found out the night before that it was a HILLY route, with almost 100 feet of gain per mile! I was looking forward to the challenge. It ended up being a GREAT run and the views weren't too shabby either. My first 20 mile training run since before Eugene!

Sunday - For now, I am sort of piggybacking off Hope's training plan since I don't really have one right now. She had 8 miles on schedule for the day. We decided to check out a new (to us) section of trails out near Morrison. It was a lot hillier than the trails that we have been running the last few weeks and our pace was a lot slower. But it was fairly shaded and it was beautiful! This trail is called "Lair O' the Bear." Really happy we decided on an early run (we got there at 7), because on our way back there were a TON of bikes, and the parking lot was full. Later that night I did 3/4 videos, skipping the boot camp.

Monday - Treadmill run - 5.73 miles in an hour. That is the FASTEST for me. I wore my awesome new singlet. Best outfit ever (that isn't INKnBURN of course).

 

Weekly Loss - 0.2 pounds
Total Loss - 18.8 pounds

This will be the last installment of the #NotEatingAllTheThings experiment because I feel I have hit my goal weight and I have found the balance I need to maintain my weight.

Final Thoughts:

• This was the first week in months where I sort of monitored my beer intake. I really only had beer on Friday, which is HUGE for me.
• This is a reminder that I need to still watch what I put in my mouth because if I go crazy and eat everything, I'll be right back where I was before.
• The food is way more important than the exercise.

 

Other Musings:

• I haven't talked to J in weeks. I think that finally now that there is ZERO contact, I can finally start to move on. It still sucks, but it is not as bad as it has been the last few months.
• Work - blah blah blah blah. Still not great, but I got some new work clothes that FIT and it's been a little fun getting "dressed up"

 

• And finally... I came home from the gym last night to a random package from FedEx. Inside was a very nice note and THIS:

So if there was EVER any doubt...

Sorry for the overload of eCards, I find them HILARIOUS.

#NotEatingAllTheThings (Week 16)

Read about previous weeks here.

Tuesday - 2ish mile bike ride with A. Tank top arms, Abs & Obliques, Little Black Dress Boot Camp, Butt & Thigh videos.
Wednesday - Run club! 3.25 fast(ish) miles with Heather. Felt pretty good! We had 5 runners that were heading up for Leadville, so of course it is fitting that New Balance was there with the Leadville 1210 to try. And I LOVED THEM.

Thursday - Tank top arms, Abs & Obliques, Little Black Dress Boot Camp, Butt & Thigh videos. Also... speed work on the treadmill! 1 mile w/u @ 10:50, 1x1600 @ 9:43, 4x800 @ 4:46, 4:41, 4:38, 4:34, 4x400 @ 2:16, 2:14, 2:13, 2:08, .2 @ 2:09 cool down.
Friday - 2 hour deep tissue massage, followed by drinks with a co-worker.
Saturday - 14.78 long run with Hope.

Met up with Hope and her daughter for lunch and back to school clothes shopping. And then... a night of bar hopping with same co-worker.

Sunday - 6 mile trail run with Hope, 1 hour (plus) of roller skating with A, Tank Top arms, Abs & Obliques, Butt & Thigh videos.

These are my new Leadville 1210's!! I got them for only $70 on eBay (NEW!!) - Wore for 6 miles and LOVED them.

Monday - A speedy 10k on the treadmill. I did another progressive run and time flew by watching American Horror Story.

Weekly Loss - 0.8 pounds

Thoughts on the Week

• Still no food tracking. Appetite has sort of resumed over the last few weeks. Could be a bit of an increase in my mileage?
• Food highlights this week? Red velvet pancakes from IHOP, sweet potato fries, Big Kids Grilled Cheese from Panera, Pho!!!
• The beer is still incredibly out of control. 
• As for running, I am so happy that it has not been terrible lately. A few months ago I posted about "lack of a base" and I'm sure that running MORE makes it not as bad? 
• Related: My IT band has been bugging a bit. Trying to stick and stretch so I don't end up where I was last summer.
• A race has FINALLY used my picture for a promo!! Remember when I ran IMS Arizona in February?? There I am on the end!

 

• I haven't talked to J in over a week. He keeps trying to be "friends" and every once in a while hang out together. That is just not going to work for me. Or A.

•   Also,  I HAVE A SECOND GRADER!!

INKnBURN Tank Tops (Product Review)

As you all know, I have renewed my Ambassadorship with INKnBURN. From the second I saw their product line I was hooked. Obviously, the first thing that stood out to me were the intricate and unique patterns and designs. I was a bit hesitant to shell out the money for my first few items - especially since there weren't many reviews on the products. I am here to tell you that INKnBURN is worth EVERY PENNY.

By far, my go-to items are the tank tops. I can wear them for a workout or I can bum around in them for weekend wear.

Product Details:

• MADE IN THE USA.
• Fitted tops without feeling tight
• PERFECT length. As you know, I'm a fairly tiny individual. Most athletic tops are way too long. These fall nicely just below my hips.
• NO chafing. Dry I.C.E. (Instant Cooling by Evaporation) fabric wicks away moisture - I love that I never feel "wet" after a workout.
• I have worn these for every type of workout I do, and they have never let me down!



Top Left: Wave. Top Right: Rock N' Roll. Bottom Left: Butterfly. Bottom Right: Sugar Skull

If you want something a bit more fitted, I highly recommend the camisole top! This style has saved me on those hot summer runs since I tend to get super hot, super fast.

Top Left - Dragonfly; Top Middle - Kabuki; Top Right - Lotus; Bottom Left - Phoenix; Bottom Right - Run or Die Roses

If you somehow haven't tried INKnBURN yet - use code BeckaToldMe when you set up your online account and you can save 15% off your purchase (new customers only). I promise you won't regret it!

#NotEatingAllTheThings (Week 15)

Read about previous weeks here.

Tuesday - Tank Top Arms, Abs & Obliques, Butt & Thigh, Feel Good Stretching.
Wednesday - 2ish mile bike ride with A, Little Black Dress Boot Camp and Slim HIIT Cardio videos.

Thursday - SPEED WORK! I had planned on 800's, but I am in NO shape for that. I ended up doing a bunch of 400's and they were NOT the most awful ever. Butt & Thigh, Tank Top Arms, Little Black Dress Boot Camp, Abs & Obliques

I did .1 at a 6:58 pace and ALMOST DIED. Respect to my fasty readers!

Friday - Nada - except for a long drive to Ouray.
Saturday - Mt. Sneffels half marathon

Sunday - Tank Top Arms, Abs & Obliques, Butt & Thigh, Little Black Dress Boot Camp, Tank Top Arms Round 2. Not crazy about the "Round 2" so I won't do it again.
Monday - Progressive treadmill run - 7.35 miles at an overall sub 11 pace!! This was actually really great and I would have run more if I had time. I started watching American Horror Story and it made the time FLY by.

Weekly Gain - 0.6 pounds

• My first gain since my Birthday weekend!
• I'm supposed to be in "maintain" mode so I guess this is ok.
• I did NOT count calories at all and I pretty much ate whatever the heck I wanted all weekend.

Overall thoughts on weight loss:

• This was not nearly as hard as I thought it would be. Once I started eating less, I was hungry less. WHO KNEW?
• I have not increased my miles as a way to boost weight loss. I have, however, incorporated a lot of strength training and toning and I think that has helped as well.
• I did #eatallthethings this weekend and what it taught me... I will eat what is in front of me. So if I want to maintain I just need to not go crazy. I had a stomach ache pretty much the whole weekend as a result of my indulgences.
• Beer... trying to cut back. It is still out of hand.
• But... I think the results speak for themselves - after 100 days:

What's going on in non-weight loss areas of my life:

• I hate my job. I should really be looking for something else... but I'm so lazy :(

• I've been trying to not talk to J, but every 5 days or so there is an exchange of texts or emails and it usually leaves me really ragey and angry. The end result is I'm apparently really immature and HAVE TO get the last word in. Which doesn't ever make me feel better and doesn't help the situation.
• Related: I'm apparently a Twitter stalker, so until I get this all under control I'm not going back.
• I'm working on this:

And... because I'm crazy, I decided to sign up for a 100K... It's not my fault! Registration was 50% off and the race is put on by the same group of people that do the Moab race I love:

Mt. Sneffels Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Ouray, CO
Saturday, August 10
Half Marathon #90
Colorado Half #30
Weather - Perfect

The second weekend in August is apparently one of the most popular race weekends in the state of Colorado. The last three years we have run the Georgetown to Idaho Springs half marathon (that race last year was when my IT band finally gave out), but with our goal of "run all the Colorado races" we had to pick a different race. The name alone sold us, so Mt. Sneffels half marathon it was.

Somehow in the midst of all the planning, I didn't realize that the race was on a Saturday. And that it was a six hour drive from Denver. Obviously I ended up having to take Friday off.

We dropped the kids off with our parents at 9 and then met up with Hope who was joining us for the race. We decided to take the "shorter" scenic route. Bad idea. Apparently there is ALL THE TRAFFIC on these two lane state highways. It took forever to get there. We stopped along the way in places like South Park:

We stopped for lunch at a pizza place in Gunnison. I swear it was the best pizza I have ever had.

We arrived in Ouray just before 5:00, which is when packet pick up supposedly started at the hot springs. It looked like they had been set up for a while and we got our stuff in just a few minutes. L managed to book as at a hotel only about a half mile from the start. We had a pretty decent view:

We spent about an hour trying to decide what we were going to do for dinner. We had asked the volunteers at pick up what they recommended and one of them snidely said "no where." Um ok. Ouray is a super small, quaint mountain town with no chain restaurants. We were going to be at the mercy of what didn't have a wait and what might be affordable. We finally decided on a place O'Brien's Pub. The food was ok, the service was not. 

We walked back to the room and L went to bed since she had worked the night before. Hope and I watched tv until about 9 and then headed to bed. I felt tired but I did not sleep. AT ALL. I spent the entire night tossing and turning and don't think I got more than an hour of rest in the whole 9+ hours I was in bed.

Race Day

Obviously I was awake before the alarm went off at 6:15. The race started at 7:30, but the plan was to get a cup of coffee and small breakfast from the lobby and then walk over around 7. I had the most delicious cheese coffee cake. We walked over at 7, and it seemed like it was going to be a cold day and I was a bit sad I had not packed arm sleeves.

We arrived at the start at 7:15 and decided to use the bathroom even though we had all just gone before leaving the hotel. We timed it perfectly, the National Anthem was playing right as we walked up to the start line.

Start line

We had been given a hand drawn map of the course in our race packet, but none of us had really bothered to look at it. I did know that there was an out and back in the beginning, but what I didn't really think about is WHERE the out and back was. Turns out we had to run up Main Street, which was a big hill. We saw L running towards us (can you spot the neon??):

She yells "Ross is here!" Ross is the old guy that lives near us that is also at all the races. I was surprised to hear that he was at this race since he had run it before and there were other races happening this weekend.

We got to the turnaround and then got to run DOWN the hill, which was nice. But then... we looped back UP on the parallel dirt road that our hotel was on. We didn't head out of town until after the second mile and we were pleasantly surprised to realize that we were not going to be running on asphalt! As you can see, there was a decent ascent in the beginning - I took this around mile 2.5 and we had started on the roads below:

Neither Hope nor I was wearing headphones so we just chatted the entire time, enjoying the views.

The marathon course was an out and back, starting in Ridgway. Their entire first half was a gradual uphill. Didn't look fun. I did, however, recognize two people on the course. The assistant to the race director of the Grand Mesa ultra I just ran a few weeks ago, and Lisa, the woman I ran most of the first 12 miles with on that same course. Such a small world in the running community!

The gradual downhill REALLY helped our pace and Hope kept commenting that we were pretty regularly running sub 11 minute  miles, which for US is pretty speedy!! We were both feeling good for once! We even stopped to take pictures - how could you not with these amazing views!?

Somewhere around mile 10 I suggested that we have a goal to pass at least 10 people before the race was over. We managed to do that within probably the next five minutes. We must have been pacing pretty well because the only time anyone passed us on the back part of the course were the really fast marathoners.

I took this picture at the base of the only major hill at the end of the course at mile 11:

Around mile 12.5 we walked a bit as it seems our faster pace caught up with Hope. We crested the top of a small hill and we booked it, finally passed the women with the stroller (small victories, people).

MMR Time - 2:30:40
MMR Distance - 13.39
MMR Pace - 11:15
Official Time - 2:30:41
Official Pace - 11:31
Overall Place - 384/505
Gender Place - 225/324
Division Place - 34/41
Mile 1 - 12:22
Mile 2 - 12:11
Mile 3 - 12:04
Mile 4 - 10:28
Mile 5 - 11:36
Mile 6 - 10:31
Mile 7 - 11:29
Mile 8- 11:38
Mile 9 - 9:53 (WHAT)
Mile 10 - 10:43
Mile 11 - 10:14
Mile 12 - 12:37
Mile 13 - 10:49
Mile 13.39 - 8:36 (Double WHAT)

We had to take a shuttle back from Ridgway to Ouray. There was apparently only one so we had to wait about 10 minutes, which gave me time to slam half a beer. We had time to all shower and we were out the door by 11:30. We chose NOT to take the scenic route on the way back. Hope's husband and daughter had been watching the kids and we picked them up around 6:15.

Thoughts:

• I loved our super bright "be seen from space" outfits.
• I would highly recommend this race. Everything was very well organized - there was a bonus 6th aid station and I never felt like they were spaced too far apart. All but one had m&m's, gummy bears and pretzels. 
• The race was not very expensive and came with a tech tee (unfortunately the smallest size still too big for me) and a medal.
• The course was on dirt and had beautiful views.
• I never had any issues with my calves!! I really think it helps when we have a few super slow "warm up"miles in the beginning to loosen up the legs.