A Walk in the Woods on Facebook!

I'm off work today.  It was supposed to be a day to spend with the kids, but whilst they're running around playing on the Wii, their bikes, etc, I'm sat on the sofa with a tissue shoved up my nose (sorry TMI)!  In typical "sod's law" fashion, we are due to go away to the Lake District on Saturday for a week of fell walking and yes, I'm getting sick!  In addition to that I've had two unscheduled rest days, in all likelihood it will now be three to four and I'm worried that whatever this is won't shift before we leave for our holiday!

So, I don't know if it's the cold medicine talking, but this morning I created a Facebook page for A Walk in the Woods.  You can "LIKE" it by clicking on the link over here ----->

What's even more bizarre is that I've just invited umpteen of my friends to Like the page, which means if those friends visit my blog everybody will know how much I weigh!  Normally I would cringe at this thought, I'm not happy advertising those digits, but then it occurred to me - I've lost 54 pounds!  That's not something to be ashamed of!

I'm coming clean, I guess.  Admitting to all whom I know in social networking that, yes, I was a great big fat thing - but this time I've cracked it!  Not only have I found the key to losing weight (for me), but also discovered some fantastic activities that will help me maintain that loss.  OK - I haven't reached my ultimate goal yet - but I know I can reach it and more importantly, I know I will!  Another thought that occurred to me was that there may be other friends of mine who are interested in getting fit or losing weight and don't know where to start.  Maybe, in some small way, they would be inspired by something I've written.  So - to all of my Facebook friends reading this, thanks for visiting :-)

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Last night I had another crazy idea (seriously, what do they put in this cold medicine?!).  I want to try to play a team sport.  This may not sound like a crazy idea - but my experience of team sports was limited to trying out (and failing) for the middle-school volleyball team.  When I was in school, I was not interested in sports at all, in fact I loathed them - I avoided them at all costs.  Why I chose to try out for volleyball, I'm not sure.  I did enjoy it and I was disappointed that I didn't make the team - whether making the team would have changed my view of sports I don't know.

My husband on the other hand is an all rounder!  He has played, at any given time in his life, in football teams (that's soccer to all you Americans!), cricket teams, badminton, squash, etc.  He's one of those annoying people who seems to be good at whatever sport he tries (hopefully he's reading this!).  I, in stark contrast, don't seem to be much use at any sport - but I figured this is because I've never really tried!  So, last night I asked him to teach me a bit of Badminton.

Badminton is fascinating to me - I watched the players on the Olympics and were just staggered at the speed of play.  I'm not for a second thinking that I would ever be able to get to that sort of speed or standard, but aside from flicking a shuttlecock around the garden, I'd like to learn how to play properly. The husband has agreed to book us a badminton court and he's going to teach me (he will need some serious patience!) and then I'm going to look at joining our little village badminton club.  Watch this space for news and embarrassing pictures...

So now what will I do?!

So the Olympics have finished.  Done.  Great Britain finished third on the medal table, which considering the population of the two countries who finished first and second, compared with the population of Britain - is pretty amazing.  I may have been born in America, but for the past two weeks I've been very proud to be British.  So now that the games are done - what on earth will I watch on TV?!

I'm actually not that much of a telly addict.  All the exercise and blogging gets in the way!  I'm much more of a blog addict than a TV addict, but I suppose having the Olympics in the background for the last two weeks has become so much the norm that I'm starting to wonder what on earth I did before!

This weekend has been quite busy - not filled with anything particularly exciting, per se, just normal stuff that never gets done.  On Saturday morning, for example, I proceeded to clean the stove with all those special stainless steel and glass cleaners you buy but never use!  It was sparkling.  My mom would have been proud.  Then I decided to organise my jewellry.  It had all been chucked into a bowl and necklaces were tangled, etc.  I have these lovely necklace and earring stands that were literally gathering dust in my bedroom - well, now dusted off and voila - organised bliss!

Clearly, dusting behind the organised necklaces was not part of the plan!

In fact, I did so much cleaning and organising on Saturday, I started to think I might be pregnant and 'nesting'!!!

I did my 5k training on Friday evening and Sunday evening.  Friday was a 28 minute run, and Sunday was a 22 minute run.  Both were quite hard work.  I'm not sure why, but I felt quite sluggish during both runs.  I did have relatively big meals before both runs, but left sufficient time between eating and exercising.  It may have been the heat - this weekend has been a real scorcher for England.  Either way, I just didn't feel my best.  My pace wasn't bad though - it's gradually improving  and that's what counts.

I got a little bit freaked out because I have a 5k race coming up on 31st August - my first 'proper' 5k race!  Anyway, I looked online at the finishing times for previous races and they are ridiculously fast - seriously, the slowest person to finish was like a 70 year old women who finished in 35 minutes!  I'm actually starting to worry that I may have bitten off more than I can chew!  Part of my says "Go on - do it!  It doesn't matter if you finish last, the point is that you finished!".  But another part of me is saying "Are you crazy?!  Do you want to finish behind a 70 year old woman?!".  I'm seriously torn, but I'm not making any decisions right now.

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So, speaking of TV.  Melinda over at Does this scale make me look fat has a blog hop and the question this week is:

What is your TV guilty pleasure?

Hmmmm.... having just said earlier that I don't watch that much TV, I guess I should probably clarify that!  I do watch a lot of TV shows on DVD.  This is mainly because I like to watch something just before I go to bed and - confession time - I do like to watch the same episodes and series quite a lot.  A friend of mine recently introduced me to Big Bang Theory and I have to say that I absolutely love it.  In a weird way, it sort of reminds me of high school.  I was always friends with the science geeks, and not being particularly intellectual myself, I always felt a bit like the Penny in the group - the eye candy!  Ha!  Anyway - I love Big Bang Theory.  Sheldon is without doubt my favourite.  For those of you who watch it, I love 'Soft Kitty' and I love the fact that Sheldon calls his grandma 'memaw' (I called my grandma 'mamaw' - so I relate!).

OK, that's my confession - now it's your turn!  Join in the blog hop - it's a great way to get new readers for your blog!

A new respect for walking

I've been so focused on 5k training lately that walking has taken a bit of a backseat.  I still love walking, and will be doing a lot of it when we go to the Lake District later in the month.  But, because I've literally fallen in love with running - every time I go out to exercise, it has been to run.  I suppose what it comes down to, is that I started to think that walking (compared to running) is the easy option.

I can honestly now say that I was wrong.  This morning, we did what we've been doing for the last two weeks - watched the Olympics!  I noticed that the finish of the Men's 50k Walk was on - yes - that's right 50k (or 31 miles)!!!  Not being familiar with racewalking, I googled it.  Basically, one foot has to maintain contact with the ground at all times.  In order to do this and to maintain a race speed they propel their pelvises forward and this gives them a unique little 'wiggle'!

I was a bit skeptical at first ("Walking, an Olympic sport?!"), but when these dudes started crossing the finish line, I knew this was no joke.  Man, after man crossed the finish line and collapsed into a heap.  Olympians were literally being carted away in wheelchairs as their bodies gave in from exhaustion.  I was hazard a guess that 80% of the men who finished either collapsed, or 'wobbled' and needed assistance.  What those men will feel like tomorrow is anybody's guess, but suffice it to say I think any amount of muscle soreness, blisters, or any pain we mere mortals have experienced in our fitness journeys probably doesn't even come close!

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I've been thinking the past few days about inspiration.  I've been inspired by so many people in the blogging community - ordinary people, like me, with families and jobs and busy lives - who have done extraordinary things in terms of weight loss and fitness.  I'm really grateful to have that inspiration - in fact I would go so far as to say that I wouldn't have got this far in my journey without it.

But these last couple of weeks watching the Olympics, I've found myself with renewed inspiration.  This time the inspiration comes from the extraordinary people - the Olympians.  The people who literally personify fitness. I suppose it comes down to the fact that Olympians prove that anything is possible if you work hard enough.

So, the next time I'm out for a run (or a walk!) and my body is hurting, I'm struggling to catch my breath, and I want to give up, I'm going to think about those amazing racewalkers - literally pushing themselves with everything that is within them to finish.

A Worthy LadyLike Challenge

I've been inspired to share a challenge with you from Abby at Back At Square Zero.  Abby noticed a quote in this month's Fitness magazine

"Women try to one-up each other when it comes to weight, looks and clothes.  Men compete over money and salary." 

This quote really struck home with me, as I know that I have had particularly unhealthy friendships in the past where the focus has been "who is the skinniest", "who has the nicest clothes" and "who is the prettiest".  All these comparisons only serve one purpose: to bring us down!

I've written previously on why I utterly loathe going to the gym - precisely for this reason.  I'm constantly comparing myself to others and in turn feeling like an utter failure!  In addition to affecting my confidence - I found myself judging others!  I don't know what it is that makes us compare ourselves with others in this way, but we definitely need to focus more on the positives, rather than the negatives!  For me, the gym environment breeds these thoughts in my head, which is why I avoid it!

Instead of competing against each other, we need to encourage each other!  This is one of the reasons why I love the blogging community SO much - because it enables me to interact with others in a positive way! 

Abby has posted a challenge this week and I wanted to share it with all of you.  The challenge is:

1. Compliment a stranger – You can do this in person (while running errands, at the gym, etc.) or leave a note (on a dinner check, a post-it stuck to a mirror, etc.).
2. Compliment a friend – Call them up, send a letter, or do it in person.
3. Compliment yourself – Sit down and think – What is it that I do well? What do I love about myself? Then say it out loud and remind yourself of it on a regular.

Abby suggests we do all three by the end of the week (so, end of Sunday) and then reflect on how it made us feel - focusing on lifting others (and ourselves) up instead of putting each other down.  I think this is such a worthy challenge and as Abby says - what a wonderful world this would be if everyone lived like this!

So this is my challenge to myself and to all reading this post!

I hope everyone has a fantastic rest of the week and enjoy the remainder of the Olympics!

GOLD!

Today has been a good day!  I'm on a high after my successful 5k run yesterday, and SO many positive words of encouragement from all of you and from everyone on the Marathon Weight Loss Challenge board on Facebook.  You guys are all AWESOME!  It also occurred to me what a wonderful thing we are all witnessing here in our little blogging community...all over the world loads of people are taking their lives back and getting super fit!  Don't you think this is absolutely amazing?!  I am loving reading about people who not only have lost vast amounts of weight, but also people who just decided one day to start running.

I can't take credit for finding this video - but it's very inspiring.  Adam over at The Boring Runner posted it just before the 5k...

I am also on a high today because my favourite tennis player, Andy Murray, has just won the gold medal in the men's singles final!  I actually stood up and screamed when he won!  He is now playing for the mixed doubles gold medal - so hopefully today will be double gold!

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This morning, I made cupcakes.  I haven't made cupcakes in a while - and actually today was the first Sunday when we've had a proper English roast dinner in weeks.  Today it was roast lamb and the cupcakes for dessert.  They were glorious, as expected - but it's amazing to think that in one little cake there is lurking over 500 calories!  Yikes!  Nice for an occasional treat, but definitely not an every day dessert!

Sprinkles make everything better!

I did go out for a run today.  I was toying with the idea of having a rest day, but Sunday is normally always my first run day of the week, so I wanted to stick with the training programme.  I'm now on week 8 of the 5k training and am running continuously now - it's just a matter of working on endurance and speed.  I can't believe that I've now effectively "graduated" into running after only 8 weeks!  It's pretty amazing that your body can adapt so quickly!

Today's run was short - 5 minute warm up walk, 20 minutes running, 5 minutes cool down walk.  I was pleased that my pace has actually picked up too!  Seeing all the 5k race times yesterday had me in awe and wonder - some people ran 5k in 20 minutes - that's less than half my time!  So today I really made an effort to increase my pace but without wearing myself out.  This is definitely what I need to concentrate on going forward.

The weekend is nearly over, but I can honestly say it's been a blast!  I hope you've all had a fabulous weekend too!

Sweating my thorns off 5k race report

Today is probably a day I'll remember for a long time, because for the first time in my life I ran 3.1 miles!  I cannot even believe that just a little over seven weeks ago I was a walker, not a runner.  I had tried running previously, but gave up quickly because it was hard work.  Discovering the C25K programme changed all of that and I discovered - hey, I can run!  I just want to say a special thank you to Adam at The Boring Runner for hosting the Sweat Your Thorns Off 5k virtual race!  He really gave me the motivation I needed to just get out there and do it!

So, this morning came and went and the weather here has been up and down - raining one minute, sunny the next.  I looked at the forecast and decided that I would do the race later in the afternoon.  I had lunch and then wanted to wait at least two hours after that for the race.  I drank a lot of water this morning to make sure I was properly hydrated - which means I literally spent most of the morning in the toilet! sorry TMI!  3:30pm came and I headed out.

I decided to start by walking one loop of the field next to our house - this was my warm up because I didn't want to start the run totally cold.  In all my 5k training, I've always started with a 5 minute warm up walk and I think this is an excellent idea.  I finished that quickly and soon it was time to push the start button!  The first part of the run for me is always the hardest.  My body is getting used to the motion, I'm finding my stride - it probably takes nearly a mile before I start to feel "comfortable" and where my breathing isn't quite so laboured.

I ran my usual loop, but dipped down some side roads - one which provided a full additional small loop and one that I literally just ran up and ran down.  The weather was quite hot all of the sudden and the sun was baking down on my back.  I started to really feel drained around mile 2.3.  I got a mild stitch in my side, so slowed my pace way down and tried to focus on my breathing.  Having checked my distance, I knew I could keep going, so just tried to keep focused.

When I was nearly home, I saw my husband drive past me in the car with my son in the back.  He slowed down and my son was waving frantically cheering me on!  It was a fantastic sight!  Actually throughout the whole run, every person I passed along the way offered a smile.

My official time was 42:33, which I don't think was bad for my first ever 5k attempt, and now means I have an official time to beat!

Gimme 5!  I sweated my thorns off!

I would just like to thank everyone for their support and encouragement, I really could not have done it without you!  I also want to thank God for giving me muscle in my legs and air in my lungs (and an iron-will determination to finish it!), my kids and husband for encouraging me always, my Asics for never letting me down and the Black Eyed Peas on my iPod for encouraging me to pump it!

I'm reading more and more reports of others who have participated in this race, so well done to everyone.  Laura at Spicing Up My Life completed hers this morning - well done Laura!!!  I'm looking forward to reading about everyone else's experiences soon :-)

I'm such a loser!

I wanted to just do a very quick post today because I had a sneaky midweek weigh in this morning and discovered that I'm firmly OFF the plateau and back onto a losing streak - WOOOHOOO!  I'm down another 2.3 pounds and I'm SO excited because this means I'm finally out of the 190's!

There are three factors that I can attribute this loss to:-

1. I haven't had any Pimm's this week
2. I have upped my calories to 1632 allowed per day.  I'm still struggling to reach this most days, however I'm averaging between 1450-1600.
3. I've been having a Click Protein shake every day at about 3pm

About Click... It really is not 'clicking' with me, but I'm drinking it more out of necessity than anything.  I struggle with mid-afternoon energy dips and also felt it would be a good way of getting a few more calories and a lot more protein into my diet.  I'm now on the lookout for a good plain chocolate flavoured protein shake because I'm not loving the Mocha flavoured Click.  It's a shame because I did think that a mid afternoon iced Mocha would be lovely, but I just can't get used to the flavour!

Today has been a fab day with that weigh in this morning, but I'm very worried for my virtual 5k race tomorrow because my throat is seriously feeling itchy and scratchy, so I hope I'm not coming down with something!  I'm due to run again this evening and will see how I feel afterwards before I decide whether or not to go through with the 5k race tomorrow.

So, I have been thinking about goals recently.  I think I mentioned previously that I had a goal to walk 500 miles so my sister in law could sing that song by The Proclaimers to me!  Well, I'm going to do it!  I'm up to 178 miles for the year already, which leaves 322 left.  There are 21 full weeks left in the year which works out at 15.33 miles per week - or just over 2.5 miles per day with a day's rest.  Between my regular walking and running I think this is wholly achievable - so this is my goal for the end of 2012!

I know Melinda at Does This Scale Make Me Look Fat has set some goals for August - you can read about them here.  What are your goals for the remainder of the year?