Week 1 of pre-training get fit and healthy!

I would like to start checking in on Sundays, but we will see. :-) Here is my final update for the week.

Nutrition- Finished 4 full days of Whole 30 and the only cheat I had was Jeff wanted to celebrate an accomplishment at work and brought home ice cream. :-) I had a tiny bit. The rest of the time I have stuck to proteins, fruits, veggies, nuts, and healthy fats like avocado! I have had sweet potatoes and eggs 3 out of the 4 mornings and I have not been hungry and the weight is melting off like it always does when I get rid of grains and dairy. My body just does not do well with them and I need to accept it.

Exercise- I have been running, but not very much. When I do it is following low hr. My monitor seems to jump around even when I don't feel any change, so that is a little frustrating! But, I am enjoying not being as stressed about getting miles in. I ran just under 20 miles, but I also did 2 strength training workouts- one of them Jillian Michaels, played basketball, and did clogging! Oh, and don't forget about Bikram Yoga! This week I want to try short yoga at least 3 times.

Sleep- Jeff and I planned on getting in bed at 9:45 but it only happened once this week. I will do better this week.

MAF Test #1

I am going to try to track my progress a little better than normal. :-) Today, I was able to talk my friend Kirsten into doing the baseline MAF test. The standard formula is 180-age which would be 144 for me. Then there are a few places that say to add 5 points if you have been working out consistently without recurring injury. I decided I fall into that category, so the number I am aiming for is 149. For the next 12 weeks I will do all I can to stay below that number and work aerobically. Today was interesting because my heart rate started in the low 130's for the warmup mile but then it jumped to 185. I am not sure what was going on, but my heart was definitely NOT beating that fast. I am not sure if it was confused by Kirsten's heart rate monitor, but it seemed to level out a few times. So, these are not super accurate results but they will have to do for now. :-)

Mile 1 warmup- 10:56- hr 149 (I know this is wrong! It was downhill and kept jumping to 180's
Mile 2- first test mile around neighborhood- 10:49- hr-144
Mile 3- on the track 10:22, hr- 143
Mile 4- on the track 10:19, hr-148- this is an almost perfect mile
Mile 5- on the track 10:53 hr- 146
Mile 6- partly on track, partly in neighborhood slight incline, 11:30, hr 146
Mile-.19 cool down 11:37, hr 147

Well, this was an interesting first test. I hope I can figure out my watch better, but for now was a good start. I love the numbers. We will see how tomorrow goes. Jeff says he is willing to run slow with me. I hope it doesn't kill him. :-)

My New Plan- Hooray!!

Alright, it is time to suck it up and do it! I have always wanted to devote a full 12 weeks to low heart rate training to build my base, and now is the time. I don't think I have anything to lose.  I have exactly 12 weeks until speedwork of Hanson's starts for the Northwest Pacific Marathon on May 2nd. I am spending this 12 weeks following Phil Maffetone's formula of 180-age and I am going to add 5 beats because I have already been training. My heart rate max is higher than most people, so I don't know if I really fit into this formula, but I am going to try it anyway and see how it goes.

I also feel strongly that I need to follow the Whole 30 again while I do this. I want to train my body to burn more fats and I think this is the way to do it.

Tomorrow will be my initial 5 mile test on a treadmill and I will retest every 4 weeks to see how I am doing and will do one more right before I start Hanson's.

Jeff has agreed to run slow with me on Tues, Thurs, and Sat and I am hoping to get others involved on the other days, but if I can't I will have my treadmill and I am buying a new Shuffle today to celebrate. I worked hard this year!!

Yeah!!!

Getting Ready for the Best year yet- 2015!

Well, I guess I should recap how my summer went and then get going with my plans!

Whole 30 was great and I felt better than I have ever felt. I got down to my wedding weight (even a little less) and was enjoying the new energy and confidence it brought me! Unfortunately, Crossfit was not for me, but Jeff loves it and continues to see progress by going 3 times a week! Jeff and I went to Brazil in June and we had a fabulous time and even kept up with the running, just in case I decided to run a marathon in September. Ultimately I decided to run the half and wait on the marathon.

Jeff and I also ran Hood to Coast together in August. The first and last legs were some of the best running I have ever done! My goal was to average under 8 minute miles for the whole 17 miles.

Leg 1- Around a 7:10 average for 5.5 miles, with 2 of the miles being sub-7! It was a downhill leg, but I was still surprised I could make my legs go that fast! I ran a 5k pr and still had to run another 2 1/2 miles after I was finished!

Leg 2- Tough leg with tired legs :-) but I am proud of myself for not giving up. I averaged just over 8 minute miles for 6 miles.

Leg 3- I expected my legs to feel worse, so I didn't think I would get my goal. I also knew there was a steady uphill for most of the last mile, to end with a downhill for the last quarter mile. I surprised myself when I looked down and saw I was running sub-8 minute miles. I felt fantastic!! So, my slowest mile was that uphill one at an 8:30 pace. I passed 25 people on this leg! I felt like a real runner!

So, then going into my half marathon, I was hoping that I could PR with a 1:45. I will admit I wasn't training as hard as I had been, and my eating was going downhill. :-) I had gained a few pounds and just didn't feel as strong. I was still hopeful after a great Hood to Coast. I started a little slower since it started uphill, but I never got the burst I thought I would. It was a little more hilly than I realized it would be and was a little warmer than I like. In the end, I fought hard for a 1:50, which is still a great time and I am proud of it!

Now, I have been switching things up and taking a little break from running. I have been doing Bikram Yoga and I want to do more strength training. I signed up for the Pacific Northwest Marathon on May 2nd and my goal is to PR in all distances in 2015! I think that is a great goal! So, I have 12 weeks to get in shape. Jeff and I just started a challenge today. My focus is on my eating and strength training. I am not focusing on a number for my weight, but I need to feel light and strong by January. :-)

I will try to update how it is going. I am also considering doing low heart rate training. Either way, I will be building my base!