AM: 9/15/14

Hello and happy Monday!

Last week was a doozy and I'm just so happy to have a new week. It's time to hit the reset button- especially with my grazing, out-of-control eating patterns that re-emerged this week. I am stressed at work and stressed about my foot. And because my foot has been acting up, I haven't been as active as I was all through the summer. I am hopeful that the MRI this Wednesday will shed some light on what's going on, how to fix it, and how to lessen the pain. I ran the Divas Half Marathon DC yesterday and it did not go as planned- but we finished! And it was Jen's first half! Stay tuned for the recap later this week.

Training:
Monday- Rest day
Tuesday- 45 minute run
Wednesday- Rest day
Thursday- 45 minute run
Friday- Rest day
Saturday- Divas Half Marathon with Jen
Sunday- Rest day

Total: 20.4 miles

Nutrition:
Panera Chai Tea Lattes, beef brisket, pulled pork, Nutella milkshakes, cereal for breakfast, french fries, wine, Starbucks coffees, KIND bars, and smoked chicken thighs. That's all I have to say about #eatallthefoods week.

BUT! I will say that I did pretty awesome during Thursday Night Football. Football games are pretty tough for me as they typically revolve around food. However, I made a huge plate of fruit, veggies, and cheese with a few greek yogurt dips to snack on in addition to the turkey chili Matthew and I made for dinner. Though I ate more than I usually do on a Thursday night, it's nowhere near what I used to eat during a football game.

Skinny Vanilla Latte, Special K Cereal, Veggies galore, crazy-good carb loading before Saturday's half.

Weight-loss:
155.2 as of 9/10/14 weigh-in.
-.4 from last week.
-35.2 since January 2013.
-46.8 since heaviest; 202 in 2005.

A new week starts today! Let's get after it!


QOTD: What's your favorite part about Monday?

Accountability Tuesday: 9/2/14

Good morning! Welcome to the post-Labor Day accountability check-in!

I hope you had a great holiday and are ready to make it an awesome September. I'm a little sad that the summer is officially over but I'm looking forward to the fall for many reasons; cooler weather, pumpkin flavored everything, and lots of fun half marathons on our race calendar.

So, how did this week go? Well, better than last week. I was back to my regular routine and felt like I could better control my eating and the spaces around me. That is...until I went home for the weekend. We went to a winery, had two cookouts, and went out to eat multiple times. I tracked all but Labor Day- and I just grazed all day long (I entered 30 PPV for the day). I'm starting this week with -11 PPV. And I'm ok with that. It's been a slightly-off weekend but I am happy to be getting back on track this week.

Training:
Monday- Walked 2.27 miles
Tuesday- 45 minute run
Wednesday- Rest day
Thursday- 45 minute track workout
Friday- 10.42 mile run with Jen
Saturday- Walked Color Vibe 5k
Sunday- 4 mile run with Dad

Total: 27.08 miles

Nutrition:
This week I did so much better with fueling for the long run. Since I was running 10 miles with Jen on Friday night after a full day of work, I knew I needed to eat well throughout the day. For lunch I went to Panera and got a Mediterranean Flatbread Sandwich and Chicken Noodle Soup. The sandwich is a little higher in PPV than I usually eat (11) but I knew it had a great mix of protein and carbohydrates that would keep me full without making me feel too stuffed. I also had a salad from Wendy's (Apple Pecan) about two hours before the run. The result? I only had a handful of sport beans 30 minutes before the run and didn't get hungry for the over two hours we were running. Success.

Apple Pecan Salad, obligatory vineyard shot, doughnuts involved in the "grazing" day, and Panera goodness.

Weight-loss:
156.2 as of 8/27/14 weigh-in.
-1 from last week.
-33.4 since January 2013.
-44.6 since heaviest: 202 in 2005.

Update on August goals:
As part of the instagram #TeamrunDisney August photo challenge, I set out some specific goals for the month.

PS- You can follow me on ig @sparklyrunner :-)

So... I met one of these goals. I actually ran 90 miles in the month of August. :-)

I lost 4.4 pounds and ran my Akron Marathon leg training run (3.9 miles) in 43:42. But September is a new month and I'm confident I can set and accomplish some new goals for fall... whenever I figure out what they are.

By the way, summer has historically been the worst season for me in terms of weight-loss. I have ALWAYS gained over the summer- featuring all my favorite foods and the mentality of being on "vacation," summer has always been a struggle for me. BUT, this year I actually lost 10.6 pounds from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Here's to hoping the fall season will be just as fruitful!

QOTD: What are you most looking forward to about the fall season?

AM: 8/25/14

I'm back!!!!!

I feel like I've been in the twilight zone for the last few days! It was new student move-in and orientation at the university I work for this past week and I've worked the last seven days straight- including a few 16 hour days. Plus, we celebrated Matthew's birthday and we attended a "welcome back" picnic at work- lots of food and weird hours!

My eating and working out routines were totally disrupted and I am feeling kinda crappy about how this week ended up. I did get my five workouts in and I did get to a Weight Watchers meeting this week but I went waaaaaaay over my points and started this week with a balance of -27. Boo. And my weight stayed exactly the same as last week. Double boo.

Training:
Monday- 2 mile walk
Tuesday- 45 minute run
Wednesday- 20 minute toning band DVD
Thursday- 45 minute run
Friday- Rest day
Saturday- 9 mile run, 12:29 pace
Sunday- Rest day

Total mileage: 18.8 miles

Nutrition:
This week's nutrition was all over the place. I ate quite a few times at our campus dining hall including midnight breakfast- it was pretty delicious; I haven't had a hash brown patty in months!

I was able to sneak down to Panera between work events and grab a full sized Napa Almond Chicken Salad Sandwich. It was the perfect blend of protein, carbs, and yum to help fuel me through a busy week.

For Matthew's birthday, we ate at a ridiculously good barbecue place, Redd's Smokehouse BBQ in Carlisle, PA. The portions were so big that I actually got THREE full meals out of one dinner. And it was completely worth the points.

Breakfast, mint chocolate whoopie pies, dining hall salads, BBQ, and Napa Almond Chicken Salad.

Weight-loss:

157.2 pounds as of 8/19/14 weigh-in.

-0 from last week.

-33.2 since January 2013.

-43.6 since heaviest: 202 in 2005.

Update on summer goals:
At the beginning of June, my Weight Watchers leader had us write down our goals for the summer and I'm happy to report that I've met all three-

• Weigh 160 pounds or less.
• Earn at least 20 Activity Points each week.
• Attend a Weight Watchers meeting each week.

No matter what the scale looks like on Wednesday (my weigh-in day) from this crazy week I've had, I am proud of what I've been able to accomplish this summer. This is the first summer in a long time where I felt like I was able to stay on track, both with eating and exercising, and I am hopeful the fall season will be just as productive and healthy.

QOTD: What word would you use to describe your summer?

AM: 8/18/14

Happy Monday, y'all!

It's time for another dose of accountability. I cannot believe that summer is almost over! It feels like it just started! As some of you know, I work on a college campus and all of our students move in this week which means it's the beginning of my busiest time of year. I am hopeful the habits I've been able to set during the last few months will help me cruise through this fall semester without any gains on the scale or losses in training.

Let's get to how this week played out-

Training:

Monday- 2 mile fast run in my new Sparkle Skirt!10:25 pace

Tuesday- 45 minute speed workout on the treadmill

Wednesday- 30 minute Pilates DVD

Thursday- easy hour run, 5.15 miles

Friday- Rest day

Saturday- 2.5 mile walk

Sunday- 5k in 33:25

Total mileage: 16.9 miles

Nutrition:

After the awesome week I had last week with lots of cooking, there wasn't enough time to do that this week. Though I still made good choices, I wish I'd had more time to cook healthy meals at home. 

I did get to spend some quality time at Panera on Saturday morning with a Power Breakfast Sandwich and a Chai Tea Latte. Totally worth the 14 PPV. And the sandwich powered me through a nice cross-training walk on Saturday while keeping me full until lunch. You should definitely try it the next time you're there for breakfast.

I have been eating TONS of summer fruits; the Crab Topped Chicken from Olive Garden is fabulous;
and Panera never disappoints.

Weight-loss:

157.2 pounds as of 8/13/14 weigh-in.

-.6 from last week.

-33.2 since January 2013.

-43.6 since heaviest: 202 in 2005.

Other cool things:

• I got to lead #wwchat on Wednesday and it was so awesome! If you tweet, check it out on Wednesdays at 8 pm. Just use the hashtag #wwchat to find us on twitter.
• On Sunday, I got a call from the President and Founder of Enell, Renelle Braaten. For real, THE PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER OF ENELL CALLED ME ON THE PHONE! I just about died from excitement! We chatted for the better part of an hour and she is the most wonderful, down-to-earth woman who has such great things to say about how Enell is empowering women through a sports bra. And of course, we talked and laughed about boobs, sports, and men. She's my new favorite person :-)
• Yesterday I ran the Boordy Vineyards 5k again.  I was 15 pounds lighter and ran it in 30 seconds better than last year. I love seeing tangible results from training!

That's all for this week! Stay tuned for a fun race recap coming later this week!

QOTD: How was your week?

AM: 8/11/14

Happy Monday!

This was a great week so let's get right to a dose of accountability!

Training:
Monday- 5.13 mile easy run
Tuesday- Speed workout at the track, 4.28 miles
Wednesday- 30 minute Pilates DVD
Thursday- 45 minute easy run, 3.87 miles
Friday- Rest day
Saturday- 10k race + 2 miles
Sunday- 2 mile walk

21.5 total miles

It feels GREAT to have a week above 20 miles again! I think I'm ready for Goofy Challenge training to ramp up!

Nutrition:
After having a slight gain last week, I wanted to change things up a bit this week. I went back through all my old Weight Watchers recipe books and tried a few interesting dinners that turned out pretty well. Even Matthew liked them :-)

Stuffed Tomatoes, Balsamic Glazed Salmon, Curry Pork and Pineapple, Southwest Sloppy Joes. Yum.

Because we had a race on Saturday, I tried to properly fuel and hydrate on Friday. Enter Panera's Napa Almond Chicken Salad Sandwich and Garden Vegetable with Pesto Soup. I'd never had the chicken salad before and absolutely loved it. It might be my new favorite!

Weight-loss:
157.8 pounds as of 7/30/14 weigh-in.
-2.8 from last week.
-32.6 since January 2013.
-44.2 since heaviest: 202 in 2005.

I'M UNDER 160! :-)

FYI- I haven't been under 160 in at least 10 years so this is exciting. I even ordered a Sparkle Skirt to reward myself- it's the one I posted about here. I had been waiting until I was under 160 to order the skirt- in fact, this was one of my goals that I wanted to reach by the end of summer. In the past, I would reward my weight loss with a cheat meal- usually fast food. How bizarre is that? To reward yourself with food for losing weight? But, those patterns are slowly fading away as I have been rewarding myself differently this time around. I can't wait to try out my new skirt this weekend! This feels so much better than rewarding myself with food :-)

All smiles after reaching a weight-loss milestone.

QOTD: How do you reward yourself when you reach a goal?

AM: 8/4/14

Good morning and happy Monday!

Some days, this is the best way to describe weight-loss:

Source.

Yup, I was up again (.6) after a pretty good week. Luckily, my #wwchat tweeps know just what to say to help me press on for another week- "it's all part of the process." So, we are moving on! 

Since it's the beginning of a new month, I've got some new goals I want to work on:

• Run my Akron Marathon Relay split in 42 minutes- that's about 10:40 minute miles.
• Run 80 miles. July's total was 64.85.
• Lose five more pounds. This one might be challenging- I lost 3.8 in June and 2.4 in July so five pounds in just four weeks is ambitious for me and my slow metabolism.

With Akron right around the corner, I'll be kicking up the training and the speed workouts this month. Let's hope that translates into some losses at the scale :-)

Training:

Monday- 30 minutes of laps in the apartment pool

Tuesday- 45 minute speed workout at the track

Wednesday- 30 minute cardio dance DVD

Thursday- 45 minute run

Friday- Rest day

Saturday- 3 mile trail run

Sunday- 60 minute at-home walking DVD

Nutrition: 

This week was a bit all over the place. We went out of town this past weekend and that resulted in lots of eating out and going through all my weekly and activity points for the week. In fact, right now I'm in the negative. Boo. But, I had some delicious food and I am happy with how I choose to spend my points.

I regret nothing. 

I was famished on Wednesday after I worked out and went to my Weight Watcher's meeting. So I went to Panera and grabbed a You Pick Two: Caesar Salad and Garden Vegetable with Pesto Soup. I scarfed it down so quickly that I forgot to grab a picture. But it was delicious! I don't normally like vegetable soup, but this one has great flavor. 

Weight-loss:
160.6 pounds as of 7/30/14 weigh-in.
+.6 from last week.
-28.4 since January 2013.
-41.4 since heaviest: 202 in 2005.

Monday Bonus! So, if you follow me on social media then you may already know- I've been selected as an Enell Ambassador! I'll write much more about it this week- I am just so excited to "officially" represent a company that changed my life and helped make me a runner. 

Another Monday Bonus! I went zip-lining this weekend and didn't cry- not even once! I have this awesome habit of crying when I'm scared, or mad, or happy, or upset, basically, anytime my emotions are heightened. Think Kristen Bell and sloths. But zip-lining was really fun and most important, I survived :-)

QOTD: How was your week/weekend?

AM: 7/28/14

Hello and happy Monday!

If you follow me on facebook or twitter, then you already know- I had a big loss on the scale this week: 3.4 pounds! Your body can be super weird when you're trying to lose weight. Last week, I gained unexpectedly and this week I lost a heck of a lot more than anticipated- usually I only lose .5 to 1 pound a week. I'm really proud of myself for not letting a gain throw me off- the "old" me would have probably spiraled out of control and ended up gaining more. I think I'm finally starting to have a better relationship with food. 

In other news, I got a great treat in the mail- a Panera gift card from the Akron Marathon and Panera! As part of Team Panera, I got a gift card to help fuel my training. How awesome is that?! They are also sending a shirt for me to wear on race day- I'll post pictures as soon as it comes in!

Stats for 7/21- 7/27

Training:
Monday- 45 minute dance-cardio DVD
Tuesday- 45 minute speed workout at the track
Wednesday- 30 minute Pilates DVD
Thursday- 45 minute run
Friday- Rest day
Saturday- 5k race, 2.5 easy miles
Sunday- Rest day

13.5 miles total

Training note- I'm really trying for sub-10:30 minute miles for my portion of the Akron Marathon Relay so Matthew has been kicking my butt coaching me in speed work at the track. It's not my favorite but I know it's necessary if I want to get faster.

Nutrition: 
This week can best be summed up with two of my favorite foods: 1. Deep-fried Oreos/Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. 2. Panera Everything Bagel with Roasted Veggie Reduced-fat Cream Cheese and cucumber slices. Yum. Both are high in Points Plus Values but that's what I love about Weight Watchers- I can have them, track them, and still stay dedicated to my plan and lose weight.

I have also eaten three (yes, three!) watermelon (Matthew helped) and made a new recipe with spaghetti squash, feta cheese, tomatoes, garlic, and onions- it was delicious!

Weight-loss:
160.0 pounds as of 7/23/14 weigh-in.
-3.4 from last week.
-30.4 since January 2013.
-42 since heaviest: 202 in 2005.

All in all, an awesome week!

QOTD: What's your favorite "indulgence" food?

Friday Update: Team Panera!

Happy Friday!

Normally, I don't post on Fridays but I have some awesome news that just couldn't wait until next week!

You may remember that I'm running the Akron Marathon Relay with some of the coolest people around- Jeff, Lauren, Chelsea, and Steff as a part of Team #4PrincessesandaFrog. You might also recall that we interact with Akron on social media so much that at the Pittsburgh Marathon Expo, they had left us a little gift- #runAkron stickers.

Well, a few weeks after Pittsburgh, Andrew (communications guy for Akron), invited us to be part of a partnership between Panera Bread and the Akron Marathon as official "Team Panera" bloggers!

Racing AND Panera?! What could be better?!

So, what does being on Team Panera mean? It means that I'll be sharing more about my love of all things Panera here on my blog- specifically, how their menu assists in my training. I have been a long time fan of Panera due to their yummy food and great low-point options for Weight Watchers.

They also have a great menu and training program set-up for Akron, though you can follow it for any race. Side note- their training plans are based on some of Jeff Galloway's and Hal Higdon's plans and you know how I feel about those gentlemen.

I am thrilled about this opportunity and can't wait to share more of the nutrition side of my training with you.

QOTD: What's your favorite menu item at Panera?