Monday, September 5, 2016

Will run again, but not for now.


Injured foot "X" marks the spot
It was a year ago today that I had such a pain in my right foot that I knew something was very wrong.  I hobbled into 4:00 Mass still thinking that it would go away and that I would run the Kingman Hills with all my running friends the following Sunday morning.   I was wrong!  The pain sort of went away but this stubborn runner continued to run which was a bad decision.  I continued on and ran the Prairie Fire Half Marathon with the group I had coached.  Most of my runners beat me and I ran nowhere near my predicted 2:10. Instead I crossed the finish line with a 2:17 and a very hurtful foot.  That apparently was not enough for me because the following month I ran the Route 66 Half Marathon, again in pain.  I did eventually quit running but did not do so until January 2016. Turns out my foot injury is really just a sciatic nerve issue that really will never go away.  I was spending a ton of money going to a Chiropractor just for maintenance. Now I use an inversion
Running the Kingman Hills 
table and do yoga once a week.   The timing from my departure from running was not good as life became stressful.  Fast forward to now and I am out of shape and 10 pounds heavier.  I went to the Doctor the other day for my yearly physical and my weight gain did concern him.  He asked me to come back for blood work and a follow up appointment.  He thinks I might be diabetic and wants me to follow a low carb diet.  I have once again started logging my calories on myfitness pal which is something I do not like doing.  For now my food diary is private but if you want to friend me my name on that site is NJ1962.  I will run again but realistically know that I cannot do so until I am under 140 pounds.  I know it is doable because for the first time in a long time I am professionally happy.  I made the right decision to leave my former school district and accept a technology classroom position in the Haysville public schools. I feel like it has been life changing.
Weekly Progress
 It makes me want to make changes with my health and fitness. Many runners fall victim of the mentality of "I am a runner so I can eat whatever I want."  Honestly you can think that way until you hit a "certain" age.  I can own the fact that I eat terribly.  I am going to really watch what I eat.  I am going to accept the fact that my return to running will not be easy and that the goal of running the Turkey Trot (10 miles) in November might be lofty.  Although my friends have said that I do not need C25K I think it makes sense to approach it as a total beginner.  So once my weight is under 140 I will begin C25K with a possible goal of a spring 10K or half marathon.  Looks like I have lost 2 pounds.  I have also learned that it is important to measure the same area when taking your measurements.  



Workouts for the week of 9/5/16  JOIN ME :)
Monday 9/5/16 Zumba 12:15 pm, Bootcamp 1:15 pm SYMCA
Tuesday 9/6/16 Muscle Pump 5:30 pm DTYMCA
Wednesday 9/7/16 Extreme Ride 5:30 pm DTYMCA
Thursday: 9/8/16 Body Blitz 4:45 pm, Cardio Craze 5:45 pm SYMCA
Friday: 9/9/16 REST

Monday, August 29, 2016

GOOD-BYE LIBRARY GIRL, HELLO COMPUTER GIRL

LIBRARY GIRL ON THE RUN  COMPUTER GIRL ON THE RUN

I am going to the Doctor today for my yearly woman well check and I am nervous.  Why am I nervous?  Because it has been a year and a half since I have seen my Doctor and in that time I have put on 15 pounds.  I already know that he is going to tell me that my BMI indicates that I am over weight and that I need to lose 15-20 pounds. How did that happen?  My foot was injured (or so I thought) and I quit running, and stress from not knowing about the future of my job as a School Library Media Specialist caused me to turn to food. A Facebook memory of mine popped up today.  It was a year ago today that I lead a crew of runners (training for the Prairie Fire Half Marathon) on a 9 mile run.  I WAS FIT!  Today I begin my fitness journey again.  I have also changed the name of my blog from LIBRARY GIRL ON THE RUN to COMPUTER GIRL ON THE RUN.  My blog will focus on my fitness journey, living on less and my return to the classroom. When I earned my M.Ed. in 2004 I thought I would become a Technology Teacher.  Problem is that those jobs simply did not exist in the school district I worked in. I had accepted the fact that I would probably be a school librarian until I retired from teaching in 2022.   Fast forward 12 years with the potential of Librarians jobs being “cut” on the horizon I decided to lock into my retirement benefits (on paper only). In May I accepted a  new part time job as a Technology Teacher with the Haysville Public Schools. 
Professionally I am in Heaven and teaching a subject that I am passionate  about.  I like the fact that my new school is small.  It will really allow me to get to know my students and connect with them. Now that I am professionally happy it is time for me to focus on my health and fitness once again.  I have a long term goal of running another marathon in the fall of 2017.  I will build to 26.2 by also running a 10-mile race and a half marathon.  The most important thing for me to do is to run once again with the wonderful Wichita running community.  Running IS what I am currently missing in my life. I am going to be honest and upfront about my weight loss journey as it is brutal when you are a 53-year-old woman. 

Workouts for the week of 8/29/16


8/29/16: Bootcamp, 4:30 pm DTYMCA
8/30/16: 3 mile run, 6:00 am from my house
8/31/16: 30 minute incline treadmill walk, 6:00 am in the Brad Johnson gym
9/1/16: 4 mile run, 6:00 am from my house
9/2/16: Fierce, 5:30 pm DTYMCA
9/3/16: 4 mile run, with Moms Run This Town.  Zumba Fitness: 11:00 am SYMCA
9/4/16: Intermediate Yoga, 2:00 pm NWYMCA