Getting Back Into It

So, this past week, I went back to work.

Although it was nice having minimal obligations for two weeks, I was a bit relieved to get back into my routine. Wake up --> Work --> Exercise or Home --> Sleep. Repeat. I got back to my gym and yoga routine this past week, and started to track my food again during the week. I'm taking it easy this weekend, not tracking but trying to go off of hunger signals to eat what my body needs. Plus a little fro yo.



Another thing I've gotten back into is half-marathon training. My routine since the half in November has been to do a few 2-5 mile runs on the treadmill or outside if possible during the week, then doing one long run of 6+ miles on the weekends. Then today, I decided to do 10 miles again. I decided on an easy pace as it was the longest distance I've run since November or so - no pressure on time, just take it easy and go for distance.

I think it made it much more enjoyable for me to not have the pressure to go too fast, because I really enjoyed the 10-miler! I went to the Los Gatos Creek Trail, one of my favorite spots to run. And according to my strava.com profile, it was actually my second best 10-mile effort!

So my plan for this month is to continue with 8, 9, and 10-mile long runs on the weekends, then incorporate 11-12 milers starting in February. Maaaaaybe a 13-mile or 14-mile run in March. Same stuff on the weekdays. I'm going to start prepping my body for a little longer distance again. This is because...

I'm signing up for the Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon in San Francisco on April 6th!

From: http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/san-francisco

The best thing about the Rock 'n Roll SF is that Kate, who is a close family friend that I've known since she was born, will be doing this too - her first half marathon! Yay Kate! I am really excited to share this with a friend. We're registering soon to make it official!



One last thing that I've been doing since getting back has been listening to audiobooks in my car. I hit up the local library in an effort to make my commute home in traffic less dull, and I stumbled upon this one:

The book is about why certain foods have such a pull on us, and why they are nearly impossible for us to stop eating. It goes into the scientific basis of why we like foods so much as well, and what the food industry does to make foods more palatable and marketable, even irresistible to us. Very interesting. I will post more thoughts once I am finished reading (listening!).

Hope everyone has a great week, and GO 49ERS!

Recently...

So, as I said in my previous post, a lot has been going on recently that I meant to write about, and just didn't get around to. And, also as in my previous post, my new year's resolution (one of them) is to consistently write in this blog sooooo... here are a few updates!

First of all, although I am LOVING my two-week long amazing winter break, it has definitely been tough to stick to any semblance of healthy diet over the holidays. Between work parties, vacations, holiday treats everywhere, and being out of a routine, it's definitely been tough. That being said... I ate a lot of delicious things. They were very delicious. Yum. No regrets! I've kept up my workout routine, which has been really important and helped me stay more on track than I would have otherwise. I'm not really worrying about going a bit astray over the holidays, as I've committed to tracking my food for all of January, and getting back into my routine this month once I'm back to work (*groan*).

Also, over my break, I've been engaging my baking chops quite a bit. In particular, I HAVE to share this recipe for cranberry bliss bars from skinnytaste.com - they are like the Starbucks iced cranberry bliss bars, but half the calories. Relatively easy and completely delicious. One batch made tins for my family, the bf and his family, and a couple more.

You can find the recipe for the Skinny Cranberry Bliss Bars here if you're interested!


More awesomeness: I went to Vegas! On Christmas! My mom, Anne, and I went to check out apartments for Anne for next year when she moves there for a job. While there, we got to see some of the sights (and eat/drink many delicious things as well!).

Christmas at the Bellagio!

Sugar Factory, the most faaaaaaabulous candy store in Vegas. Alcohol-infused truffles, nom.

Gettin' fancy and doin' a little sightseein'.


And finally, the most fabulous cookie skillet that mom, Anne, and I shared at Chili's before flying back to California.

MAJOR nom.


Last but not least, I did another race this past month!

The Double Road Race is a creation of Bob Anderson, who also started Runner's World Magazine! The format works this way: 10K, rest, 5k.

I signed up for the Double Road Race in Pleasanton on a whim, after one of the women in my Saturday running group mentioned it the week before. So overall, it's a 15k, but it's broken up into two legs. I figured, I can do a 5K and a 10K, so why not both, right? Kinda.

After running the 10K, which yes! I did do in a Santa hat.

I got to the middle school in Pleasanton where the race started and ended, and spent an hour after packet pickup trying to not freeze my butt off and deciding how many layers to wear during my 10K. The 10K was not my fastest possible effort - I set a PR at 58:57 on Thanksgiving - but I did put forth a solid effort at race pace at 1:00:35. I didn't want to push too very hard, since I also had a 5K coming up.

Between the 5K and 10K, Anne, my dad, and A all arrived to watch, and Anne decided to run that leg with me! That definitely made it more fun - but it was not easy, for sure. After the 10K and some rest and stretching in between, my body was like, nope! No 5K. Rough. It definitely felt good when we finished.

Anne and I, pre-5K.

We finished the 5K in 29:57, right under 30 minutes. Overall, my time was 1:30:32 for the 15K. I'll take it!

So that's about it in terms of recent goings-on. I'm about to leave for a few days for one last hurrah of winter break - a trip to Oregon with A and his family! I'll leave you all with a couple more holiday pics from the past couple weeks - enjoy, and happy 2014!

I made A take cheesy holiday pictures with me A definitely willingly took holiday pics with me in our ugly Christmas sweaters pre-Ugly Sweater Party.

Holiday Gifts!

Busting out my winter clothes from the storage unit in preparation for Oregon - byeeeeee.

Resolutions, Reflections, and Looking Forward

New Year's Resolution #1: Write in this blog more regularly!

Seriously though. I know, it's been awhile. I had like, 10 entry ideas piling up, then things got busy, then I was out of town, then I got too overwhelmed to write one entry because I had too many entry ideas...

So let's try for once a week in the new year, mmkay?


Reflections: This set of questions came from someone's post on a Weight Watchers message board that I visit and sometimes contribute to. It comes from Trish Blackwell, who does the "Confidence on the Go" podcasts. I thought it would be a nice way to reflect on the past year. So, here are "14 Questions to Answer Before 2014":

1. What one thing did you do best in 2013?

Do my best (most of the time) to take control of my health, nutrition and exercise-wise.


2. What area of your life in 2013 got the least amount of focus?

I guess money and budgeting? I am hoping to work on getting more money in savings in the new year, and possibly budgeting with mint.com, or another site.


3. What was the greatest challenge you overcame in 2013?

I ran two half marathons! I think that was a pretty big challenge.

4. What did 2013 teach you about yourself?

A lot of things - that I can set goals and meet them, especially. That I am capable of making changes when they need to happen to ensure that I'm happy.


5. What is one word to describe the theme of your life in 2013?

Health? I'm not good at one-word answers.


6. What did you not do well in 2013 that you must do better in the future?

I am still working on keeping a healthy relationship with food in balance with maintaining weight.

7. What habits did you create in 2013?

I have formed a lot of healthier habits with food - measuring, keeping track, planning meals for the week when possible.


8. What was the best book your read in 2013?

May I recommend:

- Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Stempel
- Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan
- Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
- The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg


Again, I'm not capable of answering with one answer only!


9. What most motivated you in 2013?

Working towards the goal of running my first (and second!) half marathon.

10. What is your favorite memory of 2013?

So many! The day of my first half marathon, making goal weight at Weight Watchers, reuniting with some amazing people in New York City, spending time with my family, my first date (and several subsequent dates) with A.

11. What will you cherish the most about 2013?

A lot has happened this year, but without a doubt, the thing I'll cherish most about 2013 is meeting and beginning my relationship with my amazing boyfriend. (Yeah, I know, sappy, barf - no more of that, I promise.)

12. What scary things did you do in 2013?

Started a new job, initiated a breakup (not with A - this was before that!!), rode a "turbo" jet ski with a race car driver at the helm, and got rid of my "fat clothes" from my closet.


13. What are you most proud of that you did in 2013?

Everything! It was a pretty good year.


14. What did you learn about life in 2013?

See the rest of this blog :)



So - many good things. I guess I should conclude with the rest of my resolutions and some possible upcoming events of the new year.

Resolution #2: Maintain my weight as I have been, and improve my relationship with food.

Resolution #3: Work on budgeting more, and put more $$ into my savings account (and less into jcrew.com).

I think that's enough in terms of resolutions. I more want to keep up what I've already been doing, and not make huge promises that I won't be able to keep.



Now, in terms of looking forward, there are a few running events that I'm already looking at doing this coming year.

1. Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon, San Francisco

One of my family members has been increasing her running mileage, and she and I may do this half marathon in San Francisco in April!

2. Pacific Crest Marathon/Half Marathon

This weekend of events (triathalon, duathalon, marathon, half marathon, 10k, 5k, etc.) happens in June in Sunriver, OR, which is where A's family has a house. We went last summer and I'm going in two days for a little last minute time away before returning to work. It could be fun to do a half up there this summer, and maybe eventually to do the marathon! Team in Training also does these events, so if I want to get involved with Team in Training at some point (perhaps when I decide to train for a marathon?) I could do this one!

3. San Francisco Marathon's 52 Club and Half It All Challenge

So, I've heard the SF Marathon is a very well-organized race and a lot of fun. They split it up into halves so you can complete the first half or the second half at 13.1, or do the full marathon! If you do all three (first half, second half, full) in three consecutive years, you get to be part of the "52 Club," which is pretty cool, and you get a special medal for completing the first and second halves in consecutive years. Sounds like a doable challenge to me - so perhaps first marathon in 3 years?! It could be 26.2 in 2016!

Okay everyone, I'm going to crack open the sparkling wine and watch the ball drop on TV with A (our very exciting NYE plans this year). Woooooot. HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone, have an amazing 2014!

xoxo,
Sarah

Turkey Trotting

This year was the second year that my family took part in Sacramento's annual Turkey Trot, Run to Feed the Hungry! This year was the 20th anniversary of the race, the proceeds of which go to the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services.

Family and friends gathered at our house bright and early, bundled up, and took some pictures before the run in our matching race t-shirts.

My goal this year was to do the 10K run in less than an hour. Aaaaaaaaaand... I did!

Results:

Time: 58:57
Pace: 9:30/mile

Overall in the 10K, I was 1,192nd out of 2,330 participants - and 418th of 1,128 women, and 81st of 188 women from 25-29!

It was also awesome to run with family, including my mom's goddaughter Kate, who has been increasing her running mileage a lot lately! She and her husband, Conor, both finished the 10K in under an hour as well! I missed my sister, who had to stay at school for law school finals, but I'm hoping next year (like last year) we will do the race together.

Being silly after the race - we were sad Anne was not there.

Although it was crowded and the starting line was insane, the event is such an awesome one that hopefully we'll continue to do it each year!

A Different Approach?

So, I went to a nutritionist for the first time last Tuesday, with some questions like the following:

- Am I eating enough or too many calories per day to maintain my weight?
- How many calories/day should I eat to maintain my weight?
- How many more calories/day should I eat when I exercise or run?

And here are some questions that my nutritionist asked me:

- How hungry are you when you eat?
- Do you find you eat really quickly or overeat when you get too hungry?
- Were you really hungry when you were eating too many snacks on the weekends, when you were using extra "points?"
- Why do you get diet/sugar-free jell-o and pudding instead of regular?
- Why did you just eat half an english muffin with breakfast, instead of the whole thing?
- Do you feel full or satisfied when you're done eating most meals?

Very, very interesting. I was told that I'm very focused on the numbers, and perhaps focusing on satiating hunger while eating balanced meals would help me get in touch with what my body needs. The nutritionist also told me that perhaps this approach would stop my "I have extra weekly points so I can eat what I want" thing.

Here's my problem with the mindful eating thing - I found that NOT focusing on the numbers made me less accountable. Granted, maybe I shouldn't have made Thanksgiving the week that I tried it for the first time, because that brought a whole host of other "It's Thanksgiving whateva whateva I do what I want" excuses along. But still. I feel like I can't just switch away from the "numbers" yet, as I may not hold myself to making good decisions about my diet without weight watchers.

Aaaaaand that is how I gained 3 pounds over Thanksgiving!

I know, I know. I'm being slightly ridiculous. I'll be fine. I'm back on track. There's no need to be silly about a few pounds...

Maybe I'll try some Kalteen bars? They make you burn carbs like crazy.

No, but like... perhaps this is just not my approach right now.

Then, I had two awesome conversations with people that are awesome. Lots of awesome. Awesome awesome awesome.

First, I talked to my accountability buddy (i.e. one of my besties from college) today, who told me that she also had a bad week - but she wasn't going to let it completely derail her. I know I've told other people to do just that - don't let a bad situation ruin your entire weight loss or maintenance. It won't ruin everything. So I decided to take my own advice. It's awesome to have a person (or multiple people) who understand what you are going through. I am really lucky to have her!

Second, I have the best boyfriend ever. I talked to him this past weekend about how I didn't think the mindful eating on its own would work for me, and the following conversation ensued:

A: Why don't you track your food at the end of the day?
S: Hmm, that's one idea.
A: Well, you want to make sure you're full, right? But are you tracking what you eat after every meal right now?
S: Yes...
A: But you probably plan out your last meal of the day based on how many points you have left?
S: Yes...
A: So if you track at the end of the day, you could eat your healthy meals and eat until you're full, but you'd still have the...
S: Accountability?
A: Yep, that.
S: I like it.

So first, my boyfriend knows me better than I do, and is generally wonderful. (I know, BARF, okay, I'll stop now.) Second, I'm going to try it that way, and see how it goes! I want to start making changes in my relationship with food... but not too fast! Third, I'm lucky to have ALL the wonderful and supportive people in my life that I do.

So, wish me luck this week - getting a cold and starting a new job generally do not go together well, but I'm doing my best! Is it the weekend/winter break yet? Now? No? Mmk. Back to it.

Excuses, Excuses.

Sorry to say – once again, it’s been a long while since I’ve written. The past few weeks have been crazy. Crazy! The big news is that I have a new job, and between getting everything ready to start that job and finishing up at my previous job, it’s been a lot. It’s been a tough and busy transition, and I’ve been feeling a bit sad about leaving, especially since I work with a lot of awesome ladies, and I’m having to say goodbye to some of the amazing families and children that I work with. That said, I am excited to move on to my next opportunity, which I feel is more in line with what I can see myself doing more long-term in my career. So all of that has been eating a lot of my time and energy.

Besides this enormous change sapping a bunch of time and energy, I’ve been busy outside work as well! I attended my first 49ers game of the season (womp womp, they lost…), had my first choir concert with my new group and have been prepping for our holiday concerts, and managed to sneak in a weekend trip to NYC to see some of my favorite people.

Pretty view of NYC at night from the apartment building in Brooklyn.

Some drinks were consumed ...

I did manage to get in a 3 mile run by the Brooklyn Bridge with one of my favorite Brooklyn-ites while there – she was a trooper and took me on the run despite being slightly hungover, as the night before involved 2-for-1 drinks and hanging out playing party games. Although the weather could have been better, it was awesome to take in the sights via jogging around the area. Next time I am able to be in NYC, I told her we could run across the Brooklyn Bridge and go running through Central Park!

Pretty Downtown Brooklyn in the morning

We were sad to leave ☹


********************************************************************************

So anyway, the topic of this entry, as you might guess from the title, is going to be excuses. I never wanted this blog to be about how awesome I am at working out and losing weight, I wanted it to be an honest picture of how difficult it can be to balance health, weight management, and still enjoying what one is eating and drinking. That said, there are definitely difficulties that I’m facing at the moment, as I’m still trying to figure out a lot of things myself.

At the moment, I'm finding maintenance to be much more difficult than weight loss. Why, you ask? I mean, you can eat more and you're no longer trying to lose weight, so theoretically, it's easier. However, weight loss was something very tangible to me - more calories burned than calories taken in - so I could really picture what I was supposed to do and where I wanted to get in terms of a goal. Maintenance, I think, is harder. I'm really trying to find out how to meet the balance of what my body needs without taking in too much or too little. I've also never been this small in my adult life, so it's difficult for me to know if this is a weight my body is comfortable with. I think my current weight, about 140-145, feels good, and it is within the healthy weight range for a person who is 5'7"-5'8" - so I'm going to keep feeling it out and making sure I'm comfortable to maintain here.

In any case, part of the struggle for me in finding what my body needs is excuses that I've made. First, I have been fiddling a bit with the number of Weight Watchers points I eat every day, trying to figure out what the right number is. I've had my daily point limit set at 30 for awhile, but I find that I sometimes get out of control with the number of flex "weekly" points I eat. These weekly points are extra food points that you're given a set number of each week, and can be used any day - a little at a time, or all at once. The biggest problem for me is that I often tend to spend these on empty calories or treats - which everyone needs, but not too too much of. I think I've been using very few of my weekly points during the week, then going a little crazy on the weekends.

My over-spending of weekly points started the day of my half marathon in San Francisco - I told myself I would give myself the day off from tracking my points for Weight Watchers that day. That had worked nicely since I had a drink and nice lunch/dinner/dessert after my first half marathon with the parents. However, with the second half marathon, I had a big filling lunch, then I found I just used not tracking as an excuse to eat all of my Thai takeout that I got for dinner, instead of as much as I was hungry for, since I wasn't tracking that day so I "could", and I snacked on anything and everything once I got home that day. However, I still lost/maintained weight that week. The following weekend, I used the fact that I had most of my weekly points leftover and the fact that I didn't gain the week before with one heavy food day to snack on a lot of different foods and not track again. I think the overeating on the weekends balanced out with not eating enough daily during the week, and although I didn't feel good or in control afterwards, I was still losing/maintaining. See how this is going? Thus starts the cycle.

Last weekend, the excuse was that I was on vacation and had been pretty good with food the rest of the week. I ate and drank as I pleased on Saturday, but then didn't get back on track on Sunday, and ended up snacking on less than healthy choices on the airplane and after. The excuse then was that I was going to get back on track the next day, so might as well eat the bad things ALL that day, right?

Nope. I've been feeling a little stressed over the weekend all week, and have weighed myself twice at the gym to make sure I haven't gained. Although I haven't gained weight, weighing myself because I feel like I need to all the time sucks - I definitely don't want to rely on the scale for my peace of mind.

So, I decided the excuses needed to stop, and I need to feel in control of my eating again. I might gain a little or lose a little in trying to achieve a balance at a healthy weight, but it will be worth it to eventually get a better handle on this. I'm learning that it doesn't happen right away - perhaps it will take me another month, maybe a year, maybe longer to truly get it, but the best I can do right now is be proactive.

Here is what I'm doing right now to combat the excuses:

1. I raised my daily points to 31 points, perhaps I'll even raise it to 32 if I need to. I think that way, I'll be more likely to eat things that are good for me daily, and not get this "even if I go over the amount of weekly points that I spend on snacks and treats, it's okay" mentality, because I'll be eating enough daily.

2. I'm going to a nutritionist on Tuesday for an assessment and consultation! I could not be more excited - although Weight Watchers has been a great program, I feel like I want to be better informed and speak with a professional about what I can do to maintain weight long term.

I've already felt better this week about food, and I'm trying not to stress over the scale too much. And this coming week, my plan is to eat things that are good for me and stay on plan - yet I'm definitely going to enjoy myself (within semi-moderation) on Thanksgiving!

Curious to hear what others have struggled with in terms of health, nutrition, and weight loss - and what you're doing to change it. Leave me a comment or send an e-mail.

Hope you all have an amazing weekend and upcoming week!

The Other Half

Hi Guys! Can I get a second to breathe? Apparently not in the last two weeks or so - it's been complete craziness with Halloween, choir concerts and rehearsals, work and more work, and my SECOND half marathon, which I ran last Sunday!

So - leaving that craziness behind for a brief moment, I'll tell you a little about the race!

I signed up for the US Half Marathon in May, a little while after I had completed my first four mile race. I figured, hey, I just ran four, why not build up to 13.1? I felt at the time like I was being a little bit hasty with the assumption that I could run a half marathon in less than six months, but I'm glad I was so ambitious. Look where it got me! I decided then that I'd start half marathon training over the summer, and be ready by November. (Little did I know I'd get talked into completing another half marathon before that!) I was drawn to this one because I wanted to do a half in San Francisco, and this one involves running across the Golden Gate Bridge - scenery too awesome to pass up!

As it so happened, last Saturday, I had a choir retreat and rehearsal alllll day, so A and I headed up to SF for the evening when I was finished. We both got there starving and cranky, and immediately headed out for some food at Castagnola's on fisherman's wharf. Touristy, of course, due to the location, but delicious - and we were both much more pleasant to be around after a little sustenance.

Mud pie at Castagnola's. SO. GOOD. Somehow, A talked me into both getting our own dessert, which maaaaay have not been the greatest idea the day before a half marathon, but luckily, everything went fine. Everyone needs a little (or large) dessert occasionally.

The wharf at night. Pretty!

The next day, I was up and at 'em early - even earlier than usual due to Daylight Savings Time. I headed over to the starting line, at Aquatic Park across the street from Ghiradelli Square, at 6:15, with every intention of doing the "Starting Line Yoga" at 6:20am, but instead ended up walking around, checking out the scenery, and taking a couple pics. It was a beautiful day - 50 degrees and sunny, perfect for a scenic race!

So after waiting in line for bathrooms then attempting to check my gear at 6:40am, I realized the gear check line was literally around the block, with at least 300-400 people standing in line. I think there were four people working. I mean. There were over 3500 people running this race, how many people did they think were going to be checking bags? Sigh. So, I, like many others, got my pre-race warm-up in by walking/jogging back to my hotel, frantically handing A my stuff and telling him where to meet me after the race, and walking/jogging back to the starting line.

Although it was a bit hectic, due to my running back and forth and general pre-start craziness, I barely had any time to be nervous standing around at the start - before I knew it, we were off! Now, I knew the course was hilly for the first 5-7 miles, but it was almost constant uphills then downhills. My goal was just to keep running up the hills, no matter how slowly, then control my speed going down the hills. By mile six, headed across the GGB, I was worried that I was already so tired and had half the race to go. That being said, I feel like the hills kept it interesting, so it went by faster than the monotony of an entirely flat race like my first half in San Jose.

Across the GGB in Marin was the killer - a giant downhill under the bridge, and then a giant uphill to get back. SO many people walked up the hill that it made it difficult for me to run slowly jog past them, but I made it! I knew that was the final big push, and from here on, it was mostly slight uphill/downhills, and flats. Knowing that, the run across the bridge was much more pleasant!

When I got back across, Mile 9-10 was mostly downhill, and Miles 10-13 were flat. In my head, I thought, "Flat! I can run flat. Let's do this." With that, I picked up my pace and took off towards the finish line. The best part? Seeing my parents and brother at Crissy Field (after that, they sort of stalked me in their car along Bay St. for miles 10-12) and A in the park at mile 12.5, after my FINAL little uphill. Here are some pictures A took of me:

Finishing my final uphill push at Mile 12.5

Hi! I'm not dying, I promise!

Blowing a kiss

After that last little uphill, it was a little downhill, then a sprint to the finish! I felt like I finished strong, and it felt amazing.

Here's the rundown:

Time: 2:22.46
Pace: 10:54/mile
Place: 2395/3510

That's three minutes faster than my last half!

A and I at the finish

Now, I feel like I'm a little addicted. I see advertisements for other half marathons, and want to sign up for all of them! However, I'm giving myself a break to focus on mixing up workouts - speed work, track workouts, and hopefully more yoga, Pure Barre, and strength workouts as well! I feel like it will be best to change it up, and not get tired of training or injure myself. That being said - I'm hoping my next half will happen Spring/Summer 2014, and I'll be back at it again then!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!