Spinach and Forming Habits

This week really got away from me! I spent the beginning of the week studying for one exam and the middle of the week getting ready for another but thank goodness that's all over. For a couple of weeks at least, in that time I will be focusing on all of the projects I have neglected this week. Yay for never-ending cycles like this. :)

Lately I have seriously found a new obsession with spinach. I don't think I will ever like it in the nasty soggy form but I LOVE fresh spinach. I could eat it all day. My typical lunch lately consists of spinach salad with cranberries, some balsamic dressing and maybe some cheese. I can't even begin to express how much I love this stuff. And it's a part of my meal plan here, score for healthy eating. And today I was standing in line at the buffet and saw that they also had a spinach-feta flatbread pizza under 200 calories so I gave it a shot and it was delicious. 


Anyways, that was my long intro way of saying I have been getting questions lately about how many calories I eat/how I keep track of calories, etc...from friends who are trying to stick to their resolutions. It's funny because I didn't really even count calories until a few weeks ago. This whole time I just ate what my body needed in reasonable portions. I knew I was going overboard before and the scale knew it too, so scaling it down just seemed natural. And it worked. 

So, a couple of week ago I experimented with different calorie-counting apps and fell in love with My Fitness Pal. It has a huge selection of food loaded on it (even some dining locations here on campus!), as well as quick-adding calories, and a section to add in workouts as well.

 When I first started counting calories, I was strictly counting them. I found myself justifying eating something junky because it fit in my calorie count and not really care about if I was getting the nutrients I needed. So silly, but it's the way my brain switched. That was up until the beginning to middle of last week when I was noticing zero changes from one week to the next. While I did fluctuate a little bit during the week, it was overall the same. It was helpful though because I was shocked to see how many calories are in some foods that I eat daily! And I have definitely made adjustments. So, I count some calories but go with my instincts with stuff like yummy spinach salads.

All of this calorie counting has made me even more aware with my grocery shopping. Tonight, I really took time to stop and look at labels before I made purchases left and right. I got some healthier stuff at the same price I would of gotten junkier foods! Trust me, when trying to be healthy with a crazy difficult major (and now a job to add in too), it pays to be intentional!

Did you know that most of the habits you have later in life stem from decisions and habits you formed in college? Being intentional creates a habit, and there is no better habit to have than one that makes healthy choices. 

Resolution Run Race Report

Hi all! As I said, this weekend was a little on the crazy side on top of the race! This is the first time I have been able to sit down and relax and it's just long enough to write this post. Gotta love college life though! :)

So, race day recap!
I decided to run a few errands in the early afternoon so I could get a good idea of what the weather was like since it's been so wacky lately. It was cold but not freezing so I laid out a tshirt and running capris for the race with a zip-up hoodie for the drive over. Well that was not the best of ideas because it dropped a good ten degrees between then and when I left for the race! It even started snowing on the drive downtown, ugh.

Car photo shoot!

My brother and roomie came to support me which was awesome! My mom told me the other day that her and my sister were planning on coming down to surprise me but it ended up not working out since it was an afternoon race. But oh well, I'll be seeing them in just over a month (how crazy is that?!) for Spring Break so it's all good. :)

My face just screams "What am I about to do?!"

I definitely got to the race WAY too early but I wanted to be on the safe side. It was 2:15 when we pulled in and the race didn't start til 3 so we just kind of hung around the Boys and Girl's Club until people started going outside at around 2:45. Of course there was a lot more families there than college students but I was there to have fun, even if I stuck out like a sore thumb a little bit! :) 

I go outside and do some "stretching" for the camera and they start lining people up! By this point I was extremely nervous and it was freezing, snowing, and I had to take my jacket off because the metal zipper doesn't work well with the race chip. Sweet life. I tried to pick towards the middle of the pack since I'm not a super fast runner but I didn't plan on walking either. I should of been further forward though because I dodged little kids and some people who got exhausted early for the first half mile or so. I tried. But I was talking to people in line and of course I got asked about my shoes. My running shoes are those toe-separated shoes. They are so comfortable (and I don't have to wear socks!) but they aren't quite like the 5-finger shoes where you can feel every little thing you step on, just some things. So I am used to all of the questions by now haha.

Again, I am terrible at hiding how nervous I am

"OMG I'm cold!"

Waiting for the gun to go off was the most nerve-wracking thing ever and once it did I just did what I normally do, I didn't even feel the pressure of it being a race because I was just there to have fun--and I did! When I registered, I looked at where the race course was and since I know the area, I knew how crazy it was going to be. Lynchburg it known as "Hill City" and I was very thankful for running outdoors around campus and running with an incline on the treadmill. 

The first half of the race was entirely downhill. Not even kidding. I hate how my face jiggles when I run downhill too, it's just so weird! So you go down a few streets and end up alongside the James River on a trail and do about a quarter mile on the trail before turning around. There was a clock at the turn around point that gives you an idea of your pace. Mine was 8:45! I was not joking about those hills for sure! Since it was  a turnaround route though, the entire second half was uphill. Steep hills, really low temperatures, and snow (moisture) is the opposite of what my lungs like. So I died and fought back tears during every single hill. No doubt did I feel defeated before I rounded the last corner. My vision was going blurry and my lungs felt so tight. Then I saw Joshua and Kelsey, slapped on a smile and waved to the camera. I knew
I had to finish strong and it gave me just the right push to finish. I may of been a wreck after I crossed the line but it was SO worth it! 

After my lungs had a moment to calm down...

My goal for the race was to finish in under 21 minutes and I finished in 19:32! Also, I came in 2nd place in my age/gender category! Not a huge deal since that only contained about 20 people, but I still am so proud of all that I have accomplished these past few months. If I can do it, I'm certain that anyone can. It was such a great experience and I'm already looking forward to the next race, a 5K (when it's a little warmer and not so wet out hopefully...)!

Some more pictures to enjoy... 

So there's my exciting first race, one last shout out to Joshua for being a champ and coming, Kelsey for listening to me go on and on and on about how nervous I was and for taking pictures and of course to my wonderful family and friends for being so supportive on this journey. I love you all. 

And I'll just leave you with this wonderful video of me crossing the finish line that Kelsey took...again I'm terrible at hiding my emotions but I did want to share my moment on here. 

My lucky number

 Tomorrow is the big day! I'm getting super excited and also really nervous. There's just so much I'm unsure of because I've never run a race so of course I'll be eager to update you all tomorrow night...or Sunday or Monday. Really I'm right out straight all weekend and Monday but I promise to write out a post the second I get a chance to sit down at my computer! :)

After what felt like ages in construction traffic, I got to pick up my packet! I called my sister the second I was in my car because my race number is 6! It's weird but I have always thought of 6 as my "lucky number." My birthday is 6/6 and there's been other stuff in my life that corresponds to that number as well. Needless to say, I was a little tickled. 

Hurray race bib!

I did my final pre-race run this morning. 2.25 miles around campus in the ice and snow! I was up and at 'em before they salted the sidewalks so I definitely ran in place a few times but no falling! Of course I did fall when I left the dorm for real later on after the salt had already been put on, so obviously I'm much more graceful when I run. The cold was what killed me though. My weather app read 30 degrees when I woke up but it was so much colder than that! It was way too cold out for my lungs to handle and I started to wheeze after the first mile and a half or so, love my lungs. I took my inhaler and it was immediate relief, just gotta roll with the punches I guess.

I did finish the first two miles in 20:29 this morning and the overall run in 23 minutes flat. For weather conditions like the one I was fighting, I'll take it!

Then I warmed up with a big bowl of oatmeal with peanut butter and freeze dried banana slices mixed in. SO good! The freeze dried bananas gave it such a nice crunch while the peanut butter is just perfect as always. I was going to eat a Clif bar tomorrow morning but I just love this combo way too much to give it up yet (until I get sick of it). 

First ever race shirt!

I'm sure all of you are probably annoyed with my constant talking about running, races, food and such. I know my friends probably are by now at least. But it truly helps keep my accountable by announcing that I am going to do something. If I didn't announce it or talk about it then it would be so much easier for me to quit or skip a run without others knowing. So thank you all for taking time to read my ramblings, I truly appreciate it. Thanks everyone!

Getting pumped!

I'd say life has gotten in the way of my blogging this week--but it's been accounting homework! It's something you get used to as an accounting major since homework and study for exams seem never ending. It's for sure a good thing that I love accounting. 

 

At the moment, I only have one run between now and the race--tomorrow morning! It was so warm and beautiful outside at the beginning of the week that I just had to take advantage of running outside! So, yesterday morning I went outside and did a big figure 8 around main campus and south campus. It was so windy yesterday and the second mile of the run was almost entirely uphill and I basically died during the last big hill. Despite all of the obstacles, I still managed to beat my time goal for Saturday. I wish I would of taken a screen shot of it when I got to the 2 mile mark so that I could remember better, but I did it in about 20:30 so maybe I'll beat that tomorrow! I did walk/jog the last 0.16 of the mile as a sort-of cool down. Hopefully it will be nice enough out tomorrow to do this again!

Elevation vs. Pace; I clearly slowed down a lot going uphill!

I'm not going to post yesterday's weigh in. Not because it was especially awful, but because it was around the exact same as it was last week so I don't want to bore you. I wasn't too surprised, I ate like crap at the end of the weekend and the beginning of this week so I'm pretty happy I stayed about the same! I've gotten back on track though, so maybe there will be a change next week? I would love to get to my goal weight soon but I'm not gonna stress it. I know I'm eating right and I do notice a difference (even when the scale doesn't move) so there's no need to add that stress to my life!

For some reason, the dining locations on campus have felt it entirely acceptable to serve bananas so green they are practically neon. And I don't want to wait like 5 days to eat it, so annoying! All that to say that I discovered freeze-dried banana slices at Target today. It sounds disgusting but they are so yummy and very low-cal since they aren't super processed/preserved. I'm going to try them in my oatmeal after my run tomorrow so here's hoping they do the trick!

Tomorrow is packet pick up for the race and I'm super excited! It's going to be hard not to spend any money since it's at a running store in town, but I'm gonna try! I'm starting to get kinda nervous for Saturday but I know I'll have a good time.

I hope you all have had a good week and are staying safe in this crazy weather!

An assortment of news

It's CRAZY to think about how blessed I've been this past week. Let me fill you in on some highlights (some you may already know, while some things most of you definitely don't).

1. I got a JOB! It took me a while but I found one that was the perfect fit for me because it is on campus and fills up those annoying breaks between classes that I got stuck with this semester. I am (almost officially) an office assistant at the Career Center here at school! They were all so helpful during the mess of switching majors last year which makes me even more excited to work with them!

2. I ran 3.1 miles straight! And felt like I could keep running, hellooooo runner's high.

3. I have now lost 30 pounds and am 2.3 from goal (as of last Wednesday, I haven't weighed myself since)

4. I got a size 4 dress over the weekend and it fits quite nicely. And I've never been a size 4. Hollaaa!

The dress I bought one in the picture. It's my new favorite thing in the world to wear. Also: my room has been obnoxiously clean lately so I'm not even cringing at the background when I look at this picture. Progress everyone, progress.





4. And last but certainly not least, I signed up for my first race ever last night....and it's this weekend. I'm insane! But it's "just" a two-miler (Whooo says that?! I hate when people say "Oh I just ran 5 miles today, it was an easy day." So rude.) I'm super nervous for a zillion reasons but also really excited. It's for scholarships and such for the Boys and Girl's Club in Downtown Lynchburg, which is a pretty awesome thing to be contributing to. So I'm doing it, no backing out. That and I'm too cheap to back out ;)



Off course the downfall of signing up last night for a race that will be held this weekend: only 4 days of training! Eek! I did Day 1 this afternoon and ran 2 miles in under 21 minutes so I might shoot for that. Honestly, my goal is to have fun and enjoy myself while also attempting to push my limits. Training for the rest of the week includes 1 interval run, 1 run outdoors (weather permitting), a rest day, and another 2-3 mile run.  I'm starting to get really excited!




There's been a few other little things going on but those are the highlights.

Also: I tried a Clif bar this morning. I have been reading a lot of good reviews on it lately so I bought one the other day. I definitely thought it would be dense but not nearly as dense as it turned out but that's okay because it filled me up so well. And at only 240 calories, it was kind of a steal.

Of course I didn't think to take a picture of it until after I had chomped on the bar for a while, so this is a picture of the wrapper and my computer screen.

That's about all of the fun and excitement I've got for today, off to knock out just a little bit more homework before calling it a night!

Three Point One!

I did it! This afternoon I ran 3.1 miles at a steady pace (with zero walk breaks) on the treadmill and I seriously had such a runner's high! Like I didn't even feel like I had to stop running when I was done because I felt so good!

Not including warm up and cool down walks!

And just to think of all I have overcome to get to this point. Not only was I overweight and totally out of shape a few months ago but I had to deal with this dumb asthma on top of it all. Today I ran without my inhaler and I am dreaming of the day I can throw it out for god! (Although that probably will never happen, haha) Wishful thinking, I'm aware, but the old Alicia would have laughed at the thought of me running more than 1 mile straight so this is exciting in its own merit. 

The last half mile got kind of emotional for me, I kept thinking of how defeated I felt at the beginning of this all and how dang strong I feel now! Obviously I'm looking at race websites to sign up for my first real 5K! Details to follow of course :)

It was truly one of the best moments of my life so far. 

30!

Well, yesterday morning was weigh-in and I was sooo nervous. Last Wednesday I weighed and I was up 1 pound and while that's not a huge deal, it was slightly devastating in my meladramatic mind. I do think I was holding on to a lot of water weight and that gain was probably because I hadn't run in a week or so and muscle stores water when you start a new workout routine (or something like that).

So, I decided to not weigh myself again until yesterday (even though my normal weigh-in day was Saturday morning). It was awful to resist, but I did it. I was nervous though because I ate like crap a good 50% of the week. I had cookies, chocolate, lots of Chinese food, and a donut from Dunkin' on Tuesday afternoon. I sucked it up and did it anyways and I lost 3.7 pounds! SAYYY what?! Of course some of it was losing that water weight, but it was still very exciting to see! I'm officially at 30 pounds lost and less than 2.5 from goal! It feels so good.

Tomorrow I am going to attempt to run a 5K distance on the treadmill for the first time ever. I can run 2.75 miles at a steady pace and a 5K is 3.1 so it'll be just a few extra minutes of running. I'm due for an increase in distance anyways. The reason why I picked the last day of my "workout week" to increase distance (usually that's done at the beginning) is because this blogger I follow, Katie at Runs For Cookies, (check out her blog, she's super inspirational) is hosting a "Virtual 5K" for her birthday. It's pretty awesome that it fell right in time with me being near hitting a 5K distance so I decided to do it! 

This will be my "unofficial" first 5K (hopefully my real first one will be soon!), which is awesome because it's still way too cold out for me to participate in an outdoors race and not get super sick again thanks to my sweet lungs. Am I crazy? Probably. Am I excited? You know it!

What's next after I hit the goal I've been set on since October? I'm not sure yet. Originally, I was just running and eating better so I could hit this goal but I'm finding that I like it a lot better than being lazy and the way I feel after I eat a lot of junk. Maybe I'll just modify it to be at more of a "maintenance" level. I am going to attempt to run further/faster (first I'm focused on further though!). Also, I want to try toning a little better. I am terrified of using weights (not for any rational reason, I just don't like going into weight rooms) so I'm going to attempt some non-weight stuff for the time being then maybe buy some small ones or get over my fear. Who knows. 

Those are the goals I want to focus on 2.3 pounds from now. It's good to have short-term realistic goals because they keep you motivated.

What are your goals?