Du it again Duathlon!

I have a lot to catch you up on so this will be a series of 3 posts all in one day!  (duathlon, half marathon, and Everything else)  So stay tuned!

I was going to name this post just "Duathlon." but then I was like but I am going to do more than just one duathlon!

This tells you how much I loved my first duathlon!  I know last post I was still wavering on whether or not to do it.  Well I just sucked it up and went and signed up.  When I found myself making excuses like but family will be in town or I didn't really train for this specific event, I knew this was a moment where I needed to push my myself and get out of my comfort zone.  Staying in your comfort zone means doing the same things you have always done which got me to 90 lbs overweight, unhappy, and depressed.  This has been a less that I have learned from listening and reading other people's stories and it really rings true.

One of my excuses was true.  I didn't really train for this.  I've been riding my bike to work as much as I can.  I can easily run 2 miles since with my half marathon training I am up to 10 miles.  So I felt pretty confident that I could run 2 miles, bike 10 miles and run 2 miles again (get it Du it again).  My biggest worry was transition.  I read up on this as much as possible and watched a bunch of you tube videos.  You will just never feel confident with it until you do it and even then I don't feel completely confident I just know I can do it.  I did read up about brick workouts where you practice doing two of the sports in a row.  I biked home and would run a couple miles just see how much energy I still had and how my legs would react.  I thinks these really helped build my confidence even though I only did it twice before the race.

The night before I got all my things ready.  I packed some towels, water, heartrate monitor, visor, and race belt.  I laid out my clothes and my fiance loaded up my bike.  I was ready.

I woke up early to I could get there when the transition area opened because I had no idea what I was doing.  The race was on the island and boy was the wind blowing!  This made for a very brisk morning!  I waited for a couple of other people to rack their bikes so I could copy how they did.  I racked my bike by hanging it by the seat so I could quickly lift and lower and get rolling.  Then I waited for the start.  This was a very small event with about 40 people participating.  Most were a part of some of the clubs in town so I felt inexperience but read to face the challenge.  They told us about the route and transition start and stop area, then we were off.

2 mile Beach Run:  So in multisport races you can't have headphones.  This was a new experience for me because I always ran with my music.  Even though I didn't have my music though I had the sound of the waves!  I tried to stick with the group of older ladies that seemed to know each other.  I soon fell behind but kept going at a pace that I knew I could sustain.  The beach run really scared me since I didn't practice by running on the beach at all but the sand was very packed and easy going.

10 mile Bike:  I ran to transition, put on my helmet, took a swig of water, and grabbed my bike.  I was off but I really should have adjusted my helmet before that moment.  It was really tight and I had to play with it until felt comfortable while still trying to keep up with everyone.  This is where I learned how fast road bikes are.  I was pedaling away and people were passing me with ease!  That's okay though I just kept going on my hybrid Giant.  I had two goals, to finish under 2 hours and not to be last!  I felt good until I reached the 5 mile mark and had to turn to head back.  Holy Wind Batman!  I really like the first 5 miles that was with the wind and now I really had to push to get anywhere.  Later I realized I was going against almost 18mph winds!  I tried to change gears to ease the pedaling and then my chain fell off.  Ugh!  This is when I was saying to myself "what were you thinking signing up for this!?"  I put my chain back on and started pedaling again.  I had really fallen behind at this point and was last and with no one in sight!  I found some sort of second wind and started really pushing.  My legs were burning but I knew I had to catch up.  I am strong.  Mind of over matter.  Then I heard birds chirping and looked around.  I am doing a duathlon on an island that is 20 min from my apartment.  How lucky am I?!  How many people can say they have done a duathlon?  On an island? in their city?  Suck it up Gretchen.  Next thing I knew I could see someone up ahead and I was gaining!  I caught up and said "On your left" and mentioned how the wind was horrible and chuckled with her.  That felt so cool!  Felt like a real athlete!  I passed her on her road bike and kept going.  Then my fiance and his family that was in town drove by and waved as they were going to meet me at the finish line!  That was just what I needed to push through the last mile of the bike and get pumped about the 2 mile run.

2 mile Beach Run Again:  This time the sand was a little rougher after people were driving over it.  It made for an interesting game of where can I run so that I still get the most traction and don't waste energy.  At this point I knew I wasn't last so was pushing to stay ahead.  I have been running longer than I have been biking and so I felt very confident about this part.  I pushed myself and tried to enjoy the scenery while I was at it.  Before I knew it I was making the turn back toward the finish line!  I did it!  I ran to the finish line as my soon to be in-laws and fiance cheered me on!  What a great feeling!  1:36:51, I wasn't last and I finished under 2 hours!

I am so grateful that I have family that supports my crazy ambitions.  All my life my goal has been to experience everything or at least as much as I can.  I wanna say "I've done that."  Now I can say that I've completed a duathlon.  Next year I hope to be able to say that I improved my duathlon time.

In the words of Queen- "Don't Stop Me Now"

Follow me on Instagram for photos!  GRETCHEN_516

Halloween Candy and Duathlon? Maybe

I ate this years first Halloween candy last night.  I have been avoiding all the candy and when I pass it have a debate with myself over the temptation.  I decided not to have candy at my desk this year because it was something that was just going to tempt me all day every day.  who wants that? I bought candy corn yesterday for some cupcakes that I'm going to make this week.  I should not of even opened the package but I had the extra calories and decided to splurge on some.  I counted out the 24 candy serving and enjoyed my sugar.  I feel good that I was in control and made the decision consciously.

Okay now into what has been going on.  Last post I mentioned my family was coming to town and I spent the week with them and enjoyed their company.  I did gain a little which is probably partly due to the cake and ice cream, we had that is a big splurge from daily life.  Currently I am back down to my before weight and a little more.

Next up is my fiance's family.  I have been trying to kick but while I have this time between and I am feeling good.  Its getting down to crunch time though and I have lots of stuff I wanna get done plus the usual working out and working overtime so I can take time off.  Eek, stress is building.  I am taking it one day at a time though and planning ahead.

With all lack of strictly sticking to plan I am not going to be making some of my challenges.  I won't meet my meltdown challenge and I didn't win my last dietbet round.  I am working though to meet the next round.  I have until mid November so I still have some time but don't wanna push it off either.  I have been trying to stay motivated with podcasts and tracking my food intake.

So this weekend is a duathlon (2 mile run with a 10 mile bike and another 2 mile bike).  I am still not completely sure if I'm going to do it but I really would like to.  The scary unknown is what is holding me back also the fact that this is kind of last minute.  I have been biking approximately 6.5 miles to and 6.5 miles from work 2-3 days a week.  With my half marathon training I feel good about the 2 mile run.  I even practiced with a brick work out where I rode home and then immediately ran 2 miles to see what the transition is like.  It took a little for my lets to adjust but it wasn't too bad!  I even raced my friend that is states away and we compared times and I was only a few seconds behind! (more on this later)  After this I feel confident that I can do it but I'm scared I'll be the last one.  I'll update you on my decision next post.

As I said I have been biking to work and I love it!  It's a great work out and I can feel that I am working different muscles.  The hardest part is biking home because most of the time we are getting a good wind from the coast and I have to push through that.  So far have not had any really close calls with people.  I ride with the thought that every one is out to get me so I am always in a bike lane or sidewalk and the biggest issue is when people pulling out of driveways stop in my path.  Please be conscious of bikers and stop and look before you cross the path of the side walk and stay in your lane.  The bike lane is not extra part of your lane.

With biking to work means people at work notice you more.  I am sure people are saying "she is crazy."  That's okay.  I enjoy it.  One moment that did make me mad this week was when I was eating my premade salad from home and a gentleman walked up and said "you enjoying your peppers and veggies?"  I said yes.  The tone is what got to me as he giggled and walked past with his fast food.  I am not judging him by his decision and you shouldn't judge someone else for their decision to make a healthy choice.  Since when is eating healthy uncool?  I don't know maybe I'm reading far too into it.  I feel good about my decision and that is all that matters.

Half Marathon Training
2 weeks away from the Harbor Half!  I completed 10 miles this weekend.  I wasn't happy with not being able to run the whole time but I am proud of the distance.  Can't believe in 2 weeks that i'm going to be doing a 10 miles plus 3.1 more miles!  I'm looking forward to it but I'm also scared.  Hoping to see about doing the bridge walk this weekend to check out part of the course but we'll see with having family in town.

Racing buddies!

Last week I raced my friend that lives states away.  He is the one that really got me started on this journey by seeing his success.  Well we can be very competitive and one day he said he was going to run a 5k after work and I said I would race him.  We ran separately and compared our times once we were both finished.  I won by 0.02 seconds which is pretty much like we tied!  We completely agreed that this little competition really push us during our run.  So I am hoping we make it a weekly thing!  We raced 2 miles last night and he beat me!  I am totally going to use the excuse that I was tired from my bike home.  I don't know if I would have actually ran the 2 miles though if he didn't challenge me.

Also today at work a girl stopped me to ask about my biking and running and asked if I would be interested in doing a triathlon with her in San Antonio in a few months.  This was awesome!  I've been reading up about triathlons because that is my next goal after the half marathon in 2 weeks!  I am so excited to learn from her and have a workout buddy!

Non-Scale Victory
I can fit into size 10 pants and shorts now!  What?!?!

That's all for now but hopefully there will be some race posts coming up soon!  Thanks for reading!

I see scale movement!

So I haven't posted in awhile because I didn't think I had any good news since the scale wasn't really moving.  It wasn't going up or down.  I've been slacking on controlling my portion sizes and making good food decisions.  On the bright side I haven't gained...I am hoping this mean that maintaining when I reach my goal will mean being comfortable and not worrying all the time that I'm gaining.  That is still 40 lbs away though and I want to enjoy my journey there.

I have another confession.  I skipped a long training run. :\ I was supposed to do 9 miles last weekend but decided not to do it.  My fiance was home all weekend which is rare occurrence with his schedule and I decided to enjoy the whole weekend with him.  Good news is I was already a week ahead on my training schedule so as long as I don't skip any more I will be ready to go for my half next month!
Next confession,  I lost a dietbet.  I'm not happy with myself for not trying harder but I just wasn't into it like I have been lately.  4% in a month is starting to get harder and harder to achieve.  I am still doing my 6 month transformation dietbet and am hoping to reach the goal of weighting 165.6 which is 8% from where I started this dietbet.  I have lost 13.2lbs since July 15th.  That is about 4.5 lbs a month which isn't bad!  I have been feeling bad about not losing weight fast enough but when I stand back and look at the long term I am impressed with myself.  I'm still on the journey.

Meltdown Challenge is still going as well!  I almost forgot that it was a weightloss challenge with all the great information that it has be sharing.  I have to lose 6% in 6 weeks.  Right now there is only 20 days left and I still have 5.12 lbs to lose. eek!  I believe that I am making the changes and decision to reach that goal though but the next couples weeks will REALLY test me.

Today I weighted in at 166.8.  I have 6 days to shed the last 1.2 lbs so I am kicking it into gear!  I am back to doing more medifast meals to keep my calorie count low but still full with plenty of protein and low carb.  I found that my portions were starting to get out of control again and needed to remind myself what I really need to sustain myself.  This is a battle that I think I'll be fighting for the rest of my life but I am happy I am aware of it.

So some positive things!  My fiance and I bought bikes!  I love it!  We have biked to dinner and biked to the movies!  I have even started biking to work!  Today is my third day!  I am not biking everyday because by the time I bike home I don't feel like working out and I still have a half marathon that I'm training for!  I'm trying to do three days a week and I am enjoying burning the extra 500 calories a day just commuting!  I will say that riding home is harder since it is usually warmer and I am riding into the wind!

Yesterday I didn't bike to work so I decided to go for a long run since I slacked enjoyed this weekend.  I decided to try a way different route and ran towards the bay and found out its only 3 miles from my apartment!  How amazing is that?  I am so thankful and lucky to live in a place like this!  I definitely believe that the weather is what helps me keep moving!  I love sunny south Texas!  Here is a selfie I took when I reached as far as I could go north with out swimming!  This definitely wasn't one of my strongest runs and I could tell I haven't run for a couple of days but I still enjoyed the run.

Okay, like I said earlier the next couple of weeks are going to be a challenge.  Next week, I am taking the week off because my family is visiting!  My youngest brother and sister and flying for their very first time to come see their big sister!  I am so excited to share my new home with them!  I know they are happy to defrost from the Indiana weather! :P  Wish me luck as my routine changes and I try to navigate staying on plan!  Staying active and everything in moderation is the key!  I'll be repeating that over and over again in my head!

Back to the Basics

Okay, I had a bad week.  I'm not sure what happened but I pretty much broke down.  Emotionally not a good week.  But I am ready to move on.  So here we are back to the basics.

I am up back into the 170s but barely so that's good.  I hate going backwards though!  Feels like the work was for nothing when I go backwards but just have to start over and keep going.

Back to the basics, what does that mean?  I am not exactly sure but here is my plan.
1. Water- 80 oz a day
2. Exercise- everyday can be big or small just have to move!
3. Plan meals!  Unplanned=bad decisions
4. Understanding my thoughts

The last one is what I have been struggling with for the last week.  I started a new kind of weight loss challenge last week and it has daily readings and webinars and all kinds of great stuff to support weight loss!  Not only the eating part but the emotional part.  I want to share with you what I am going to be focusing this week.  "Thoughts come first then emotions which then drive our actions which leads us to our results"  My thoughts control my emotions not my the other way around.  I need to be more aware of what my thoughts are and why they make me feel the way that I do.  I'll have to get back to you on this...

I am still training for my half marathon and I have officially registered!  So now I am committed!  I did 8 miles this week but not very fast.  The heat was back on and I am looking forward to the cool weather!  Only 6 miles to do this weekend so that will be a piece of cake! (probably not the best choice of words) The hard part isn't the long runs any more its sticking to my training plan during the week.  I now dread short runs more than long runs.  Hoping that waking up early this week and getting them over with in the cooler mornings will help but that means getting my butt out of bed....wish me luck.

6 month dietbet:  I squeaked by to win round 2 which was a goal of 6% and I won $25.16!  Next goal is 8 % and currently I am up from the 6% goal so I have work to do!  Speaking of work to do, I am in another dietbet and I have 9 days to lose 6 lbs...ugh oh.  Yeah I have been slacking!  Well I am kicking it into gear!  I don't know if 6 lbs is do able but I am going to try!  I hate to lose!  Started out this weekend by doing some meal planning for the week!  I am set this week with cooked chicken breasts, egg salad, spaghetti squash with broccoli and cheese, and pumpkin bread pudding!

So like I said early, I started a new challenge called the Meltdown challenge called Thin it to win it-Team Rex and I am on a team with my old medifast coach.  I love this challenge so far!  Not only do I have to lose 6%  in 6 weeks but I have to earn so many participation points as well.  The points are easy to earn and I am actually learning some great stuff!  I listened to the healthy webinar this morning and it brought up some great questions.  What do you want?  What is your goal?  Why do you want it?  Why now?  Do you want to feel better or stop feeling bad?  What matters most?  These are all questions we have to ask ourselves to find our motivation.  Our motivation is what keeps up on track.  What is your motivation?  I am still learning what my true motivation is.  At first it was to fit into that wedding dress and look great in pictures but now I want to improve my quality of life.  Not that my quality of life is poor now but it could be better!  I want to be able to do anything I want to do.  I want to do a handstand, a cartwheel, a pull up, bow pose.  What is your motivation?

Just want I needed to hear this morning: Inspiration (Youtube)

I look Svelte?

So today I was told that "I looked Svelte."

If you are like me then you had no idea if it was a compliment or criticism.  They then told that it meant that I looked fit.  Oh how nice! So I googled it because now it's my favorite word!  

Svelte (according to Merriam-Webster)

  :thin in an attractive or graceful way

Wow, that IS a compliment!  I always have a hard time accepting or reacting to compliments so I brushed it off and said thank you and went on with my work.  As I kept thinking about this word, I love it more and more!  I appreciate this comment so much and it will definitely fuel me through my trip to Indy this weekend as I try to keep on track!  

So, I weighted myself this morning and remember one of my goals?  160s before Indy?  Yep, done.  169.8 When I get back the scale better still in the 160s!  After all I only have 10 days before my next weight-in for my 6 month Dietbet!  

In other news, Map my fitness sent me my August Workout Summary and guess what?  I ran/walked over 100 miles last month!  I don't really know how that compares to anything but I just thought it was cool.  Along with exercise, I went to 6 am row class again Tuesday and I am starting to like it!  Once you get past the whole actually having to get up it isn't so bad.  It also helps that all the people are regulars and are extremely welcoming!  I enjoy being a part of this early morning community!

Lately, there has been a lot of bad news in my family about health and it really makes you grateful for what you have.  It's a reminder to enjoy the time you have, don't take it for granted.  What you do today, decides how you do tomorrow!  Some health problems, you can't prevent or change and it's hard to accept.  But some you can!  This completely goes along with weight loss.  So many diseases and health problems are related to being over weight and these are preventable!  Before I started losing, I was so big that doctors would test me over and over again for diabetes.  They were sure with my height and weight that I was doomed for this disease.  This was a scary time.  Everyday I am thankful that my parents gave me pretty great genes and that I can make healthy changes that can reduced my health risks.  I am so grateful for fiance, my dog, my family, my friends, and especially my health.  

Well things got a little deep but I hope this helps someone.  Thank you for reading!

First day of September, New Month, New Goals

Today is September 1st and its a Monday! This is the perfect day to start some new goals!  There is a always the excuse, oh i'll start monday or I'll start next month.  Today is that day!  Do you have any goals for this month?  I am going to make a goal of signing up for the Harbor Half Marathon, finishing 9 miles where I run the whole time, and 10lbs!  What do you think?  Do able?

Last weekend I completed my 7 mile run and I actually went into it thinking I had to do 8 miles.  I had planned a route for 8 miles and had already psyched myself up to get it down.  Then when I was running I realized that I hadn't done a 7 mile run yet.  So I shorted up my route a little and did my 7 miles finishing strong!  This weekend was not as strong.  Yesterday, I did not plan my route as well and changed it up as I was running.  I ended up doing 9 miles although I walked a lot of the last 2 miles because I was really starting to feel it in my hips and knee.  I always run in a large circle cause if I run laps then I know I'll try to talk myself into stopping early.  So as I was trying to get back home I could feel a large blister on my pinky toe.  This was just adding to my pain.  I eventually made it home but at a much slower pace.  I am taking a rest day today to try to let my leg muscles heal but I'll probably do some arm, back, and glute work today.

Along with my September goals I am joining the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans for their Back to the Basics Weightloss challenge and their Buns and Guns challenge!

http://shrinkingjeans.net/2014/08/back-basics-weight-loss-challenge-dietbet/

http://shrinkingjeans.net/2014/08/buns-guns-challenge/

Who wants to join me?

I am excited about improving my plank time!  Also I have noticed that after losing weight, I no longer have a butt.  I guess my body decided that's where I needed to lose most of my weight.  Thanks body, couldn't take it from my thighs?  It's okay though, I'll just have to build it back up with muscle!  

Okay, on to some bad news.  I did not stick to my training schedule this week.  I worked out Tuesday and that was pretty much it.  This may have attributed to my rough run yesterday.  Well this is a new month, a new week and I am committed to sticking to the plan this week!  My schedule is a little off since I ran yesterday instead of rainy Saturday but I may double up a run and cross training day to make up for it.  Along with not working out, i did not eat my best.  I didn't binge or go too crazy, I just indulged probably a little too much.  Yesterday was pretty bad too.  It started out great but by the end of the day I was still hungry and kept munching.  I've heard of the long run hunger but hadn't experienced it really until yesterday.  I'll have to come up with some ways to curb this so that it doesn't cancel out all the work that I am putting in.

Today is a new week and a new month so I am starting out this morning on the right track and going to track everything that I eat and stick to my workout plan.  This weekend will be a challenge because my fiance and I are traveling back to our homeland, Indiana.  I have some bridesmaids dress shopping and he has his own things with his family.  Traveling is always tough but I feel good about this trip.  I plan on doing my long run Saturday (only 5 miles according to the training plan since I did 8 this weekend) then I'll have some calories to play with when I'm out with everyone.  Maybe I'll even get a yoga session in with my mom and grandma.  #fitfam

I had a goal of getting into the 160s by this Indiana trip and I'm going to try my hardest to make that happen this week.  Let's take September by the horns and make it our month!  Setting goals isn't the hard part it's sticking to them! 

I'm a loser! All I do is Win Win Win!

Its may be Tuesday but the second worst day of the week next to Monday but I am all smiles!

I am a loser!  I have scale and non-scale victories today!

Round 1 of the 6 month Dietbet was a success!  I won $16.21!  I knew I was going to win that one and next was the 4% in 28 days.  I had to be at 170.7 lbs to win.  I ran 6 miles during my long run Saturday and took a rest day Sunday.  The scale Monday morning read 173.6lbs. WHAT? UGH!  I was so sad.  My dietbet was ending and I wasn't going to make it!  How could I be up!  I was under on my calories!  I read up on long runs and how your muscles will swell as they repair themselves causing you to retain water but it should dissipate a couple days after.  So I crossed my fingers and drank a lot of water yesterday and very closely watched my eating and sodium intake.  This morning I stepped on the scale with all my fingers and toes crossed and it said 170.6 lbs!  Thank you! Yes, Please!  So I quickly snapped my pictures for my official weigh-in and it has been verified that I won!  by 0.1lbs but I'll take it!  I'll find out how much I won Thursday morning and hoping to get some new running shoes this weekend to celebrate!

Half Marathon Training is going!  I did 6 miles this weekend!  New personal best distance!  I really pushed myself and am proud of this run!  I did walk a couple of times but for good reasons such as my ankle or shins started to hurt.  I walked for a little bit and then picked it back up.  Looking forward to 7 miles this weekend!  During my Monday Easy Runs I've decided to start working the hills workout on my apartment treadmill to start building some different muscles so I can beat the Harbor bridge in November!  Hopefully this will make the bridge a little less intimidating.  

At the office today I was asked if I've lost weight!  Yes, almost 50 lbs!  It feels good that people can say they have to take a second look to make sure it's me!  Yes it's me,  I've always been this person on the inside, you just couldn't see it because there was some extra baggage I was carrying.  Do me a favor and compliment a person today!  Sometimes we are so obsessed with ourselves and what we are doing and just saying a kind word or catching up with a friend and asking about their day can make all the difference and make their day great!  Even if it is a Tuesday!

Finally,  would you be interested in some of my favorite recipes?  Need some help planning ahead for the week to help you make good decisions?  I'm thinking about sharing what I make every weekend for the week so help me keep on track.  Tell me if this sounds like a good idea.  Would you like it different posts?  Maybe I'll make a page with my favorite go to recipes.  Thinking out loud here

Well quick and dirty post today.  Just wanted to share some victories that made my Tuesday!  Thanks for reading!