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Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Little Keebler Devils

This is just a quick post to protest the Keebler Elves newest sin: they have stolen from the Girls Scouts.

My childhood BFF was here all last week (one reason for my lack of posting) and we slid into old habits together: eating food that's not really food while simultaneously throwing our blood sugar all over the charts. I gained 5 pounds in one week. Seriously? It took me a month to lose that.

Anyway, not one to cast the blame on myself ;) I am planting it firmly in front of the feet of the Keebler people. Now, instead of only having to avoid my favorite cookies in the world (those coconut/caramel things, along with Thin Mints) ONCE a year, now I have to do it every time I visit my local grocery store. Which I do at least twice a week.

They've gotten their hands on the Girl Scouts' recipes, and have made exact replicas of one of my favorite treats/worst nightmares.

I guess shopping 'the perimeter' is what will keep me safe, and those darn cookies out of my line of sight.

Onto healthier endeavors, anyone interested in how my first race went??!! Well I'm going to include details in my next post, but I wanted to take a couple of pics first, so I can share photos as well as words....

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Will Run For Gadgets


Or, more specifically, for running gadgets!


I am all set for the race (running gear-wise). I was putting my iPod in an armband to run, but when I recently switched to an iPhone (which is bigger), I was in a real pickle. I have the phone in a protective case that's a real pain to remove, so I went on a hunt for a belt with a pouch, and I found that cute little Spibelt!
It doesn't bounce around on my waist, whether I have it on my stomach or turned around to my back, and it could hold money and a key if I really needed it.
Also pictured is my heart-rate monitor. I had a Polar once upon a time, and also another brand which recently quick working. I really wanted a new one, but didn't want to spend much, so $35 was my total for this Timex. It seems to work like a charm, except when I'm on my treadmill ;) I guess there's too much interference... But where I really need it is outside anyway, so I can't complain. It's doing a great job of helping me stay at a decent pace; no slacking, no over-doing it.
My last, but not pictured, and favorite gadget of all? My iPhone. More specifically, the NikePlus app that I have on it. I just downloaded it before my last run, and was I in for a treat, or what?!!
Since I happen to live a street away from where the 6K I'll be doing next week is located, I've been running the exact route for practice. I'd mapped out the mile markers in my car so I could check on my pace.
Well, this NikePlus thing does it all for me. It tells me (through the music that I have playing) when I've hit each mile, and what my pace is. When I'm all done, I can look at a map of where I ran, what the elevation was, and what my pace was at different points. My girls got a big kick out of looking at all of this on the computer when I got home.
I was so inspired, I ran an extra mile just for fun. They were calories well earned, because my best girl-buddies and I went out to eat at an Italian place last night, and I ate my fair share.
I didn't plan on running much after this 6K, but I've heard of this little race down at Disney World (the Princess Half-Marathon) and I'm interested. With the Nike app, my training, if I decide to go for it, sure would be more fun to do.
Question for those of you with feet :)
Are there shoes that you prefer for running? Anything I should know about running shoes, specifically? I have a pair of New Balance that I'll use for the next month or so, but I probably should start looking around for a new pair.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

No Turning Back Now

I have officially registered for the 6K a few weekends from now. I'm excited, scared, and hopeful all at one time. Oh, and a little bummed! My BFF will not be running with me after all because of temporary joint issues, so I'll have to go it alone. Which is sorta where the scary part comes in.

I was a competitive swimmer when I was young and into high school. I ended up hating the sport because my finishing place and times were so darn important. I was so stressed out about it, and ended up quitting because it was driving me crazy.

When I started playing soccer, I realized what I'd been missing in a true team sport all those years! Not nearly as much pressure on self, and a real sense of team-work. I loved it. Then I rowed in college, and that was really in a league of its own, team-mentality-wise.

So here I am again, doing something where individual place and time is a focus (for some) and it's running, which is not at all a natural talent area for me. What is wrong with this picture?

I guess I just want to be able to check a race off my list of to-do's. Or to celebrate what has been many months of hard work and discipline. A grand wave goodbye to years of unhealthy habits.

Whatever it is, I'm doing it, and because I'm stubborn, there really is no turning back now.