Where I’ve Been

      2 Comments on Where I’ve Been

I’m not going to lie. I’ve been in a blogging “funk” lately. I just don’t feel like I have that much to write about. I’ve had no spectacular breakthroughs that would impress anyone, and I’m still struggling every day with my weight. Every. Damn. Day.

I haven’t even posted my weight since the first week of September, now that I look back. That was right after my canning weekend, when I was 126.4.  I’ve still been weighing myself every week; it just hasn’t been very exciting.  My last weigh-in was today:

 

img_1063

 

I was briefly down to 124.2 in the time since I last posted a weight, but most of the time, I hovered right around 125.0, which is 5 pounds above where I’d like to be (my goal weight is 120.0).  I know I need to buckle down and get back to basics, but I have lacked enthusiasm.  Last year at this time was when I started calorie-counting, and that was new and different enough to energize me.  I still like calorie-counting…I’m just not sure my body still likes it. :/  I’m thinking I need to get back to the macro-counting I was doing a few months ago, which supplemented my calorie counting.  I just looked at last week’s macro breakdown, and it shows an over-abundance of carbs. 😮

Meanwhile, I’m still in the thick of training for with my 10 KPR next month. I’ve been following Katie’s “your best 10 K” plan and I’ve actually been pretty successful. My best 10K time is 1:00:53. That was back in August 2014 at the Allen Park run. I tried to beat it this past August at the same race, but it was not to be. After my disastrous half-marathon last month, I wanted a new goal, something to make me feel better about my ability to actually run at a decent speed. I thought about shooting for a 10K PR, and it was Katie who suggested I shoot for a sub-60, since I was so close anyway. Plus, it lined up nicely with her training plan. 🙂

I’ve been doing the easy runs a little faster than what I have been for most of this year. You might recall that from March through September, I followed a heart-rate training plan, which had me training in heart rate zones instead of at specific paces. Though I enjoyed running slower, I honestly feel like the heart rate training plan was not designed for me. I know that it’s supposed to work for “every” person, but I just felt like running at the prescribed “easy” pace (180 minus your age, with a couple extra factors thrown in) was just too slow.  My heart rate tends to be pretty high, and The formula it had me shooting for was around 145 bpm. For me, that equated to about 12 to 13 minute mile. After six months of running at that pace for all of my easy runs (which are supposed to constitute the majority of my runs), I was getting bored and frustrated. I sure didn’t feel like I’d gotten any faster!

Katie’s sub-60 training plan suggests that your easy pace should be between 11 and 11:30. That’s what I used to shoot for, back before I started heart-rate training, so I decided to try that again. For me, that equates to about a 160-165 heart rate. Quite a bit higher than the traditional “easy” run, but when I run at that pace, though it certainly does feel more difficult than a 13-minute mile, when I’m done, I feel much more energized and accomplished.

The training plan has been a nice change, and even the speed work is going well.  I dread it every single Tuesday, but I love the feeling I get when I succeed.  Shooting for a 9:39 pace (needed to complete a sub-60 10k) is definitely a challenge for me.  But so far I’ve done well with the race-pace runs, and on my birthday, I managed a 9:36 for three miles—that’s the fastest I’ve run in many months!

So for now, I will work on getting back into a groove and getting this extra five pounds off before it becomes an extra 10 pounds.  It would be nice to have all my jeans fit comfortably again.

It’s not a post without pictures, so here are a few from the last several weeks.

img_0983

That’s a picture taken the evening of October 3, with a crescent moon displayed as the sun set over the old football field at my youngest son’s school.  By this time next year, that site will house a new school building!

img_1008

That has been my view for the last 8 Thursday nights.  I’m the “official” photographer for Jamie’s JV football team, and I’m having a great time!

img_0965

That’s me with my birthday present: a Canon 70-200mm 2.8 lens.  I’ve been using it to take football and hockey pictures, and although I have a LOT to learn, it has provided me with the opportunity to grab some pretty sweet shots:

img_7493

 

img_2677img_2247img_4716img_7288

I really love those last two. The first was taken during a game when it was pouring rain, which happens to be our team’s only loss this season. The second was just a lucky shot…but a cool one, especially if you’re that kid. 😉

Besides football, we also had JJ’s first hockey tournament of the season (JJ is #8):

 

img_8369

And Jamie’s first homecoming dance:

img_8859

He and his friend met up to go to dinner together before going to the dance. As much as Jamie is a total teenager these days, he still melts my heart.

One more set of pics from this morning: I saw a colorful stand of trees by the railroad tracks on my way to work, and stopped to take a picture.

img_0953-j_pg

And then…a train came!

img_0963a

Ok, that’s enough for this week!  I’ll be back sooner rather than later next time! Thanks for sticking around, despite my absences! 🙂

Edited to add, 10/18/16 @ 7:17pm:  Look at me, famous on WeatherNation again! 😉

weathernationtrainphoto

Note: This post was originally titled “Catching Up,” but I realized I already had a post with that name and having two was driving me nuts! 😛

2 thoughts on “Where I’ve Been

  1. denise

    …..It would be nice to have all my jeans fit comfortably again…..

    ****sigh**** I can totally relate to this! I want my jeans to fit comfortably. I can’t wear stretchy yoga pants every day this fall/winter!!

    Reply
    1. steph Post author

      I’m glad to know I’m not the only one with this wish, lol! My problem is that I don’t own any stretchy/yoga pants! 😉 Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *