Month: February 2012

Lenten Challenge

Last year I started “adding” things as opposed to giving up things to challenge me during Lent. 

Last year I added – making my bed. And I’ve still kept up with it. In a year I’ve probably only skipped a handful of days. 

This year I am taking on a Planking Challenge. I need to work on my core and I thinking working on increasing my maximum plank time would be a good start. 

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Last year I also gave up “snoozing” my alarm, which I only was half successful with. I didn’t plan on trying to do it again and already snoozed this morning, but starting this minute I’m going to try and not snooze. 

Stella needs her groove back

I am tiiiiiiired.

Wrapping up this last month of work, packing, moving stuff, and marathon training is exhausting me.

Less than a month to go. I need to stay focused. 

I woke up with horrible shin splints today – I blame a terrible hotel treadmill. I decided to rest and will get my runs in WThF and Sun. 

I know running well help me destress, but I have found myself at max stress capacity lately. 

In transit

I’m writing this while waiting to fly back down to Alabama. I spent the weekend in the DC area getting acclimated to my soon to be office and campus. I also apartment hunted like whoa.

It was an exhausting long weekend, but very productive. I decided on a condo with an awesome girl in Alexandria, VA near Old Town and the Huntington Metro.

I also squeezed in my training runs, but had to cut back on some mileage. I ran 4 instead of 5 miles on Friday and then 10 instead of 12 miles yesterday. I wish I could have squeezed in full mileage, but this weekend was just SO busy and exhausting.

I have three 5 milers this week and then my 20 MILES this weekend!

Multitask

Just ran 8 miles* while talking to 2 of my best friends on speaker phone.  

My pace was closer to 12 min/mi than 11 min/mi but I did get to catch up with them both after a crazy few weeks. They were both impressed (as was I at my ability to talk and run)!

Tomorrow evening I fly to Virginia to do some prelim new job stuff and apartment hunt!

*with this run I surpassed my 200th mile of 2012 😀

Nothing like perplexing a physician

I went to a “Healthy Tigers” appointment today. I went to my first appointment in Oct 2010 and then one in Nov 2011 (but only got blood work). I had the appointment today for blood work and body composition (like I did in Oct 2010).  

I had high hopes for my data since I’m neck deep in marathon training and nearly the lowest weight I’ve ever been. 

Not the case. In fact I am more confused than ever. 

Cholesterol

Bold is today, 2nd number is Oct 2010

  • Total Cholesterol: 196 – 161 (goal is below 200)
  • HDL (Healthy Cholesterol): 44 – 49 (goal over 50, optimal over 60)
  • Non-HDL Goal: 153 – 112 (goal is under 190)
  • Total Cholesterol/HDL ratio: 4.5 – 3.3 (goal is under 4.0)
  • Glucose: 82 – 87 (goal is below 200)

The doctor said he was surprised that my HDL is in a “yellow risk range” and that I need to keep my eye on it. He said I’m doing everything right and that it may be genetics that I’m fighting. I’m surprised that so much has changed in 1.5 years. I feel like I’m in the best health of my life and it was crushing to hear that there could be issues regardless down the road. I need to find my November data at home to see where it was even a few months ago. 

Body Composition

I learned that the algorithms with these machines are really not an exact science. The doctor first ran the Body Composition (get on a scale that sends electric currents through you pretty much) as a “standard” female. However he also wanted to run it as an “athletic” female since the algorithms are different, but there isn’t as much data. 

Bold is today as a standard female, italics is today as an athletic female, the 3rd number is Oct 2010 as a standard female. 

  • Weight: 176.2 lbs – 176.2 lbs – 184.4 lbs
  • BMI: 25.6 – 25.6 – 26.8 (Normal/Healthy BMI is under 25)
  • Fat %: 34.3% – 25.5% – 32.2% (“Desirable range” for my standard demographics 21-33% – no info available on athletic)
  • Fat Mass: 60.4 lbs – 45.01 lbs – 59.41 lbs (“Desirable range” 30.8-57.0  33.2-61.6 pounds for standard – no info available on athletic)
  • Fat Free Mass: 115.81 lbs – 131.2 lbs – 125.0 lbs
  • Total Body Water: 84.8lbs – 96.0 lbs – 91.4 lbs

Blood Pressure 

  • 102/60 – 112/74 (normal value below 120/80)

Apparently runners how lower blood pressure than most people.

All in all I am really confused by all of this. I don’t know why my blood work is terrible and I don’t know how according to the body composition analysis that I also as in worse shape as a standard woman, but the athletic analysis wasn’t even complete enough to be helpful. 

I was really looking forward to this data and now I’m just stressed. 

WIW

Last Week: 176.2

This Week 176.6

I blame all the sweets yesterday. I couldn’t turn them ALL down. However I still find myself shocked and thrilled that I’m comfortably in the 170s. Every time I’ve previous been here it’s been fleeting.

I did conduct an interesting weight experiment on Sunday before my 19 miler.

  • I weighted 176.0 before my run. 
  • Then I weighed 174.4 after. 
  • Then I held a bottle of water and weighed 176.0 
  • THEN I drank the bottle of water and weighed 176.2

FASCINATING!

It’s amazing how when I started this blog weight loss was how I measured my success. These days I measure it by my strength and how hard I can push my body.

I was thinking about this change while I was in spin class being “sweaty fabulous” to quote the instructor. I was pushing my body as hard as I was not to burn extra calories, but because I could. I liked looking in the mirror from time to time and catching my bicep or calf flex as it worked haaaard.