I knew this week was going to be one of my most challenging yet.  Not only did I have twelve hour work days, but I am also in the last half of my Ironman build-up training--and it is getting rough.  I just didn't know how rough it was going to get.  To understand what I mean, I need to explain a little bit about how the Ironman plan is organized.  It is set up in four week blocks.  The first week is hard, the second week is harder, and then the third week is the hardest of all before they plan a week of recovery training.  Well this last week was the third week of the cycle, and it was also the fifteen week of Ironman training. 
          I should have known this was going to be a rough one when the suggestion for the week shared, "Don't feel discouraged if you feel general fatigue beginning to mount as this week progresses--just concentrate on getting the work done and on the coming recovery week." And I think general fatigue does not even come close to describing how I felt this week.  For example, on Friday I woke up at 2:45am, was in the pool by 3:30, swam 2800 yards (I like round numbers), and then did 30 minutes of hill work on the stationary bike before hitting an hour long spin class at 5:30.  I was back at the house by 6:45am, where I proceeded to collapse back into bed unable to lift my head off the pillow.  My husband and kids came in several times to make sure I was still alive, and in my comatose state I was frantically trying to figure out how I could get out of attending a meeting I had to lead at 9am.  Luckily, Sean revived me with coffee, and I was able to drag my body to work and fulfill my obligations at the meeting...and then came the three day weekend.  No rest for the weary!

          This is where I just had to change my attitude.  I could continue to have a defeated attitude, or I could turn it around and do the best I could to add some fun to my training.  So on Saturday, I ran 13.3 miles with my Ironman buddies in one of my favorite settings--Temecula wine country.  We start out in a suburban neighborhood, but before long we are running along beautiful vineyard properties with hot air balloons flying overhead.  With this kind of scenery, I couldn't help but have a more positive attitude about my training.  After all, if not for my need to do a 2 1/2 hour run, I would have missed out on this experience.

          On Sunday, I decided to surprise my husband with a family trip to the beach, only as part of that trip we would need to bike five hours from Murrieta to Solana Beach (and yes, he considered this a gift, not a punishment).  Instead of seeing this training ride as a chore, I was able to spend some quality time with my husband touring through some beautiful terrain, and then we spent the day at the beach with my daughter and youngest son who drove down on their own.  In addition, our bike trip was planned so that we were able to have lunch at our favorite splurge restaurant, Pizza Port.  After enduring over 60 miles of hills and headwinds, nothing tastes better than a slice of pizza and an ice cold Arnold Palmer (lemonade iced tea). 

          Day three of my holiday weekend training extravaganza, I had to make up the 3,600 yard swim I skipped on Saturday.  I was in the pool by 5:30am, because I had to meet my running buddies for a 5K run at 7:30.  I can't say I was happy to be in the gym's pool instead of snuggling up in bed, but I was at least able to look forward to meeting my friends once I finished the endless laps. 
          My buddy Kay put together this team of runners and made sure we all attended (I won't even mention the lengths she went to to make sure none of us backed out).  I must admit, I was a little sore and tired at this point, but it was a nice flat course that Kay and I had run on numerous occasions, so I knew what to expect.  I started out right behind the boys and I tried not to let them get too far in front of me.  There were so many points where I wanted to just slow down and walk, but I constantly reminded myself that it was only a three mile race.  The end of the course had us finishing inside the Storm Baseball Stadium and at that point it was easy to push myself to a respectable 28:10 finish.  It wasn't the most organized race, and they really had a hard time figuring out the actual finish times, but Kay and I both finished with a first place in our age division.  Okay, well I really need to be honest here.  Because I wasn't wearing my glasses, I didn't realize they had placed me in the wrong age-division until they announced me as the winner of the 30-39 age group.  At that point with all the mistakes the organizers had made, I didn't want to confuse things any more by pointing out their error and asking for my 2nd place in my actual 40-49 division.  My daughter did point out that people must have thought I looked ancient for a thirty year-old--thanks lovely, supportive daughter.
          Here I sit at the end of my three day weekend extremely thankful that I survived my week, and looking forward to my rest day tomorrow and a week full of recovery training.  My body did not give out on me, but I am feeling my body begin to    go    into     sleeeeeep            moooode...ZZZZZZZZZZZ!

          How many times have you looked at yourself in the mirror and decided that you needed to do something?  I know that this is something that was almost a weekly occurrence from my twenties until my forties.  I was unhappy, unhealthy, and so uncomfortable in my own skin.  I was ashamed of what I had become, and yet I could still find every excuse not to change my unhealthy eating and exercise habits.  There was always some excuse--I was too busy; I didn't have enough money for a gym membership or a weight loss program; I had tried before and failed, so I would probably fail again.  But the truth is there is NEVER a good time to start because it will never be easy.  You just have to realize that in the beginning it takes hard work, perseverance, and a little extra time.  Because if now is not a good time...when will it ever be the right time?
          I often rationalized that there was a perfect time to start, like a special date.  For example, I often told myself, "I can't start until after the Thanksgiving or Christmas holidays, because I am sure to fail if I start before then."  It is like I was saying to myself that I needed permission to eat as much crappy food as I could during the holidays, and then I would be good.  Often I would gain extra pounds during that time, and then be frustrated at the amount of weight I needed to lose.  Or how about needing to start on a Monday, because I certainly couldn't start on a weekend.  After all, that is when I ate all the good food.  Again, I was giving myself permission to indulge before I started my new eating program.  Or how about the most magical date of all--January 1st?  What I didn't know then is that only 46% of the people who make New Year's resolutions even stick with it for six months, and in the end only 8% are completely successful.  So if there is no magic date, then when will it ever be a good time?
          My other theory was that there were certain times or phases in my life that made the shedding of my extra pounds more likely.  I was assured by many people that when a mother breastfeeds, the calories it takes to produce nutrition for your child would almost certainly help the pounds to just melt off my body--three kids later I was still over 200 pounds to prove that I can even take a good theory and ruin it.  So if breastfeeding my children wasn't even a good time to lose weight, when would it ever be a good time to lose it?
          My final test for myself was Ironman training--I was certain that with all the working out I was doing, there was no way that I would not be able to finally reach my goal range of 145-155 pounds.  And imagine my surprise when even after 2-3 hours of intense workout six days a week, I hadn't shed a pound.  I shouldn't have been surprised, because I hadn't changed my eating habits at all.  In fact, my working out had actually given me a great reason to eat food I wouldn't normally eat.  I had the extra calories in the bank after all, so why not get a scoop of ice cream at Cold Stone?  Why not choose french fries instead of fruit with my sandwich?  If I couldn't lose weight now, maybe there was no hope for me to find a good time.
          I have written about this before and not followed my own advice--in order to lose weight you have to make healthy food choices and make time for exercise.  You need both or it doesn't work.  Enter MyFitnessPal--this was honestly the best resource I added to my daily routine.  I have been consistently tracking my food and entering my exercise, and I know exactly how many calories I have eaten and how many I have burned. In 45 days I have lost almost 11 pounds, and I am so close to the top of my goal weight range I can taste it.  I am now at 157.6 pounds, and I still have over two month until Ironman and the absolute deadline to fit into my wetsuit.
          So stop making excuses for why now is not the right time for you to begin making healthy choices.  There is never going to be a perfect time or phase in your life--you need to make now the perfect time!  Find an exercise you love and stick to it, and balance it with making healthier food choices.  If MyFitnessPal is not for you, find another way to track that fits into your lifestyle, so you have accountability and know what calories you have coming in and out of your body.  You deserve to make yourself a priority, because NOW is the time to be the best you ever!

         Don't get me wrong, I like sleeping in late and being pampered with breakfast in bed as much as the next person. It is just that the very best gift I have received over the last few years has nothing to do with food. After all, I have learned that there are other ways to celebrate special occasions that don't necessarily center exclusively around food. So today I started my Mother's Day exactly how I spent this morning last year--running with the girls.
          Instead of sleeping in, my alarm went off at 5 am, so I could meet the girls for our 6 am training run. Now some of you might not see this as a gift, but the most precious gift I have right now is the gift of good health.  I thank God every day that I have been given my life back, and that I am fit enough to get up and run 10 miles if I choose to.  That is why I was up before the sun instead of snuggling back into my warm, comfy bed.  I have very little time in my life that is just for me, and when I run, bike, or swim I am taking a little time to myself so I can be a better person for my family.  And hopefully by getting healthy I will have more quality years to spend showing them how much I love and appreciate being their mother, wife, sister, etc.
          And the best thing about starting my day so early was that I was still able to meet my family for a Mother's Day breakfast.  So I got some quality running time with the Ironman girls, I had breakfast with my husband, kids, and in-laws, and I was even able to fit in a relaxing pedicure with my daughter.  I couldn't have asked for a better Mother's Day, and I am hoping that you, too, were pampered, spoiled, and reminded how precious you are to your family. 

"There will be so many times you will feel like you have failed.  But in the eyes, heart, and mind of your child you are SUPER MOM!"  --Stephanie Precourt

Happy Mother's Day to all the SUPER MOMs in my life!    

          For the last month my friends and I have been challenging ourselves to not only continue with our exercise routine, but also to be more careful with our eating.  We have been religiously using MyFitnessPal, and it has paid off for all involved.  We are eating enough food to sustain our bodies through Ironman level workouts, and we are being more conscious of what we are putting into our mouths.  I have become more aware of the nutritional value of foods I eat on a regular basis, so that I can make informed decisions when I plan my meals.  For example, I love peanut butter, but at 190 calories for 2 Tablespoons, I often choose to use just one so I can use the calories for something else in the day.
          However, when I was training with one of my buddies, she mentioned that she was a little disappointed that even though she had been super careful that week, the scale was not showing the results she had expected.  It was this conversation that inspired this blog, because our road to healthy living is not a sprint--it is a marathon.
        I think in my case, my journey has been more like an ultra marathon with tons of detours and pit stops along the way.  In the beginning, I treated my fitness more like a sprint to the end goal, so inevitably I ran out too fast, depleted all my energy, and ended up giving up in discouragement when the weight didn't fall off me each week.  I didn't see this as a lifestyle change--I wanted a quick fix, and I wanted it now.
          The key to running a great marathon is to train consistently, but nutrition is the next most important thing.  If you don't eat and drink the right amounts of what your body needs, you can end up running out of steam, getting cramps, and just not being able to complete your race.  Getting healthy has similar needs.  You must get your exercise in to ramp up your metabolism, but getting your eating under control is equally important.  I learned that over the last year or so.  I have been exercising more than I ever have, and yet the scale hardly moved at all.  I was not tracking, which meant that I had no idea what exactly was going into my body.  I have only been using MyFitnessPal for less than a month, and because I have been watching what I eat, I have already lost almost 9 pounds.  In addition, I am in the 150s for the first time in more than 20 years.  At that time I weighed 154 pounds, but I was in the throws of bulimia.  So this is the first time I have done this without cheating, and all it took was me adding monitoring my nutrition to my training routine.
          Another way my journey has been like a marathon is that I have needed to consistently ramp up my training as my body has gotten used to my workout levels.  At first I moved my body by going on long walks.  When that became too easy for me, I added a little running into the routine.  Once a 5K was too easy for me, I challenged myself by training for a half marathon.  Now I am not saying that you all need to work up to an Ironman, because that would be crazy, but when what you are doing becomes too easy for you, you need a change.  Try adding more time, adding more miles, or bump up the intensity.  All these things will keep your body on its toes so it doesn't get too used to your routine.
          You could also try mixing other forms of exercise into your training.  If all I did was run, I would end up with tons of injuries from the repetitiveness. Before I started training for triathlons, I often mixed in days of biking and Crossfit to work out different parts of my body and strengthen my core muscles.  Zumba sound interesting?  How about trying paddle boarding or surfing?  Make exercise fun and you are more likely to stick with it.
          I think what I want to get across this week is that you need to be patient with yourself as you train your body to be at its best and most efficient.  For most of us it has taken years for us to build up bad habits and put on the weight, so we need to be patient as we break those habits and drop the extra pounds.  Don't get impatient--remember good things come to those that wait!