What is your favorite workout wear?

My workout pants are all larges and now officially are falling down while running.  It is time to get new workout wear.  And I LOVE IT!!!  Please share with me your favorite brands/ styles.  Thank you.

Vision in the A1A Half

My Vision - Run a 2:30 Half Marathon!

Why?  I've always said time doesn't matter -it is just doing the event that counts.  And most of you know that 2:30 is a slow pace (11:28/mile).  But having a goal for this race I believe has pushed me in my training?  I have run many half marathons in the past and my time has gone up every one since the start:

• April 29, 2006 - Derby Festival - 2:28:25
• August 10, 2008 - The Chicago Distance Classic Half Marathon - 2:41:16
• October 12, 2008 - Bank of America Chicago Marathon - MARATHON - Time at Half:  2:44:08
• January 18, 2009 - Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona - 2:49:34
• August 1, 2010 - Rock 'n' Roll Chicago - 2:46:29 (ok - this one went down by 3 mins)

So the REASON I have a time goal is because it reflects my journey.  Since 2006 my heath has decreased and my weight has increased.  By making 2:30 a goal I'm making my health a goal.  And if I don't meet 2:30 I will not let it get me down.

Because I have come so far....  But I really do hope I beat that number!

Now that I've lost 20+ pounds...

...do I think I can do anything?  I DO!

For the past couple years I've been thinking about doing a Ironman 70.3.  And tonight I signed up for Cozumel 70.3 on September 23, 2012.  This gives me plenty of time to train and prepare.  My dear friend Erica has agreed to make the trip to Mexico with me to cheer me on and then drink with me on the beach for a couple of days afterwards.  It is going to be so awesome (I hope) - so think about joining me for the race and or the drinks!  I would appreciate all the support.

Distance:
1.2 mi. swim • 56 mi. bike • 13.1 mi. run

With a Mexican heart and a Caribbean soul, Cozumel is a paradise where tradition, flavor and joy come together. You will always find a friendly face and a warm welcome to make your stay an unforgettable one.

Coach 13: Kristin Coleman Stobe

Kristin Stobe is a friend of a friend who has become a great friend - makes sense right?  I met Kristin during my college years.  She went to high school with one of my best college friend's Becky (who was also a house mate of  mine for 2 years).  Over the past 15+ years Kristin and I have gotten to know each other very well.  We have shared many travels from Vegas, to Utah, to New Orleans (and now are planning a trip to San Antonio).  We always enjoy a good laugh when we are together.  Kristin is also an accountant and we have the same sense of humor - an awesome one! Or we get exercise as we walk around looking at sights or looking for geo-catches (whatever that is). 

Kristin lives in Cleveland with her husband and 2 beautiful children (Savannah & CJ).  She is always working to make her family life a healthy one.  I know she does a great job with meal planning and cooking.  Hopefully some of the enthusiasm for healthy food rubs off on me. 

Thanks Kristin for taking lucky slot #13.

Full Moon and Moon Salutations

Tonight's full moon is to be the biggest & brightest of 2012. And it is beautiful!!! For the last 5 years I've noticed I get more anxious during a full moon. Made sense to me based on what I know about the mysticism of the full moon. But since about 6pm yesterday I have been SUPER hungry and cannot seem to eat enough. So I've been searching the Internet high & low to find a link between the full moon and my hunger. Well - I'm sure you are not surprised - but there is nothing that supports this theory.

So I went to yoga tonight (hungry) and had a great practice. For the first time I did Moon Salutations. And when the practice was over I wasn't starving anymore. I came home, ate an appropriate portion size - healthy dinner. Had a glass of wine and felt satisfied!  So maybe what I needed was the accomplishment of a yoga practice instead of eating?  But either way the Full Moon does have some power!?!?

Moon salutations can shift energy without increasing heat in the body and tend to be less stimulating than Sun Salutations, thereby balancing hot emotions, relaxing and calming the mind and body and restoring balance. ...the Moon Salutations cool us as we prepare for our journey of descent; going inward, uncovering our wisdom, creativity, balance and inherent intelligence, hence opening the path for enlightenment.

The Moon Salutations are especially effective when practiced during the full moon, as this is the most powerful lunar phase. The amazing Moon Salutations are not just for full moon practice and are for any time of day, but are especially beneficial when performed in the evening as the series of poses is designed to calm the mind and relax the body. http://www.eternity-yoga.com/yoga-moon-salutation.html

Fundraising for AHA

February is American Hearth Month and I plan to honor it in the following ways:

• On February 19^th I will run a Half Marathon – requiring me to focus on nutrition & fitness in the new year!
• The Half Marathon is in Florida (A1A Half Marathon) where it should be warm and sunny – very good for my heart because I love sun and the beach!
• Raise funds and awareness for the American Heart Association!  This amazing organization supports research, education and advocacy, and helps heart disease and stroke patients. Research they have funded has led to such major advances as CPR, bypass surgery, artificial heart valves, pacemakers, clot-busting drugs and high blood pressure medications. 

Please join me in the fight against our nation’s No. 1 and No. 4 killers – heart disease and stroke. I need your help by donating to the American Heart Association, your donation of $50, $35, $25, $15 or whatever you can afford will help all of us and our loved ones.   You can donate by completing a donation form or visiting my online donation page http://runwithheartchicago.kintera.org/metrochicago/kekrunswithheart

 

In addition, I will post some Heart Healthy tips on my blog going forward for anyone interested.

Snacks

A friend has taken the plunge into getting healthy and asked me about Snacks.  Below is my non-expert opinion (which has worked for me) on Snacks:

Things that you don’t need to count/measure/weigh (my theory is no one ever got fat eating fruits & vegetables)

·         Any fruit (make a fruit salad and keep it in your fridge)

·         Veggies & Hummus (I buy the veggies at whole foods from the salad bar.  I make a mix in a box so it is colorful, washed and ready to eat.  May be more expensive but it doesn’t go to waste)

1 Serving

·         Greek Yogurt (my favorite is Chobani)

·         String cheese

·         Kashi GoLean Bars (my favorite is the Crunchy & Roll bars)

o   You could buy a lot of different bars but make sure you watch the calories on these.  During my weight loss I’ve stuck to GoLean and the ThinkThin bars that they have at Whole Foods

Things you must measure

·         Almonds

·         Whole grain piece of toast with peanut butter (limit to 1 tablespoon)

I’ve stayed away from the carb snacks – pretzels, crackers, etc.  But I believe Popcorn could be a snack if you watch the type and servicing size.  I have a problem stopping eating carbs so I just don’t buy them.

Also – there is a lot of study around pairing the foods so I like to have an apple with nuts or an apple with cheese.  But I’m not a nutritionist so I would go to the Internet for more specifics.

Hope that helps!

Training for the A1A Half

Just a quick update on my Training for the A1A Half Marathon on February 19th.  It is going well! GREAT!!!

I'm following the Hal Higdon's Half Marathon Training Guide (Novice 2) which is a 12 week program.  I've successfully made it to Week 6!  I ran 8 miles yesterday and felt pretty good.  Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate so I had to do it on the treadmill but it wasn't too bad.  The amazing thing is how far I have come in the last couple months when I felt I couldn't even run 1 mile.  I don't care about the time - all I care about it that I keep moving.  I guess it is a lot easier to run when you are 20+ pounds lighter!  Week 6 is a light week with a max run of 4 miles but then I go back up to 9 miles next weekend.  I'm not scared - I'm excited. Reaching these mileages is a new challenge for the new me. 

“I tell our runners to divide the race into thirds. Run the first part with your head, the middle part with your personality, and the last part with your heart.”
- Mike Fanelli