12.29

Boots: DSW, Shirt: VS, Jeans: JCP, Earrings: Target, Necklace: Gifted 

I woke up and went to my computer and started entering some clothes. I finally got in the mood again.  I hear Dave making noise in the kitchen and figure he's just making hash browns. I used to love hash browns but he's made them too often that I can't even get through 2 bites anymore so I don't even get any. Well next thing I know, I'm being surprised with french toast.

Dave was reading and Poly just got directly in his way.  I had to take their picture and Dave's iPhone is so fast I just had to take a ton of pictures right in a row.

After a little bit, we headed to the bike shop.  We bought bikes.  It took forever.  We went to Boston Market at 3 PM.  After that we came home quick to get hoodies and went to the trail near Google to further try out our bikes. I'm still scared. Dave's seat is too high. They raised it to fit his back reflector on. He has to figure something out about that.  We did a little over 4 miles. It wasn't so bad. We stopped a lot so my imapmyrun thing got all messed up.

Create Maps or search from 80 million at MapMyRun

After we got home, I wanted to nap under an afghan.  Instead I just got under an afghan. We got PF Changs for dinner.  So we bought chicken 2 days ago at Whole Foods and haven't cooked it but have had chicken twice since.

We watched some TV.  We tried to watch a movie but neither of us cared about it so we fast forwarded to the end and watched that. I played Donut Popping while watching TV and the movie.  Then I came to my computer room and started entering more clothes again.  Now I have gone from present all the way back to June 1, 2009. That's a lot. It gets harder the further I go back because the picture quality is poor that is is hard to decipher what shoes I'm wearing.

Week 4 of Half Marathon Training (12.31-1.6)

Planned Mileage: 4, 4, 3, 4 (for a total of 15 miles)

Monday: I did nothing. I did not feel well. My nose was running nonstop. I was freezing and under multiple afghans most of the day.

Tuesday, 1/1: I went to the gym in the morning. I ran .5 at 6.6 mph pace on an interval between 0 incline and 3 incline. Then I did weights for my legs for 29 minutes.  I walked to and from the gym 10 minutes each way.  I did abs at home. Then later I went on a 14 mile bike ride with Dave. 

Wednesday:  I walked to the Gym. I did 25 minutes of upper body weights. I walked home. I did abs + foam roller at home. My calves were quite sore/tight from the calf machine at the gym on Tuesday. 

Thursday: My calves are still sore. I walked to and from Safeway. Just before dark I squeezed in a 4 mile run. My calves were pretty tight at the beginning of the run so I wanted to take it easy and not do the tempo run I had planned. I set out with a 9:30 goal. I was pretty consistent. My last full split was 2:08 which ended up making my last mile the best.  I didn't even mean for it to be that fast. I think because in the middle there I had to wait for the walk sign so once I got it, I really went.  Later I did abs, foam roller, and some body weight exercises for my legs.

Friday: I went to our apartment complex gym. My calves were still a little tight.  I did 10 minutes on the elliptical, 20 minutes on the exercise bike (5.2 mi), then ran half mile on the treadmill. I did all three things while reading so I only ran at 6.0 mph.  After Dave got home, we both went to the gym. I lifted weights for my legs for 39 minutes. If you count the walk to and from the gym too, I worked out an hour at that point. 

Saturday: I took a rest day.

Sunday: I ran to and from the gym a roundabout way. I lifted weights on my arms for a little over 40 minutes. Later in the day, Dave and I rode bikes for 3.17 miles. 

Total Running Mileage: 7.08 mi (pitiful especially for 4 runs)
Total Biking Mileage: 17.3 mi + 5.2 mi (exercise bike)
Total other things: a few walks (lots?), biking twice,  5 core workouts, weights five times.

Summary: My running sucked again but I did other things and those other things are far better than they have been in the past. Joining the gym near me has really helped with the weight lifting. Man is it nice to have machines again that I haven't had in 6 months.  My arms and legs have been almost constantly sore but alternating since we joined the gym. I actually did so much besides running, it was hard to count it all up. I'm still scared to bike. I feel like I'm biking so fast at times and realize the split is just as fast as people run.

January Workout Goals

I'm keeping almost all the goals the same as I did the past few months even though I haven't met many any of the months. I'm increase my mileage goal and adding a biking goal and a Body Pump goal

1. Complete 16 cardio workouts (running, exercise bike, elliptical, or workout video)  
2. Complete 13 core workouts 
3. Frequency: Run 12 times. 
4. Distance: Run 60 total miles (Reach goal of 70 miles)
5. Workout with Dave 5 times. 
6. Lift weights 10 times. (Body Pump can be included here)
7. Exercise 5 times that aren't considered cardio above (mainly thinking about walks here that don't fit in anywhere) 
8. Have 3 double workout days (morning + evening, lunch + evening, etc) 
9. Stretch for 10 consecutive minutes 2 times  
10. Do foam roller exercises 3 times 
11. Do yoga 1 time.
12. Bike 5 times
13. Attend Body Pump 3 times

I have a few other goals that are related to exercise but aren't me working out.

1. Have a photo shoot to get some athletic pictures for at the top of this post.
2. No more than 12 rest days all month (stretching or doing foam roller exercises means it is not a rest day)  
3. No more than 3 consecutive rest days. (the only change. It was 2 days before)

12.26

Sweater and Top: Express, Jeans: F21, Necklace: Lia Sophia, Boots: Famous Footwear, Earrings: Target
Sunglasses: found in my packing boxes, Jacket: NY&Co

I woke up to Poly sleeping on the pillow at the foot of the bed. I even got up and started doing things before I took the picture.  She is so cute.

Dave and I walked to Target. Then we discovered we were buying too much so we just went all out and Dave walked home to get the car.  After that I walked to Trader Joe's for some broccoli. I bought the pre-cut stuff because I didn't want to deal with such long stems.  I made a rice, cheese, and broccoli frozen thing and added 1/2 lb of broccoli to it. I didn't even finish it all. Dave got went and picked up pizza and had that.  I'm pretty sure we watched TV the rest of the day.

Weight Graphs & BodyMedia Fit Data

Most of you know I keep a weight graph. I started it back in 2003 but lost the file so I'm missing a few years of data in the middle so most graphs only go back to 2006. I just now realized, they go back over 6 years of complete data and 10 years of incomplete data. Crazy.  These graphs are all on my site, but I don't elaborate on them at all like I will below so that's why I'm making a post about them now.

Sometimes on this blog I mention how I started losing weight around the time I found out I was going to move. I even dropped to my pre-wedding weight for the first time (graph at end for proof.)  I've also mentioned that I started watching TV nonstop around August/September. Look at the weight graph when that happened. Insane.

The weekly graph shows how steep it is a little more. And you can see I became more stable more recently. I did stop watching TV all day, every day so that stopped my weight gain but I didn't start to loose weight yet. 

The monthly graph used to always be my favorite. In April 2009, I joined the gym and I steadily went down every single month for awhile. I liked that. In the spring of 2011, I started increasing. I was injured and even after I was done being injured, I still kept gaining until I visited Callie. I have said I need a Callie visit to drop this weight now. She'd probably have it off me and more within a week. She's so active that I was constantly on the go.

My steps over time are interesting to look at. In the spring of 2010, I was training for my first half marathon and I mostly followed a training plan. My steps are higher on average (the black line) than they are later when I was training for longer races even though later on I'd have specific days that were much higher.  More recently my number of steps took a huge dive. I even wear my armband all day everyday now. In the summer of 2010 and 2011, I didn't wear the armband in public when it was visible and it was always visible if I wore short sleeves.   It's interesting how all this data helps tell a little bit of a story of my life. I also need to run longer than a 50k if I ever want to have a new maximum number of steps.

Sleep duration is something that has increased since I stopped working. I was always fairly consistent with a few days of almost nothing.  Granted when I spent a million hours watching TV, some of that time, the armband thought I was sleeping so maybe it didn't increase as much as it shows.

This shows the number of calories I burn a day. I feel like I was fairly consistent for almost two years and it would actually have been longer but since I didn't wear my armband all day in the summer of 2010, it didn't show how much I'd burn at work when I was zipping around to meetings. then just look at that drop off starting around August of this year.  I've been saying I got fatter because I was burning about 500 calories less a day than I had been before and this is evidence to that. It actually looks like more than 500 so I was just being kind when I said 500. Even though I may have been eating fewer calories it wasn't the full 500 so the weight was just piling on.

Body Media fit does moderate activity and vigorous activity. For me I really only get vigorous activity when I'm running. I get moderate activity all the time. I get it when I'm cleaning sometimes. I get it when I'm walking. I sometimes get it when I'm in social situations. Three years worth of data is hard to see on one graph, but I like it because it just shows that there isn't as much recently at all. 

 

To be able to see the physical activity a little better, I did weekly averages.

Then I did monthly averages. In July of this year I had a lot of moderate activity with all the unpacking I was doing. In August, I ran 55 miles so I did pretty well there but I also started to fall off the exercise wagon. Then in September I never did anything. I barely slept. I didn't leave the couch. All that shows. In November and December, I started walking to the store a lot more. Well that is also partly because Dave started driving to work daily so I couldn't drive to the store if I wanted to. I did start walking to Sprouts more often to buy fresh vegetables. I love Sprouts.

I spent entirely too long making these. I wish the export button for BodyMedia fit would allow more than 28 days at a time. I also just updated the old file I had. I probably have so many better ways of doing things now that I'm more proficient in excel. I just didn't feel like trying to change it all until I had some graphs updated but once a few were, I just did them all. I even have graphs that aren't on here or on my website. Numbers and data are my favorite things. I really wish in September, I didn't lose my desire for data. That is probably why I fell off the exercise wagon. Sometimes now I go running just to get more data. 

12.25

I slept with Poly at the foot of the bed.  Dave woke me up.
I had a bagel for lunch.  We saw these people outside with santa hats on. One wearing red and a red hat and the other wearing green and a green hat.  It was very weird.  I knew I should get dressed right away. I knew my mom would call to facetime with me and I wouldn't be ready but I wanted to finish the show we were on.

And sure enough, they were ready and I was still in my PJs.  We spent about an hour doing google+hangout with the family.  I showed them pictures from my picasa album.  They started leaving before I was done. Then we were just getting set up with another hangout device to show my aunt our apartment and they got up to leave. Oh well. My mom had texted me to get on a hangout 10 minutes before we started but I didn't see it. My iphone was on the texting screen from texting with my brothers so then when the screen goes out and you get new texts you aren't warned about them.  Then she gave me a hard time for taking so long. It took until my dad called on the phone to tell me to get on the computer. My mom said they were busy doing other stuff anyway but then later she blamed everyone leaving before I was done on how it took me so long to get on.  Once everyone left my parents stayed on and talked to me for more than an hour more.  Dave got on the hangout from the office after awhile. My mom was surprised he didn't ditch everyone sooner since in person he ditches everyone.  Dave and I stayed on the hangout for an additional hour playing sporkle.
(Bottom picture of my mom was her recreating her pose from a few years earlier.)

I don't remember what I did from 5PM on.  The picture of the yogurt lid is to show how Dave just leaves things around and doesn't even clean up after himself anymore.

12.24

Necklace: F21, Sweater and Jeans: Express, Jacket: NY&Co, Purse: JCP, Shoes: Famous Footwear

These jeans are nice because they fit me when I'm fat, but they are also so annoying. Notice the seam in the left picture. It goes toward the front of my foot. It is so annoying. I have a few pairs of pants that the seams are off. I don't know how this is possible. If the seam is off is everyone else super annoyed like I am?  See the right picture if I tug a bit at the knee I can get it to look right.

I woke up close to 10. I didn't sleep well so I was tired. I got to entering data on my computer. Dave claims I should do something else.  Near noon Dave asked if I wanted to walk to Boudin's with him for lunch. I said no because that would require getting dressed.  He went alone but wished I would have kept him company. Once he got back I went to eat my bagel with cream cheese and our cream cheese was moldy (even though it hadn't expired yet.) So then I got dressed and went to Trader Joe's.  Man was it packed.

I came back, ate it, then went for a walk with Dave.  We went all around and went to Sprouts on our way home. We didn't have any canvas bags so we didn't plan to buy much. I saw cinnamon and sugar butter and bought it. I expect it to be quite good and can't wait to eat it. (Look they sell DeLallo's around here but look how expensive.)

Then I went back to adding data for awhile.

Dave wanted to get Boston Market for dinner. I still had leftovers to eat but I decided to get it with him since he wanted it.  After we got home,  I talked to my  mom and everyone on the phone on speaker phone.  Then I went back to adding data.  Close to 8PM, we did a google+ hangout and opened presents. That seemed to take awhile. A lot of talking was involved. I even tried on my new shirt to show them.  We were staring at the laptop for the hangout and Poly just came right over and got in the middle of it all. So we joined the hangout on Dave's phone to show everyone what Poly was up to.  I took some screen shots during the hangout. I hope we never have to open presents via Google+ hangout again. (Because I want to be together not because anything is wrong with hangout.)  After all that I talked to my mom on the phone for awhile. I think we got off close to 10pm.  (1 AM her time and she had to start cooking by 8am so she wouldn't be getting much sleep.)

Then I went back to adding more data. Here's a graph I've been making of my progress. Can you tell when I've slept? So far I have done all of 2010, 2011, and 2012 (up to where we are), and 1 month in 2009. I'm working backwards. My photo quality was poorer back then and I only took 1 picture so sometimes I can't even see my shoes or decipher what shoes they are.  It is quite sad.

Note: An article is a thing like pants, a shirt, necklace, etc. Outfits are the shirts and pants. Accessorized Outfits are the Outfit + shoes and jewelry (and maybe jacket).  Dates are what dates I've done.  I can have more than one Accessorized Outfit on a day. (Oh if I wore 2 outfits in 2010 or 2011, I don't have a second one added since I was only going by my calendar site at the moment.)

December Workout Goals - How I did

 Here's how I did

1. Complete 16 cardio workouts = 16
2. Complete 13 core workouts  = 4
3. Frequency: Run 12 times = 8
4. Distance: Run 60 total miles = 17.23 (pitiful) 
5. Workout with Dave 5 times. = 10
6. Lift weights 10 times. = 3 
7. Exercise 5 times that aren't considered cardio above (mainly thinking about walks here that don't fit in anywhere) = 8
8. Have 3 double workout days (morning + evening, lunch + evening, etc) = 7
9. Stretch for 10 consecutive minutes 2 times  = 0
10. Do foam roller exercises 3 times = 0
11. Do yoga 1 time = 0

I have a few other goals that are related to exercise but aren't me working out.

1. Have a photo shoot to get some athletic pictures for at the top of this post. = 3
2. No more than 12 rest days all month (stretching or doing foam roller exercises means it is not a rest day)  = 12
3. No more than 3 consecutive rest days. = Happened 0 times

I'm actually surprised my mileage is so low because I thought I was motivated.  I was so close to so many goals yet so far away from others. I know I worked out more than a lot lately but really I only made 1 goal.  I've been walking a lot more lately to the store and things so I'm getting more workouts that way. But I'm also forgetting to document them so the number is even higher. Normally December is a huge rut in working out but normally I'm working and doing a ton of holiday things. This year that was not the case. (OK last December wasn't so bad.)

2012 Running

My standard goal was 60 miles/mo for 2012. That would have put me at 720 miles for the year. My yearly goal was really 600 but I made my goal 10 miles over each month in case I was injured, I wanted some miles to fall back on.  I would have loved to hit 720 for the year.  2012 was the first year that I had a mileage goal. Even though I had 60 miles/month goal, I knew some months would be higher based on training so I had reach goals. I was even ahead of that until June when I became a lazy bum.

August 14, 2012 - Bay Trail

I ended 2012 with 603 miles.  I had 522 miles in 2011 and was injured for 2 months of it. I figured I'd get another injury.  What I didn't count on was the months that my mileage was the highest were the months that I was injured. In 2012, I was injured from mid February until mid May.  My mileage didn't decrease until I moved. I only had 1 good month being in California. It's quite shocking to me because the weather is better here and I have more time here. I just don't have as many running pals here. I run with Hilary here but not often enough. I miss running after work with Jen. I miss the North Park running group. I miss the downtown running group. I miss Adrienne. I miss Ibrahim, Sarah, Kelly, April.... you get the idea.

In 2011 I only had monthly mileage goals and not even for every month but on NYE in 2011, I was out running at 7PM in the dark and rain on my street to get another 3 miles in so I would hit my 40 mile goal.

December 28, 2012 - Bay Trail (sort of)

Total Miles
2009: 150.6 (at least. Not sure if I documented it all back then)
2010: 330.25
2011: 526.28
2012: 603.68

April 27, 2012 - Erie (Photo by Paul Meyer)

My goal for 2012 is 720 miles. My monthly goal will be 70 miles to give myself some buffer if I get injured. I only had 2 months over that in 2012 and 3 months in 2011 but perhaps I can do it enough that I'll meet my goal. 720 is my goal but I would love to actually hit the 840 miles for the year.

How did you do for your 2012 goals? What are your goals for 2013?

Week 3 (Part 2) Half Marathon Training (12.24-12.30)

Previous Summaries

Really I should be on Week 4 but I missed 1 run in week 2 and 2 in week 3 and did 1 in week 4. So I think I will just go down the list doing the runs and get as many as possible instead of missing runs and going on to the next week.

Planned Mileage: 2, 5, 2, 8 (for a total of 17 miles)

Monday: I walked to Trader Joe's and later did a 1.8 mile walk with Dave.

Tuesday: I'm pretty sure I did nothing. (It was Christmas.)

Wednesday:  I walked to Target. Later I walked to Trader Joe's.

Thursday: I shopped for a few hours. I walked at Google for a bit. I did a 20 minute weight routine.

Friday: I ran 3 miles at 4:30 PM. Earlier in the day Dave and I went to Bay Trail and I ran a little over half mile. I got some really good pictures but haven't even gone through to pick my favorites. There were just too many good ones that I can't decide.  I also did 10 minutes of weights/abs but that got interrupted because Dave wanted to go for a walk. We went for an 11 minute walk.

Saturday: Dave and I biked at trails. The trails were near Google but also near Bay Trails. We biked 4.33 miles. It was my first time biking in many many years. It was scary.

Sunday: We biked to and from Target.

Total Running Mileage: 3.98 mi
Total Biking Mileage: 6 (rounded) mi
Total other things: a few walks (lots?), biking,  2 core workouts, weights twice.

Summary: My running sucked but I did other things. I am going to try to keep track on my Garmin my biking miles so maybe I'll post those on here too.

12.10.12

I feel like the coloring in all these pictures is off. I had to really think about it to figure out what shirt that is. The skirt is a little big. I need to alter it. I bought a Large for length and so I could wear it on my hips.  This entire outfit (counting jacket) cost me $100.80. It is so weird to not wear tights around here. Some days it is chilly for a skirt so maybe I will dig out my tights so I get to wear them.

The rest of the day was standard. So standard nothing stands out.
Notice Poly's paw reaching from under the monitor. I was taking a picture of that and only after realize how it is almost an extension of the picture that is on my screen. Weird.
Poly likes to sleep on the cable box and on our router. The router is what she is sleeping on behind my monitor.

Shopping - Limited (12/30/12)

Dave and I went to the mall today so he could get a new iPhone.

We went in the Limited and I bought some stuff. We went to Westfield Valley Fair Mall. It is not the closest one but it is a nice mall so that's why we chose that one. It's also packed though and about impossible to find a parking spot.

I bought 3 new sweaters and 2 new pairs of pants. Did you get any good deals recently?

The dress pants are 4L. I used to wear a 0L from there. I have skirts that are 0 and 2 but haven't worn them since I worked.  They were on final clearance for 19.99. Online they are called brown but I thought they were more of a tan.  The material seems like it's slightly stiff so I'm worried they will need to be ironed. But since I'm pretty sure none of my other dress pants will fit anymore, I got them.

• 3-way stretch fabric with subtle heathered texture
• Wide waistband with seaming detail and double belt loops
• Triple hook-and-bar with inner button and zip fly
• Angled front pockets, back buttoned besom pockets
• Inseam: S = 30", R = 33", L = 35"
• Stretch Rayon Blend
• Machine wash. For best results dry clean.
• Import

The green skinny jeans are a 4. They were 24.99 on final sale. Online it says they are forest green. The original price was $74.90

• As seen in Vogue, InStyle & Glamour
• Vibrantly colored stretch denim
• Contoured waist for no-gap fit
• 5-pocket styling
• Ankle length
• 30" Inseam
• Cotton Spandex Blend
• Machine wash.
• Import

The sweaters were all similar. The striped ones were 29.99 and the solid was 24.99. Originally the stripes were $49.90 and solids $39.90. Online the one is labeled as blue and the other red.  Blue I understand but the other striped one I haven't figured out what all those shades are. On the blue one I swear one of the stripes is green just like my pants but the picture online doesn't seem to look like it.  I like these sweaters because you can even put them in the dryer. The blue striped is an XS. The other one is bigger and is a S but I liked it so much I figured I could go with a size larger.

• Soft, lightweight merino blend
• Deep V-neck looks great layered over a cami (sold separately)
• 3/4 length sleeves
• Ribbed trim
• Comes in 3 color combinations
• Merino Acrylic Blend
• Machine wash, gentle cycle.
• Import

Note in the write-up it says 3/4 sleeves. I don't believe that is the case.

After trying on the sweaters, I liked them so much, I went back over to find more in XS. I only found 1 so that's why I bought the bright teal one. 

• As seen in Vogue & InStyle
• Smooth, lightweight pullover knit of our premium merino blend yarn
• Deep V-neck
• Finished with wide ribbed cuffs and hem
• Merino Acrylic Blend
• Machine wash, gentle cycle.
• Import

It baffles me that the long sleeve sweaters look the same but the write-ups are different.  After further examination they are both 50% Merino Wool and 50% Acrylic but the neckline is different. They are both V-necks but the solid has a wider band. The sweaters are very thin but I thought that might be nice for around here. I also thought they'd be good for layering. My purple sweater is thin and I like it.

I took pictures from the dressing room to show Dave but the mall was too crowded so things were too slow so by the time the first picture sent, I was already in line.

Poly was even checking out my new clothes

The line was so long; It was crazy. Only one of the three registers was working. The person two in front of me had a huge return and it was taking forever. I was in line a good 20 minutes for just 3 people. I was seriously debating just putting back my stuff and leaving.

12.22

I woke up and entered clothes data in my database.  At 1:30 PM I decided it was time for breakfast and made Pancakes.  Then we headed to Whole Foods to buy ingredients for dinner. We were going to make Lasagna. Well we went to Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Safeway. We got home after 5pm and started cooking. We watched Breaking Bad..  We had a late dinner. We watched Breaking Bad until at little after 10. Dave wouldn't watch any more TV. I was a bit tired and knew if I went to my computer I'd get a second wind and end up staying up until 3am.  I played Solitaire and Donut Popping until I fell asleep. I think it was around 10:30.  Dave was up until almost 1 coding some stuff for my website.

While shopping at Sprouts, I took some pictures of some prices. Some because they were low and some because they are higher than before. At Whole Foods, Dave was taller than everyone by about a foot at the lunch meat counter. Also it was his turn to order and he had to stand feet back because nobody moves out of the way.

This is what I looked like carrying groceries upstairs.  This is mostly what I look like all the time but I never get a chance to force Dave into taking a picture of me. I could barely fit out the elevator door. (Dave was also carrying bags but I took an extra one from him so he could have a hand to use my camera.) Poly liked sleeping on/in these bags later.

Some of our lasagna process. It was really good. I was a little surprised because of our lack of actual recipe.

12.23

Unlike any other year I was not making cookies on Christmas Eve Eve. I wasn't doing anything Christmas related.  I woke up at 10am. Well Dave woke me up at 9:58 with warnings of the Steeler game starting at 10.  We watched the game. The Steelers are bums.

Then I worked on my computer enter outfits into my  new database. (I'll share the link later when it's more user friendly.)

We went to the gym. I did a hard workout but a short run.  On our way to the gym, I thought the view down the one sidewalk was pretty nice. The trees were pretty.  While on the treadmill, I took notes on my phone. Usually I hand write my notes or I send myself an email.  This is the first time I typed it.  It's too hard to type close to 8 mph so I think I'll take my  notebook next time.  I had Dave try to take a few pictures of me running at the end of the workout but my old camera took over a minute to attempt to focus to get the picture taken. That's one time I wish my Red Cannon (newer one) didn't break.  I have a fancy camera but sometimes I don't want to lug that around.   My training plan isn't going so well. I skipped a week and am still really behind.  I decided instead of just skipping the runs I didn't get to, I will just try to get as many in as I can and do the long run from week 2 before another long run. We'll see how that works out.

Then I ate more lasagna for dinner. We watched Breaking bad until 10:15 then I headed back into the office to enter more data and blog.