Roni's Weigh » Running

Week Quote: Defining Goals

roni — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 03:16:45 +0000

This weekends quote is in honor of, well, ME! Today I did it! I reached my 2010 Running goals!! (note: Click here to read the post where I set the goal.)

I traveled up to York, PA for my final running event of the year. The Jingle Bell 5k. I ran it in in about 34 minutes and only stopped to walk twice. Not bad for being 6 months preggers….

Chart taken from Nike+ web site after sync. Click here to see how I did it.

Setting this years running goal kept me active and moving, exactly what I wanted it to do. I know myself and I know that if I don’t have direction or a measurable goal I tend to feel lost and unmotivated. I’ve learned to set goals that are achievable, completely in my control, and allow me the flexibility to adjust when life gets in the way. Because life WILL get in the way. If I didn’t get pregnant I would have ran a marathon this month but I did, so I settled on the 5k instead. Allowing myself to still achieve the goal without feeling like a failure or walking away from the commitment I made to myself, is very important.

All this leads this weekend’s quote…

The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them. -Denis Watley

If I had a nickel for every time I set a goal to "lose weight," "get skinny," or "be a size 6" I’d be a rich woman. Those type of goals never worked for me. But once I started the blog, I knew where I was going, how I was doing it and I shared it with all of you. Just like the quote says. The combination of those 3 factors are very powerful.

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Ask Roni _v36 – Post C25K Advice, Scale Advice when Working Out, Breaking out of Perfection Diet Cycle, Mom Guilt When Working Out

roni — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 20:20:07 +0000

Three weeks down and I’m finding my podcast groove! YAY! Topics included in this video….

What to doing AFTER the Couch to 5k
The Scale while Working Out
Breaking out of Perfection Diet Cycle
Mom Guilt When Working Out

Podcast/Audio only version

Links mentioned…

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Thursday Thought: Running for Two

roni — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 03:49:08 +0000

I made that shirt for the races I’m going to be running until the end of the year. Originally I had a 5k, 2 halves and a marathon scheduled to complete my 2010 running goals but that was before I found out about little bean. For the first 2 months I didn’t really change my plans because I’m a big believer in "You never know what’s going to happen." So I decided to keep running at the same level and take it day by day. Well at 2 and half months I’m getting more confident and MORE pregnant. :)

In lieu of my new situation I will be withdrawing from the halves and the full. I have continued to run these last two months but I have no desire to run any distance over 5 miles. Actually that was the level I was at when got pregnant so it kind of makes sense.

Instead of the longer distance races I’ll be running local 5k’s that I can find to complete my goal of running one event a month this year, which I still think is very doable and I’m very excited about it!

So for this weeks Thursday Thoughts I’m all about pregnant running…

First, everyones been telling me that I have to get this months edition of Running World because of two famous marathoners (Runners Paula Radcliffe and Kara Goucher) who are both pregnant at the same time! I also believe there’s a third, Deena Kastor. Maybe there’s something in the Gatorade. ;)
Babycenter has a great article on Running During Pregnancy with all the basics.
WebMD Dispels some myths about exercise and pregnancy. My favorite…

As long as you and your pregnancy are healthy, and you feel OK, experts say it’s safe to run right up until you go into labor. "Both ACOG and the National Academy of Sports Medicine have said that if you were running prior to pregnancy, you can continue during pregnancy, as long as you feel OK," says Hruska.

I’m not sure I’ll be running that long but it’ll be fun to see how long it feels right for me.
And of course there’s more then running to help me stay fit during pregnancy. :)

Other news in my world…

Lots of cooking this week on GreenLiteBites. I made some awesome soup with some fresh vegetables from the farm, an amazing almost Homemade chocolate banana bundt complete with glaze, a creative smoothie using green tea and tropical fruit, and today a spicy tuna salad. MAN! I’m loving having more time in my kitchen!
On my personal blog I posted Who IS Your Audience? And More Importantly, Do You Even Care?
And I’ve been working on FitBloggin’ updating speaker bios and working a new "Chatter" page.

Other than that I’m been helping a kindergardener with is homework and hanging out with the hubz. It’s been nice. :)

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AskRoni _v35 – Training for a 5k, Confidence, Tummy Tuck Options, Weekend Weight Fluctuations, Newsletter in the Works

roni — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 21:27:30 +0000

OK.. let me warn you.. this video is a tear jerker. It’s been awhile before I lost it on camera but Julie’s question just got to me. I have felt the way she feels and I remember it well. I’ll let the video speak for itself. Topics include…

My thoughts on training for your first 5k.
What I’m calling the confidence question <– the tear jerker for me.
Tummy Tuck Options
Weekend Weight Fluctuations
Question about my Subscriptions

Podcast/Audio only version

Links mentioned…

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New Tank, New Mix, New Belly?

roni — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:48:51 +0000

Check out my new tank! Thanks to MizFit and Oiselle! It came in the mail yesterday. Just in time for yellow day at Little Guys school. He was ecstatic! :)

Anyway, I thought it would be a good time to talk running and update my 2010 running goals. As of now I haven’t made changes to the events I have schedule until the end of the year but at this point I’m thinking a full marathon at 5 months pregnant is out of the question. I’ve been feeling great on shorter 3-5 mile runs. Taking walk breaks and going at my own pace but anything over that just doesn’t appeal to me at the moment and I’m thinking it’s only going to get worse as the pregnancy progresses. Next Sunday I’m schedule for the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon. I’m going and I’ll see how I do before making any decisions about the rest of the year.

That being said… I did make a new running mix! After Chris’s post a few weeks ago I tried to keep BPM (beats per minute) in mind but I’m not sure how I did. I’m planning a whole BPM post soon as I figure out the best way to calculate it and put running mixes together. In the mean time you get my intuition and favorite songs. The only way I know how to put a mix together. :)

The first one on my list this week is a MUST for any running mix. Especially after you see the video…

I now start my run with it and imagine I’m in the video. Corny, I know. lol

Here’s the whole mix….

Finally.. just one question… Am I showing yet? :)

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Marathon Training Schedule Starts Monday!

roni — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:52:03 +0000

I always feel like I have to start these kinds of posts with a bit of a history lesson. I know if I saw some running lunatic post a training schedule like this I’d assume there were always an athlete. At least naturally active and would never suspect they had body image issues or have ever wanted or needed to lose weight. So for long time readers please skip over this link history. New readers… just know if you asked me 2 years ago if I would ever run or want to run a marathon I’d say maybe, 5 years ago I’d say you were crazy and 10 years ago I’d say you were freakin’ lunatic for even asking such a ridiculous question.

Some of you may not know but I was NOT an exerciser and I lost weight by just mostly "staying active" and a lot of that was dancing around my house like a nut-ball.
Then I started Thinking About It which led to me actually joining a gym and declaring myself a gym rat soon followed.
Then a friend put the running bug in my ear. (Re-reading the end of that post is exactly how I felt when I started running)
I ran my first 5k run on a treadmill and I nearly died from shock.
Then I took my running outside and even the toddler was impressed. :)
After my first 5K event I was hooked!
Then I found the Nike+ and fell in love!
Soon I was training for a relay in the Baltimore Marathon Relay
My first 40 minute run was a milestone.
Then someone called me Racing Roni and it made me examine at where I came from.
In 2008′s Marathon I ran 6 miles was SO amazing I decided to take a leap and sign up for the 2009 Marathon!
With some training I ran the 10 mile Cherry Blossom and my first ever half marathon!
My training was far from perfect but I managed to get in a few long runs like 12 miles in Chicago, 15 miles a few weeks ago and my most recent 20 mile run.
Then I crossed the finish line of my very first marathon!
Determined to keep running a part of my life, I set a goal of running 1 even a month in 2010.

After getting some wonderful feedback when I posted about registering for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon I edited my initial training thoughts. This is what I came up with. I’m not going to lie.. I’m scared to death! But I’m also looking forward to it. It’s not about losing/maintaining weight or getting to a specific size it’s about seeing what my body is capable of. For the first time in my life I actually feel like an athlete and that’s a complete head trip for me. It’s unbelievable, yet here I am posting this.

	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
08/02 to 08/08	Rest	3 mi +WT	3 mi +WT	Rest	5k	Rest	6 mi
08/02 to 08/08	√	√ pic	√ pic	√	√ pic	√	√ recap
08/09 to 08/15	Rest	3 mi +WT	3 mi +WT	Rest	3 mi	Rest	7 mi
08/09 to 08/15	√	sick :(	sick :(	sick :(	sick :(	√	√ run/walk
08/16 to 08/22	Rest	3 mi	4 mi	Rest	5 mi	Rest	5 mi
08/16 to 08/22	√	√ 5mi!	√ pic		√ pic		√ pic
08/23 to 08/29	Rest	3 mi +WT	3 mi +WT	Rest	5 mi	*5k	9 mi
08/23 to 08/29	√	√ pic	√ pic		√ pic	Rested	Did 8
08/30 to 09/05	Rest	3 mi +WT	3 mi +WT	Rest	5 mi	BC	10 mi
08/30 to 09/05	√	√ pic	√ pic	√
09/06 to 09/12	Rest	3 mi +WT	6 mi +WT	Rest	5 mi	BC	7 mi
09/06 to 09/12
09/13 to 09/19	Rest	3 mi +WT	3 mi +WT	Rest	6 mi	BC	*HALF
09/13 to 09/19
09/20 to 09/26	Rest	3 mi +WT	6 mi + WT	Rest	6 mi	BC	12 mi
09/20 to 09/26
09/27 to 10/03	Rest	3 mi +WT	6 mi + WT	Rest	7 mi	BC	10 mi
09/27 to 10/03
10/04 to 10/10	Rest	3 mi +WT	6 mi + WT	Rest	7 mi	*5K	15 mi
10/04 to 10/10
10/11 to 10/17	Rest	3 mi +WT	6 mi + WT	Rest	8 mi	BC	16 mi
10/11 to 10/17
10/18 to 10/24	Rest	3 mi +WT	6 mi + WT	Rest	8 mi	BC	12 mi
10/18 to 10/24
10/25 to 10/31	Rest	3 mi +WT	6 mi + WT	Rest	9 mi	BC	18 mi
10/25 to 10/31
11/01 to 11/07	Rest	3 mi +WT	6 mi + WT	Rest	9 mi	BC	14 mi
11/01 to 11/07
11/08 to 11/14	Rest	3 mi +WT	6 mi + WT	Rest	10 mi	BC	20 mi
11/08 to 11/14
11/15 to 11/21	Rest	3 mi +WT	6 mi + WT	Rest	8 mi	BC	*PHL 1/2
11/15 to 11/21
11/22 to 11/28	Rest	3 mi +WT	6 mi + WT	Rest	6 mi	BC	8 mi
11/22 to 11/28				turkey
11/29 to 12/5	Rest	3 mi +WT	3 mi	2 mi	Rest	Rest	ROCK n ROLL
11/29 to 12/5							ROCK n ROLL

mi = Miles
WT = Weight Training
BC = Boot Camp Class
All *bolded items are events I’m running. Details can be found on my 2010 Running Goals page
Note: Will be making an effort to go to 1 yoga class a week as my schedule allows. I will add them in when I do as well as adding check marks for completed workouts.

Let the running begin! :~)

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Ask Roni: Is Running Enough?

roni — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 01:36:03 +0000

Sometimes I get into some pretty interesting conversations in email. This one all started with a question Brandi left on my A 5th Birthday 7 Mile Family Filled Weekend post last week…

When you run 2 or 3 miles in the AM is that your only workout that day?? I have just started running, I have completed 2 5K’s and I can run up to 5 miles. My pace is slow. I can run at a 5.5 to 5.7 on the treadmill. I just wonder if that is a good enough workout for me?? I feel like I need more cardio or something after I do only 2 to 3 miles? I have at least 35 more lbs to lose.

Hi Brandi – I usually run 2-3 and then do weights. In my opinion that is more beneficial then cardio-ing yourself to death.

I also don’t wonder if my workouts are "good enough" I do what I can when I can and that’s all. Once I cross the line into that type of thinking (like I have to do something or minimums or whatever) it’s not fun anymore. Again.. that’s just me.

Are you weight training at all?

I have just started to weight train. I say weight train, but I am not sure really what that means. I have started doing some of the weight machines at our local YMCA. In the past I have felt like I have "this much time" away from my family so I have always concentrated on cardio. But my weight isn’t coming off as fast anymore. I heard adding weight training will help me build more muscles which will help me burn more calories when I am doing my cardio. I have almost hit the 60lbs lost, but I still have a long way to go on my weight loss. I am still just above the 200lbs mark and I want so badly to be under 200lbs.

I would love any advice you can give someone like me. I love your blog, I found it right when I started my weight loss journey about a year and half ago. I do weight watchers, I don’t go to the meetings but a friend and I hold each other accountable. We have started to run together which makes the runs so much nicer!!!

I really enjoy running!! I am not real fast but I know I am increasing my time slowly.

Thanks for emailing me back so quickly. And…I like your new haircut!

Thanks!

Well you are weight training! I started on those machines too. Here’s the way I look at it… Cardio is good. It’s raw calorie burn but you can easily counteract that with what? 1 stinking cookie??

However, weight training has a more long term effect. You build more muscle and you will naturally burn more calories all the time. Not just at the time of the activity. Not to mention some of the side effects I experienced with weight trainings is more strength, confidence, muscle tone and a better body image.

Of course both is recommended and I’m not a trainer so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

Now, when it comes to weight loss I’ll say this until my dying day… It’s more about what you eat then your workouts. At least that’s been my experience. Many will probably disagree but working out or not if I’m on point (pun intended) with my food choices the scale starts to budge.

I hope that helps.

For almost a year now I have felt like I have the working out down pat. It is routine now and I really enjoy doing it. My eating has always been an issue. I am so much better about eating whole grains, vegetables, drinking my water, and really watching what I eat. But I know this is my down fall. The holidays, the parties, the celebrations —- that is where I fail every time. But I also know if I can’t learn to make better decisions I will never reach my goal! I have enjoyed emailing you so much! Thank you so much! I know you have been there and I know you understand where I am standing today. I do have one more questions. How often would you suggest a person weight train? Does a Core/Strengthening class count as weight training?

Brandi,

That is where I fail as well. It’s always been about my "diet" and I mean that the true sense of the word as "what I eat" or rather for me how MUCH I eat.

As for weight training anything where you are providing your muscles "resistance" is considered weight training, I believe. So any class called Core/Strengthening would probably fit the bill. I shoot for 3 days a week which is a common recommendation. I also try to mix it with cardio. For example, I’ll run 2 miles and then do 45 minutes of weights. That’s just over an hour workout so I don’t have to spend too much time at the gym.

According to the ACSM… "Do vigorously intense cardio 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week 8 to 10 strength-training exercises, eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise twice a week."

You got the cardio down. Now I’d just mix in 1 day of lower body machines and 1 day of upper body machines. That’s pretty much how I started. Oh! and I also try to vary the cardio now and then too. Try a spinning class or step. It could help your running too!

I stand by my philosophy that once it (all of it, exercise/eating) feels like work you won’t do it. So find a class you like that incorporates resistance or a friend that will brave the free weight room with you. I befriended a trainer. Best thing I ever did. ;) But in all seriousness don’t overwhelm yourself with a rigid schedule. Do what you can when you can. I just lifted weights for the first time today after a 2 week hiatus. Life happens. Do your best. And remember it’s your day to day choices that matter more then sticking to some program or plan religiously.

Again, hope that helps!!

— Does anyone else have any other advice for Brandi? Do you consider a morning run workout enough? How do feel about weight training?

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Ask Roni _v33s1 Nighttime snacking, My Running, Not Losing Weight?

roni — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 02:39:21 +0000

Trying to get back into the swing of video/podcasts! I recorded 2 a few days ago and hope to get back on a regular schedule after this summer. Sorry for my long winded intro about my hair. I think I’m finally used to it. ;)

Topics included in this video/podcast…

Curbing Nighttime Snacking
My running habits
Why am I not losing weight?

Podcast Version (Audio Only)

Links mentioned in the video…

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This Mornings Run: When will I learn?

roni — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 12:40:06 +0000

Chart taken from Nike+ web site after sync. Click here to see how I did it.

Here’s my mini recap…

It took a lot to get me out of the door this morning.
I wanted to break out of the 2 mile rut I’ve been in. (haven’t run much past that in a few weeks)
Set the Nike+ to 4 miles.
Ran the first two and then walked for a minute while I decided if I should simply turn around and go back or take the long way and face the… dun dun dun… hills.
I decide to take the hills. Mostly because I don’t feel like turning around.
Hills were killer! Had to stop and walk one of them.
Post hills I slowed down again. Maybe this was the wrong decision?!?
Naaaa I’m almost there. Let’s kick up it a notch.
Arrived back home, out of breath and feeling like a MILLION BUCKS!
I learn yet again… You never regret a run. Ever.

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Ask Roni_v32s2 – Running before losing, Falling of the Wagon, Regular Slip Ups, Learning to Run

roni — Sat, 29 May 2010 00:22:17 +0000

FINALLY! Sorry for the delay. I recorded this a few weeks back and finally carved out a few hours to prep it and upload before heading hitting the open road towards Disney. I’m happily and weirdly saying that this will be my last video…. with HAIR! ;)

Topics in this video include…

Running before Losing the Weight
Have I ever Fallen off the Wagon – A kick in the butt for those that lost motivation.
Strategies for Dealing with Slip Ups
How to Start Running

Podcast Version (Audio Only)

Links mentioned in the video…

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