200+ (Week 52) "Hot for Halloween"

akasullengal

Kendal-- yep, this is the last week of the challenge.

Any thoughts for names? Also, it's the end of the first year for some of us (or at least this group on the board). Do we still want to continue to have 6-week challenges, or have more of an ongoing support thread? Or, instead of starting a new thread every week, we can have a new thread for each 6-week challenge (and just have multiple pages on it). Thoughts?

Lacey- keep us updated on your vegan quest! I love cheese too much to be vegan. I've been a vegetarian for 10+ years now and have no regretted it!

Amy- thanks for the congrats!

So, a little more info on the half, as I have more time now. The parents and I got into the city later in the afternoon on Saturday and met Victoria at the Expo to pick up our tees, bibs, and freebies. Got up at an ungodly hour on Sunday and walked over to the race with the parents and Victoria and her mom. Sucks having to start in the dark, but what made it worth it was the view of the sun rising as we ascended the Ambassador Bridge into Canada. It was a pretty flat course, minus the Bridge and the tunnel. The worst part was the tunnel, mostly because it was so much hotter in there. I felt good throughout the race.. was really worried I would tucker out, because it was longer than I'd ever run before, and I was going at a faster pace, but I was good! Ran with Victoria for the majority of it, and the last 5K ran it alone. Finished in 2:53:14. Was very happy! My only real goal was to finish, but was happy to go faster than I'd ever run for any distance remotely close to it, was able to run the whole time, and was under 3 hours. Woo! Definitely want to run another half-- will have to investigate other races for the future.

I'll attach some pictures from the race in my next post.

akasullengal

Victoria and I popping out of the tunnel from Canada, back into the US. Just passed mile 8 at this point.



And we're still moving...



Remarkably still smiling as I approach the finish line. Notice the guy in front of me, about to finish his MARATHON. Obviously, he's feeling the burn more than me.



Just a few more feet!



The back of the half-marathon shirt participants got. Loved it!

Laceylala

YAY Kristina! Those pics are great!

Personally I would think that we could just keep the same thread going so we don't have to find a new one each week and you don't have to keep posting new ones..as for the challenges...I like them, but I will take what I can get.


I'm only going vegan till dinner...then going to eat meat, cheese, etc.. There are way too many good cheeses out there. Speaking of I bought two things of haloumi cheese at Whole Foods in Portland this weekend and I need to geto n foodgawker.com and see what to do with it. I only know you can grill it....

Off to the gym soon.

stroynaya

Congrats Kristina and Victoria on the successful 1/2 marathon!

Sorry I haven't been around too much. I'm struggling right now, which is when I should be on the boards, right? Anyway, am still maintaining at 285, I think. TOM has arrived and I am staying away from the scale until that is done. But I don't expect great things because I have been bad about giving into cravings this month.

I'm not sure how much I'll be around the next week. I found out earlier today that my Grandpa died, so will be traveling home for the funeral. Still waiting for details on that.

As far as new threads--maybe once a month instead of once a week?

KendalBeee

Sarah- I'm so sorry about your grandpa.

Victoria and Kristina- I am so jealous that you two were able to do a half marathon! maybe someday I will be able.....



I'm all for the no more new weekly threads. It will take us a LONG time to fill up a 500 post thread. Then we won't have to come up with challenge names. We can change it do 200+ November, 200+ December....


I have 2 measly little pounds until I hit 215 and I have 2 weeks to get it done.

makeitallsue

Hey everyone...I can't sleep so I am upstairs...Not sure what is up with me...I have been so moody. Noone in this house stands a chance around me...nothing is making me happy. Again I do believe it is hormonal...and I am so sick of this....last night I couldn't stop eating to save my life.

Kristina and Victoria...Seriously...VERY VERY proud of your accomplishment....awesome, just awesome...you ladies rock!!

Amy I have been trying to watch the sodium too, your right it is in everything....for some reason I have been craving pickles too???? What's up with that???? No Not pregnant...just eating like I am...:sad:

Lacey...chia gel is made from the chia seed. I take 3 TLSP of dry chia and mix it with 9 TLBS water, the chia absorbs the water and then you are able to refridgerate it and you can use it in baking to reduce the fat by half. We use it in our cookies all the time, and you can see the little dark fleck of chia...it doesn't effect flavor, reduces the fat...you gain fiber and other good for you things. I thought I shared the info last year when I started using chia, it is a hydrator, energy boost...etc, supposedly the indians used it centuries ago, also helps regulate bowels with regular use. I used to take a serving everyday, but got away from that...but we do use it to reduce fats in cooking and baking...I have some web sites book marked...if you like I can share them...just have to find them....lol

KendalBeee

hey whats up?


just feel like we've become incredibly quiet in the past 4-5 weeks. We had less than 30 posts one week! Thats ridiculous! We should post more!


I just had a 90 cal chewy granola bar for my morning snack and I'm tempted to have more. And that is whats on my mind for the moment.

Laceylala

Kendal - are you still hungry? That Food Matters book I'm reading stated something about living with the hunger for a while before you eat. Now I know that, but the way it was written came through to me...and I am struggling with it but trying to live with the hunger for a bit before I eat to see if I am really hungry or not. Its hard!

Deb - perhaps you did post something about chia gel a while ago but I have the memory of a dog lately so remembering things that happened two days ago, much less months ago is impossible! LOL. I looked it up yesterday and am goign to buy some to try. I am thinking it would be a great addition to my smoothie in the morning.

And Deb - I was like that a few weeks ago. It is totally hormonal. I just really wanted to snip and snap at everyone and was filled with all this horrible bad emotion and stuff. It sucks and is completely unfair that we have to go through that.

Sarah - I am sorry to hear about your grandpa.

Amy - I saw pics of your cake on FB...was it as amazing as it looks??


I went to the gym, logged my cals did great then came home and drank a bit of beer, ate a bit of candy and overate at dinner. I've logged everything but I think I am off on how much I ate and it should probly be a couple hundred more. gah!

KendalBeee

Lacey- yeah I gave in and had a 100 cal rice krispie treat. I logged everything and have zumba tonight, so I'm not TOO worried about the extra cals.


I just got an email that they have started planning our 10 year high school reunion. :noway: I was around 210-215 when I graduated high school. Considering I'm 217.4 this morning, I'm not too far off. But I want to shock the hell out of everyone and seriously drop more weight. It'll be nice to have a timeline that I have no control over.

Yall have Wii's, right? what games do yall play for exercise?

anvy0530

Hiya - I've been around but my time management skills suck. I blink, and somehow it has become time to make dinner and I have no real idea how I spent my day. I'd claim narcolepsy or something but I'm pretty sure I remain conscious the entire time. Anyways, I started a new running program that should help me to speed up. I can run 4 miles at a 13:30 pace but I'm looking for more distance and a better pace. The Bridge to 10K program wasn't doing it for me so I switched to something from the Cool Runnings page that starts at about 20 miles a week and includes fartleks, hill training, and tempo runs. I'm thinking I'll see some results with it. Today, Gabe and I ran 4 miles. Usually, Gabe rides his bike while I run but he wants to improve his endurance for soccer so he said he'd run today and he DID GREAT! I was super proud to see him running and LIKING it. I also got a nice surprise in my mail today - the Recovery Socks I ordered arrived. Now, I'm sure they aren't for everyone but they are perfect for me. They are basically fancy-looking compression socks to aid with circulation for the calves to speed recovery. Since I had blood clots in BOTH of my calves last year, I severely damaged the vascular system in both of my calves so they often ache after running as blood is pooling down there and not recirculating back into my system as fast as it should due to the damaged veins. Well, I pulled these babies on this evening (ok, that kind of makes it sound like they were easy to put on - they weren't it was like putting on pantyhose that was 2 sizes too small x 1000) and my legs feel really good!

Kendal: I used to love my Wii but the damned power supply broke and I haven't gotten a replacement as I live out of the country and it's a pain in the *kitten*....but I WILL replace it...at some point. I like pretty much any game for the Wii but the ones I particularly enjoy are the Raving Rabbids games because they are funny, enjoyable and you move around a little. They really aren't exercise though. For exercise, I like the EA Sports Active and the Wii Fit. I also totally dig Punchout (it's boxing AND fun!). I didn't go to my 10 year reunion; I just didn't see any reason to fly halfway across the country to see a bunch of people that, if I really was friends with them, I would have stayed in touch. Maybe you high school years were better than mine. I'm sure you will knock 'em dead at your reunion!

Lacey: my cake was amazing. I froze half of it and then threw away what we didn't eat so I didn't feel guilty "letting it go to waste".

Debra: That chia gel sounds interesting, I'll have to do some research on that. I hear you on the being a grumpy pants. I have found myself WAY more PMS-y than usual. And not just in the scream at people for no reason way - but I've also had more physical PMS symptoms than usual the past couple of months (way sore boobs, back aches, cramps, etc). It sucks.

Sarah: I'm sorry about your grandpa. Take care of yourself.

pinbotchick

Afternoon gang - I'm still super busy with work but will try to be on more. Housework and exercise have taken priority to computer time.

Sarah - very sorry to hear about your grandfather. (((( hug ))))

Amy - super awesome job on the 4 mile run.

Kendal - I had a blast at my 5 year reunion but have skipped the rest since. 2011 will be my 25th maybe I'll go to that.

Kristina - you made the race so much better - THANKS!!!! I loved running with you. Hopefully we'll get to another run together.

My timer just went off - I gave myself 10 min to check and post. I have to leave for 3 more clients tonight.

akasullengal

I know it's been a slow week for posting, at least on my front. With my parents being around, I just wasn't online much, and I just finished a two-day conference with work, which really didn't give me a chance to check in much. Was such a bore too!

I really feel like tomorrow is time to kick myself back into gear, especially on the eating front, which was hard with the parents visiting. I haven't exercised the past two days either, so tomorrow is a good eating day and a gym or running day.

Been a bit emotional the past couple of days. It was really hard to see my parents go. The leftover emotions from finishing a race I never thought I would ever do, my family leaving, AND to top it off, my TOM arrived 4 days early=weepy Kristina. Haven't quite gotten myself out of it. Plan to go to bed early tonight, and hope that swinging back into the regular routine will help me. I'm bummed for the final weigh in of the challenge/year is going to be a crappy one for me (thanks to bad eating (my fault) and TOM).

As I'd spend the past 4+ months training for the half, I sort of don't know what to do with myself now. I"m going to need to think about my next goal, because having that to train for, really kept me motivated and dedicated to exercising regularly and I need to continue to do so.

Will be better about posting the rest of the week.

pinbotchick

Hey gang - Sorry I've been MIA but being out of town multi weekends in a row reeks havoc with personal life and housework... I just lose track of all regular time. Glad you enjoyed your parents - Kristina!!! I too am at a loss as to what to do next... I see there is a rock and roll 1/2 marathon in AZ jan 16th want to try it? I have free housing there for us....

I agree that one long thread would be okay... We can still do 6 week challenges with in the continuous post!!!

anvy0530

Ok, I need advice on where to get winter clothes online. It has gotten ridiculously cold and, as I spent most of my life in California, we don't have winter clothes. Being in Germany where the prices are super-high, I don't really want to buy clothes at a German store. Where do those of you in cold climates get your clothes?

pinbotchick

Amy - I shop at Old Nave for fleece tops and sweats, my coat is from D!cks Sporting Goods, I made my scarf, and Cabellas for everything. I also frequent Amazon and just search for what I'm looking for... Good luck.

KendalBeee

the scale showed a little movement this morning. I'm excited.

akasullengal

Kendal- yay! I'm not heading near the scale this week.

It was a food extravaganza at work this morning. WHY??? I'm trying to get back into a routine and they are seriously throwing a wrench in my plan.

It's nice to be back in the office. I've got a lot of work to do the rest of the week, so I'm hoping it'll help the week go by faster. Even though I went to bed at an ungodly early hour, I was still pretty tired this morning when I got up. Will need another pretty early evening tonight. But first, definitely need to hit up the gym. I think I'll probably bike it and I need to start thinking about what I'd like to focus on next, as I always need a goal. Perhaps improving my half time for a next race (whenever that may be)? Victoria, Phoenix sounds great-- just don't have the time or money to go somewhere like that right now. I'd like to continue to keep my mileage up, so I can do another half without having to completely retrain for it. Also, really want to work on my speed.. that means some serious pushing it on some shorter runs.

KendalBeee

is it bad that I thought my old profile pic made my face look a little chubby? lol I just took another one on my cell phone and emailed it to myself so I could update. Not sure what exercise I want to do tonight. I'm think I'll do the bike again. Its different from what I've been doing and not hard on my knees. Its raining here today and the weather has taken a turn for "chilly". Not sure if Lexi will be getting runs much anymore.

They did a news story on a girl who got a dog at the pound and then she lost 150 pounds because she started taking the dog running. Thought it was a good story

Laceylala

http://www.cybexintl.com/products/cardio/ArcTrainers.aspx
I call this one the Cybex, cuz that is the name...but it is an amazingly good work out for my calves, upper hips and the fat roll that sits on top of my @ss.

And this baby...well you should all try it if you can at the gym if it has one. I call it the @ss Kicker. I can only do 10 minutes on it. WOW. It kills. In a good way of course.
http://www.precor.com/comm/en/amt

I highly recommend either one of the above. They make your body move in a way that feels unnatural but I find, and have read, that neither are as hard on the knee. Which is always a plus.

I've done both cardio and weighhts both nights at the gym this week. I figure I will continue doing so until I go on my trip in a few weeks. Then change it up when I get back.


Amy - I second Old Navy for fleecy stuff. REI.com is a big place that sells lots of outdoors stuff, and of course Cabellas.

akasullengal

Kendal- you look great in your new profile pic, though I don't think your face looked chubby in the last one. But you can totally tell you're losing. Funny you should mention the girl who lost weight when she got a dog. I want to get a dog early next year, and since I started running, the kind of dog I want has changed. I really want one that would be able to jog with me, as I'm totally not down with going for a run AND then having to take the dog out for a long walk. The running will be good for both of us!

Ready for my day to be over. Alas, still a couple more hours. Then getting my gym on, then relaxing at home the rest of the day. Tomorrow looks to be pretty hectic for me.