Becoming a Better Sarah ~ 2015 Journal (The End)

[SarahDisney]

FlipBelt: A Review​

*Note: I was not in any way compensated for this review. This is an unsolicited review based entirely on my 2-week usage of the FlipBelt, which I purchased based on recommendations and research

​

I was looking for a running belt to hold some stuff during my runs – phone, ID/cash, key, tissues, maybe a “snack.” Previously I had been wearing a skirt with pockets to hold all these things, but that limited my clothing choices, so I wanted to try out a belt.
The two things that appealed to me most about the FlipBelt were the style (I liked that it looked like the top of yoga pants and not like a fanny pack) and the fact that it really seemed to hold a lot. I also liked that it had a key hook (although that wasn’t necessary for me, as my key is on a necklace). I ordered it online (in Carbon) early in May, and received it a few days later.

My first “tryout” of the FlipBelt was on the treadmill for about 15 minutes. It stayed in place, held all of my stuff, and I was able to figure out how to get my phone in and out. It passed the treadmill test, and I was ready to try it on outside.

My first outdoor trial was a shorter (30 minute) walk/run with my sister. I put a plastic case with my ID/cash on the key hook (along with my key), stuffed a pack of tissues in the side, and put my phone in. Everything went okay – it stayed in place and I was able to access whatever I needed.

From there, things went a bit downhill. On my longer runs, the belt moved around a bit. I prefer to wear it on my hips, and it sometimes ended up on my waist, where it wasn’t comfortable. Sometimes I was able to move it back to my hips and it stayed in place, but other times it moved back to my waist. I found that the movement differed based on my outfit – with some outfits it moved a lot, but with others it mostly stayed in place.

On my first long run, I put my snack (jelly beans) in a mesh bag and put them in the belt. They ended up becoming gummy, which I think was in part because of the extra heat of the dark belt. When I started carrying the jelly beans in a plastic bag, I did not have any issues.

On my last run, my key was coming out of the belt. This may have been because my key wasn’t pushed in far enough, but it still was frustrating for me.

Overall, I found the belt easy to use – it was easy to get things in and out, and things stayed inside the belt. But I did not like that it didn’t stay in place, and that sometimes things did move within the belt (and in the case of my key one day, almost fell out).

Bottom line … I liked the FlipBelt, but not enough to keep it. I’m in the process of returning it. That said, I think it may be worth considering for others, and certainly would not discourage someone who was already interested from trying it out.

 

[stacy~**]

Found you here too! I love the idea of this. Lots of Sarah updates for me today!

Having not run a half yet I have a hard time weighing in with your struggle over 10k vs. halfs but I will say the training plan I am (loosely) following really breaks it up and its not all that bad. Yes, each week when I add a mile to my longest run I think there is no way I can do it and then I do. And then that distance is no longer intimidating. I think because of your limitation with Saturday runs you most definitely should give a half a try and if it isn't for you then you know. I think you can do it. I also think a RunDisney half is much different that a regular half. You will have some start/stopping for character meets, etc. along the way and it shouldn't feel like so much work (or at least I am telling myself that!).

Not sure what to tell you about the 5K. If you don't want to do it or share that side of you with that community yet then I wouldn't. Is Beth running in it?

Interesting review of the Flipbelt. I looked at that and ended up ordering just a cheapie arm band that I have worn once. I carry my iPhone 6 plus on my runs. It's kinda ridiculous. Haha! I just feel like I need quick access to my volume button on my music. Since getting bit last fall on a run I am beyond paranoid about being attacked by another dog. So I am constantly listening for barking.

 

[SarahDisney]

Found you here too! I love the idea of this. Lots of Sarah updates for me today!

Just make sure you space out reading all my stuff ... you can have too much of a good thing!

Having not run a half yet I have a hard time weighing in with your struggle over 10k vs. halfs but I will say the training plan I am (loosely) following really breaks it up and its not all that bad. Yes, each week when I add a mile to my longest run I think there is no way I can do it and then I do. And then that distance is no longer intimidating. I think because of your limitation with Saturday runs you most definitely should give a half a try and if it isn't for you then you know. I think you can do it. I also think a RunDisney half is much different that a regular half. You will have some start/stopping for character meets, etc. along the way and it shouldn't feel like so much work (or at least I am telling myself that!).

I think the characters, things to see, etc are both a blessing and a curse for me - it's a blessing because I get to stop, take breaks, and don't have to run 13.1 miles straight with nothing to see and nothing to do.
On the other hand, one of the things I'm very worried about (and one of the reasons why I have no interest in a marathon) is being able to "concentrate" on one thing for that long - I get distracted easily. And the extra character stops extends the sheer amount of time that I'm out on the course.

Not sure what to tell you about the 5K. If you don't want to do it or share that side of you with that community yet then I wouldn't. Is Beth running in it?

Beth is not doing it, and as of right now I probably won't be doing it.

Interesting review of the Flipbelt. I looked at that and ended up ordering just a cheapie arm band that I have worn once. I carry my iPhone 6 plus on my runs. It's kinda ridiculous. Haha! I just feel like I need quick access to my volume button on my music. Since getting bit last fall on a run I am beyond paranoid about being attacked by another dog. So I am constantly listening for barking.

Wow, getting bit by a dog while running - sounds horrible. I totally don't blame you for being paranoid about it happening again.
One of the things I didn't mention was that it's easy to change the volume through the Flipbelt - I could push the buttons on my phone through the belt (my new belt has the same thing).
I carry my water bottle, but I couldn't imagine carrying my phone - I'd be too terrified of dropping it. Ever since I broke Beth's phone a few years ago I've had a fear of cracking phone screens. I used to carry it in my pocket (attached to a holster case), but the belt actually makes it easier to access the volume.

 

[SarahDisney]

A Semi-Busy Week in Review​

With the short week and being a little busy, I haven't really had time to update (beyond the FlipBelt review, which was a week in the making). Here's what's been going on:

Weight Loss:
I finally remembered to step on the scale yesterday morning for the first time in 2 weeks. And this has been 2 weeks of having difficulty watching what I'm eating, even though I always start off the day trying (but go off the rails later in the day). The result: Up 1 pound. I'm disappointed, but not surprised because I haven't been eating well. I really need to find a way to eat better!! I know I can do it, I just rarely feel motivated. Plus, the yummy junk food is faster than the yummy healthy food.

Running:
I went out running twice this week - Tuesday & Thursday

Tuesday:
Not a great run. It was hot, I was tired, and it was rough most of the time.
I've been thinking a lot lately about the mental aspects of running, so I tried focusing on my running and on my breathing ... it seemed to help a bit, but I couldn't keep it up, I got distracted too easily. I thought about quitting early a few times, but the mentality of "just until the next mile" or "until the end of the loop" helped me keep going the full time. I knew I wouldn't be setting any records with this run, but I just wanted to stay above 4.5 miles - and I did.
4.60 miles in 59:01 minutes (12'50" pace)
Fastest mile was mile 1 at 11:18 minutes, slowest was mile 3 at 13:31 minutes - that's a pretty big difference, and I definitely felt worn out towards the end (mile 4 was just a few seconds faster than mile 3). I also took 30 second walk breaks approximately every 10 minutes (I have it build into my interval timer - 9:30 run & 0:30 walk - but I don't always take the walk breaks - sometimes I take every other one, sometimes I only take the one in the middle for a snack - it depends on the day and how I feel)

Thursday:
Went out in the afternoon because I had a phone call scheduled for 10 AM (which is around when I usually am out running). I wasn't sure I was going to go out, but Beth convinced me to go. It was a good run throughout - a few periods where I felt great, but mostly it was just a good, basic, no-hassle run. I decided to add an extra 30 seconds to help me reach my May goal of 4.75 miles. The verdict?
4.84 miles in 59:37 minutes (12'19" pace)
It was definitely a great result that really reflected how I felt about the run. I wasn’t sure I would make my May running goal, but I’m really glad I did! (I actually have a really fun goal for June, but I'll share that in a few days)
Fastest mile was mile 1 at 12:00 minutes, slowest was mile 3 (which included my 1.5 minute walk/snack break) at 12:48 minutes. A little bit more spread out than I like it, but I’m okay with it.

This week I set my Fitbit to tell me how I was doing every 0.5 miles (previously it was every mile). I actually like it better this way - I wasn't sure at first because there's still a decent gap between alerts (which is what I was trying to prevent with the new setting - I like knowing where I am), but I actually found myself liking it.

Race Update:
I'm 95% sure I'm not doing it. I'm not ready to get involved in community running things - I'm still doing this my way. I have until race morning to decide (there is same-day registration), but as of right now, I'm not going to do it. Which also means no running on June 14th (the race goes through my park), but I'm okay with that (I don't run every day anyway) ... or I could just find another place to run.

 

[SarahDisney]

A Goofy June: Sarah’s Running Challenge​

As most of you know, I’m running the 5K & 10K at Disney World in January. I’m hoping to really start ramping up my training in the month of June, and I figured that a great way to do that would be to take on one of the Marathon Weekend challenges – the Goofy Challenge.

The actual Goofy Challenge is 39.3 miles in two days – a half marathon followed by a marathon. I’m not doing that. So what am I doing?
39.3 miles in 30 days.
Over the course of the month of June, I would like to run at least the equivalent of the Goofy Challenge. I’ve been going back and forth on what counts towards the goal (especially because we’re getting thunderstorms here todau), and I think the answer will be just outdoor runs. I may still try to hop on the treadmill on some days when I had planned to run but the weather disagreed, but those won’t count towards my mile totals.

To monitor my progress towards this goal, I’ve created a fun graphic:



After each run, I’ll “color in” Goofy using that day’s mileage. I’ll try to post the updated Goofy graphic every week or so, and hopefully at the end of the month it will look like …


So follow along as I try to reach my Goofy Goal – and for my runner friends out there, try to set your own goals and do some great running this month!

 

[roxymama]

Oh, I really liked your Goofy idea and that graphic. That is really fun. I tend to only run around 2.5-3 miles when I go out. But maybe I will mentally keep track of how close I can get. I doubt I will get to the full Goofy, but I know you can!!!

Happy June!

 

[stacy~**]

And the extra character stops extends the sheer amount of time that I'm out on the course.

Haha! But running 13.1 miles is soooo much fun. Don't you want to stretch it out all day.

Beth is not doing it, and as of right now I probably won't be doing it.

I think that seems like the right choice. Doing it out of obligation isn't the right reason and if you think there will be "fall-out" within your community that makes running less enjoyable for you than it's not worth the risk.

Wow, getting bit by a dog while running - sounds horrible. I totally don't blame you for being paranoid about it happening again.
One of the things I didn't mention was that it's easy to change the volume through the Flipbelt - I could push the buttons on my phone through the belt (my new belt has the same thing).
I carry my water bottle, but I couldn't imagine carrying my phone - I'd be too terrified of dropping it. Ever since I broke Beth's phone a few years ago I've had a fear of cracking phone screens. I used to carry it in my pocket (attached to a holster case), but the belt actually makes it easier to access the volume.

Yes, I love dogs but now have a pretty big fear of unknown dogs, especially ones running loose which unfortunately happens a lot in our neighborhood. And I do probably need a new situation for my phone. While it doesn't bother me on my runs, I bet once I stop carrying it I will be relieved.

A Semi-Busy Week in Review​

With the short week and being a little busy, I haven't really had time to update (beyond the FlipBelt review, which was a week in the making). Here's what's been going on:

Weight Loss:
I finally remembered to step on the scale yesterday morning for the first time in 2 weeks. And this has been 2 weeks of having difficulty watching what I'm eating, even though I always start off the day trying (but go off the rails later in the day). The result: Up 1 pound. I'm disappointed, but not surprised because I haven't been eating well. I really need to find a way to eat better!! I know I can do it, I just rarely feel motivated. Plus, the yummy junk food is faster than the yummy healthy food.

It's hard. I really need to get on a better eating plan/mentality. If it makes you feel better I gained about 10 pounds this winter and even with all my running this spring I can't shake it. It's clearly an eating issue. I need to find a way to get on the right path...so let me know if you think of something.
Running:
I went out running twice this week - Tuesday & Thursday

Tuesday:
Not a great run. It was hot, I was tired, and it was rough most of the time.
I've been thinking a lot lately about the mental aspects of running, so I tried focusing on my running and on my breathing ... it seemed to help a bit, but I couldn't keep it up, I got distracted too easily. I thought about quitting early a few times, but the mentality of "just until the next mile" or "until the end of the loop" helped me keep going the full time. I knew I wouldn't be setting any records with this run, but I just wanted to stay above 4.5 miles - and I did.
4.60 miles in 59:01 minutes (12'50" pace)
Fastest mile was mile 1 at 11:18 minutes, slowest was mile 3 at 13:31 minutes - that's a pretty big difference, and I definitely felt worn out towards the end (mile 4 was just a few seconds faster than mile 3). I also took 30 second walk breaks approximately every 10 minutes (I have it build into my interval timer - 9:30 run & 0:30 walk - but I don't always take the walk breaks - sometimes I take every other one, sometimes I only take the one in the middle for a snack - it depends on the day and how I feel)

Thursday:
Went out in the afternoon because I had a phone call scheduled for 10 AM (which is around when I usually am out running). I wasn't sure I was going to go out, but Beth convinced me to go. It was a good run throughout - a few periods where I felt great, but mostly it was just a good, basic, no-hassle run. I decided to add an extra 30 seconds to help me reach my May goal of 4.75 miles. The verdict?
4.84 miles in 59:37 minutes (12'19" pace)
It was definitely a great result that really reflected how I felt about the run. I wasn’t sure I would make my May running goal, but I’m really glad I did! (I actually have a really fun goal for June, but I'll share that in a few days)
Fastest mile was mile 1 at 12:00 minutes, slowest was mile 3 (which included my 1.5 minute walk/snack break) at 12:48 minutes. A little bit more spread out than I like it, but I’m okay with it.

This week I set my Fitbit to tell me how I was doing every 0.5 miles (previously it was every mile). I actually like it better this way - I wasn't sure at first because there's still a decent gap between alerts (which is what I was trying to prevent with the new setting - I like knowing where I am), but I actually found myself liking it.

Great job...especially on Thursday. Going out in the afternoon is tough and to improve your pace so much is impressive. And reaching your May goal!! Woohoo!


Race Update:
I'm 95% sure I'm not doing it. I'm not ready to get involved in community running things - I'm still doing this my way. I have until race morning to decide (there is same-day registration), but as of right now, I'm not going to do it. Which also means no running on June 14th (the race goes through my park), but I'm okay with that (I don't run every day anyway) ... or I could just find another place to run.

A Goofy June: Sarah’s Running Challenge​

As most of you know, I’m running the 5K & 10K at Disney World in January. I’m hoping to really start ramping up my training in the month of June, and I figured that a great way to do that would be to take on one of the Marathon Weekend challenges – the Goofy Challenge.

The actual Goofy Challenge is 39.3 miles in two days – a half marathon followed by a marathon. I’m not doing that. So what am I doing?
39.3 miles in 30 days.
Over the course of the month of June, I would like to run at least the equivalent of the Goofy Challenge. I’ve been going back and forth on what counts towards the goal (especially because we’re getting thunderstorms here todau), and I think the answer will be just outdoor runs. I may still try to hop on the treadmill on some days when I had planned to run but the weather disagreed, but those won’t count towards my mile totals.

To monitor my progress towards this goal, I’ve created a fun graphic:

View attachment 100188

After each run, I’ll “color in” Goofy using that day’s mileage. I’ll try to post the updated Goofy graphic every week or so, and hopefully at the end of the month it will look like …
View attachment 100189

So follow along as I try to reach my Goofy Goal – and for my runner friends out there, try to set your own goals and do some great running this month!

This is such a great goal and the graphic idea is very cute! I'm sure you will make it!!

 

[ursalita]

I love your Goofy graphic. That's a really good way to track your progress towards your goal. It's been a long winter of no running for me so I was going to try another Couch to 5K but up the challenge a little bit by trying to increase my pace. I did the first couple days and averaged 10 minute miles (that's not too hard to maintain if you're only running in one minute increments. But then Sammy had his accident and we spent 5 days in the hospital so that got completely derailed. I'm going to try to get back to it. I am hoping your journal will inspire me.

 

[SarahDisney]

Oh, I really liked your Goofy idea and that graphic. That is really fun. I tend to only run around 2.5-3 miles when I go out. But maybe I will mentally keep track of how close I can get. I doubt I will get to the full Goofy, but I know you can!!!

Happy June!

Thanks!
I definitely couldn't have done this 6 months ago - with time I've gotten used to the farther distances. Maybe you can do Goofy in two months ... it's only 14-15 runs (if I'm doing my math right), so it may be doable over two months! And even if you don't reach Goofy, any distance is good!

Haha! But running 13.1 miles is soooo much fun. Don't you want to stretch it out all day.

Of course, I definitely want to spend all day running, but ... there's the ADD and I might get distracted and start wanting to not run.

Yes, I love dogs but now have a pretty big fear of unknown dogs, especially ones running loose which unfortunately happens a lot in our neighborhood. And I do probably need a new situation for my phone. While it doesn't bother me on my runs, I bet once I stop carrying it I will be relieved.

I feel the same way about my water bottle ... I don't mind carrying it, but on days when I forget it (it's happened a few times), it's so nice to not be holding anything. You should definitely look into getting an armband or a belt to hold the phone - a lot of them make it pretty easy to still access the phone and see the screen, change the volume, etc.

It's hard. I really need to get on a better eating plan/mentality. If it makes you feel better I gained about 10 pounds this winter and even with all my running this spring I can't shake it. It's clearly an eating issue. I need to find a way to get on the right path...so let me know if you think of something.

I lost weight in college without even really trying – a combination of a medication I was taking and not liking the food in the school cafeteria (in college I basically survived on PB&J, mashed potatoes … and muffins for breakfast). I gained it all back when I was going through a rough time a few years ago (I’m a severe stress eater … plus, it was around that time that I went off the medication that was helping me lose weight).

I go through periods where I can lose a few pounds, but then I gain it all back. Part of it is stress … when I’m very stressed out I don’t sleep well, I’m more likely to eat a lot, etc … and as much as I try to hide it, I’m very stressed these days. I’m hoping that when things normalize for me a bit I’ll be able to lose a little, but I also know that I need to be a lot more careful about how I eat.

One thing that has helped me in the past is tracking what I eat. I use SparkPeople, but I’ve also gone through periods of just writing it all down. It gets a little annoying to write down everything I eat (and I sometimes skip snacks), but it helps me get a grip on how much I’m eating and what foods I should maybe have a little less of.

Great job...especially on Thursday. Going out in the afternoon is tough and to improve your pace so much is impressive. And reaching your May goal!! Woohoo!

Thanks! I definitely prefer going out in the morning – it’s hard to get myself out the door once I’m already in the middle of my daily routine – but I knew that if I tried to push the run off to Friday morning, I might just skip it (Fridays are busy days for me).

I’m terrible with pace – I’m all over the place – but I like to be between 12’00” and 12’30”, so it was nice to get back to there after the slower run on Tuesday. I was actually significantly faster yesterday … but I’ll get to that eventually. And that was also 95% running on fumes and excitement.

This is such a great goal and the graphic idea is very cute! I'm sure you will make it!!

Thanks! You know I like my graphics ... I thought it would be a really fun idea. I've already got the shoes filled in (I've been "live updating") on my computer, and hopefully when I post the update in a few days (I want to wait and see if I can get a run in tomorrow before posting it) I'll have more of the pants filled in.

I love your Goofy graphic. That's a really good way to track your progress towards your goal. It's been a long winter of no running for me so I was going to try another Couch to 5K but up the challenge a little bit by trying to increase my pace. I did the first couple days and averaged 10 minute miles (that's not too hard to maintain if you're only running in one minute increments. But then Sammy had his accident and we spent 5 days in the hospital so that got completely derailed. I'm going to try to get back to it. I am hoping your journal will inspire me.

Thanks!
Have you thought about signing up for a race? I had started running even before I signed up for my first race, but I found it was easier to keep up the running once I was signed up for my race. Maybe you could do a race that also has kids races and get the kids involved? We did that a lot when we were little - my dad would run a race and we ran the kids races (anywhere from 100m to 1 mile, depending on how old we were at the time).
I definitely get taking a few days off when Sammy was in the hospital, but it's important to take time for yourself too!

 

[SarahDisney]

Progress Update: 6/7/15
​

Weight Loss:
My Friday weigh in was exactly the same as last week. Not great, but better than gaining.

I tried to focus on eating fruits and vegetables this week … which never works for me. I like fruits and vegetables, I just never manage to eat enough. I did cook up some zucchini and eggplant and had veggie wraps twice for lunch – but I don’t know if I’ll do that again anytime soon because eggplant takes FOREVER to cook, and I have to do it in shifts because I’m using the toaster oven.
I’m trying to set one healthy “task” for myself every week – last week’s was fruits & veggies, and this week I’m trying to track my dinner every night. I’m big on tracking food (it helps me keep track of how much I’m eating) and I’m usually good with breakfast and lunch, but I rarely bother tracking dinner. And I probably eat more at dinner than I do at the other two meals combined. So … maybe I should try tracking?

I’ll check in next week and let y’all know how that experiment went.


Running:
I actually went out for three runs this week – a short run on Monday (rain!), and long runs on Wednesday and Friday. I did okay, but I don’t think I want to do a short run & two long runs in one week again, it felt like too much. This week I’ll just be doing the 2 long runs, and then next week I’ll do one long run & 2 short runs – I’m hoping to stick with an alternating pattern for the rest of the summer (a total of 5 runs over 2 weeks, 3 long & 2 short)
But anyway, back to this week’s runs …

Monday:
I thought of this as my “running between the raindrops” run – it wasn’t actually raining, but it had just rained and was about to start again, so I decided to make this a short run. I managed to make it home right before the rain started, but I did get dripped on by trees quite a bit. I did 30 minutes of straight running, hoping for about 2.5 miles.
2.47 miles in 30:14 minutes (12’13” pace)
Mile 1 was 12:32 minutes, Mile 2 was 11:49 minutes – a larger spread that I would like during such a short run, but it’s because there was one point in mile 2 where I was actually sprinting (not the best idea, but I survived).
Overall, it was a decent short run.

Wednesday:
This was National Running Day and I wanted to get in a good run. This was my first hour-long run, and I really wanted it to be a good one. I definitely pushed too hard and I knew I was doing it, but early on I realized my pace was faster than it had been in a while, and I decided to shoot for my first 5 mile run. The result?
5.12 miles in 1:00:06 hours (11’44”)
Fastest mile was mile 2 at 11:23 (mile 5 was actually only about 10 seconds slower), slowest mile was mile 4 at 11:59, but that was when my knee was bothering me and I started to slow down a bit. I did speed up a bit when I realized that I was slowing down too much. Overall, I was very happy to reach 5 miles and while it wasn’t my best run ever, it was a great run and a great accomplishment – especially because I thought I wouldn’t hit 5 miles until July!

Friday:
Fridays are not easy days for me to run (because I have so much other stuff going on), but I got up early, was out of the house before 8:30, and went for my second hour-long run. As I was walking to the park, my back was bothering me, so I decided to take walk breaks (I currently have my interval timer set up for 9:45 minutes running before a 30 second walk break … so there were 5 walk breaks during the hour long run). My back actually felt much better once I started running, but I still took the breaks, and overall it was a pretty good run (and unlike Wednesday, I didn’t feel I was pushing too much – despite the fact that my pace was fairly similar).
5.12 miles in 1:00:25 hours (11’47”)
Fastest mile was mile 2 at 11:21, slowest mile was mile 5 at 12:09 – but I knew I was slowing down at the end – since I had already broken 5 miles once it wasn’t as high of a priority for me, so I wanted to take it easy a bit, especially towards the end of the run, which is why I slowed down as I went along.

As a whole, it was a great running week, even if I did push too hard. Here’s the updated Goofy Graphic:


General Stuff:
Despite the running victories, as a whole, it wasn't a great week. I was cranky much of the week and had a hard time staying positive. I'm not by nature a very positive person, but I know that constant negativity will just make things worse, so I'm trying to put on a brave face and stay positive ... but it's hard when I'm being handed a lot of disappointments. Hopefully this week will be better.

Coming Soon: A review of my new running belt … if I ever get around to writing it

 

[stacy~**]

I have been toying with the idea of food journaling thanks to you. I've only done it a few days (and like you somehow don't make it past lunch) but at least I am thinking about it.

Two 5+ mile runs last week? That is fantastic! Especially the run on Friday where you didn't feel like you were pushing yourself that much. That just shows you can do more. I look forward to hearing how your runs go this week.

Sorry that you are having a tough time with other things. I know its hard to stay positive but I hope that you are able to and that things start looking up for you!

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Despite the running victories, as a whole, it wasn't a great week. I was cranky much of the week and had a hard time staying positive. I'm not by nature a very positive person, but I know that constant negativity will just make things worse, so I'm trying to put on a brave face and stay positive ... but it's hard when I'm being handed a lot of disappointments. Hopefully this week will be better.

First, congrats on the running progress. You are becoming a stronger you.

As for the moods - have you tried mantras? I read an interesting article about mantras in last month's Running World magazine and it might help you. My wife and I both find that mantras help us - we have been using them for years. I use them when running, but she uses them all the time. For running, before I begin to feel tired on a run I tell myself over and over again how great I feel today. Or, if my legs are starting to burn and feel dead, I tell myself that the pain is an illusion - that I really feel great and my body just wants to quit. If it is hot outside, I tell myself that it feels great outside today - a great day to run! It really works. If you think or say a thing often enough, you begin to "feel" it.

The same applies to attitude. If you are feeling down or grumpy, you can pull yourself out of the doldrums by telling yourself things like, "today is an awesome day" or "I feel great today". As mantras, they are not meant to be said once or twice, but over and over again until it sinks in. You are, in essence, brainwashing yourself into feeling differently.

Your brain is a powerful weapon, but it can be used to help or hurt you. Use it to help you.

 

[ursalita]

I tried to focus on eating fruits and vegetables this week … which never works for me. I like fruits and vegetables, I just never manage to eat enough.

That is a great idea! I'm similar although mainly with fruit. I hate eating fruit for some reason.

I’m big on tracking food (it helps me keep track of how much I’m eating) and I’m usually good with breakfast and lunch, but I rarely bother tracking dinner. And I probably eat more at dinner than I do at the other two meals combined. So … maybe I should try tracking?

Have you tried My Fitness Pal for tracking? I think it's great. You can scan bar codes on packages and they have a really huge database for entering foods. You can also put in exercise and link to your fitbit if you have one.

Despite the running victories, as a whole, it wasn't a great week. I was cranky much of the week and had a hard time staying positive. I'm not by nature a very positive person, but I know that constant negativity will just make things worse, so I'm trying to put on a brave face and stay positive ... but it's hard when I'm being handed a lot of disappointments. Hopefully this week will be better.

Sorry you didn't have a happy week. Hope you feel bet this week.

 

[SarahDisney]

I have been toying with the idea of food journaling thanks to you. I've only done it a few days (and like you somehow don't make it past lunch) but at least I am thinking about it.

It's definitely a hard thing to get used to. I've been doing it for years and I still don't always do it as much as I should. But it's amazing that you're trying!

Two 5+ mile runs last week? That is fantastic! Especially the run on Friday where you didn't feel like you were pushing yourself that much. That just shows you can do more. I look forward to hearing how your runs go this week.

Thanks! I haven't gotten back over the 5 mark since then, but it still feels great to know that I can make it there.
It might not be as impressive as a half marathon, but I'm getting there ... slowly.

Sorry that you are having a tough time with other things. I know its hard to stay positive but I hope that you are able to and that things start looking up for you!

Thanks!

First, congrats on the running progress. You are becoming a stronger you.

Thanks!

As for the moods - have you tried mantras? I read an interesting article about mantras in last month's Running World magazine and it might help you. My wife and I both find that mantras help us - we have been using them for years. I use them when running, but she uses them all the time. For running, before I begin to feel tired on a run I tell myself over and over again how great I feel today. Or, if my legs are starting to burn and feel dead, I tell myself that the pain is an illusion - that I really feel great and my body just wants to quit. If it is hot outside, I tell myself that it feels great outside today - a great day to run! It really works. If you think or say a thing often enough, you begin to "feel" it.

The same applies to attitude. If you are feeling down or grumpy, you can pull yourself out of the doldrums by telling yourself things like, "today is an awesome day" or "I feel great today". As mantras, they are not meant to be said once or twice, but over and over again until it sinks in. You are, in essence, brainwashing yourself into feeling differently.

Your brain is a powerful weapon, but it can be used to help or hurt you. Use it to help you.

Thanks for the advice! I've tried mantras in the past, but I tend to be a bit cynical about such things. That was a few years ago, though, and as a person I've definitely changed since then, so it's worth another try.

That is a great idea! I'm similar although mainly with fruit. I hate eating fruit for some reason.

It's definitely hard to get fruits and vegetables into your diet if you're not used to it. It's something I struggle with, but I'm trying.

Have you tried My Fitness Pal for tracking? I think it's great. You can scan bar codes on packages and they have a really huge database for entering foods. You can also put in exercise and link to your fitbit if you have one.

I use SparkPeople, which also has bar code scanning and also links to my fitbit. It's okay, but I find that it is hard to enter homemade foods sometimes ... it's much easier to enter my veggie burger than to enter a salad.
I think I tried My Fitness Pal once, but I liked SparkPeople more just because I'm so used to it (I've been using it on and off since college)

Sorry you didn't have a happy week. Hope you feel bet this week.

Thanks!

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Thanks for the advice! I've tried mantras in the past, but I tend to be a bit cynical about such things. That was a few years ago, though, and as a person I've definitely changed since then, so it's worth another try.

For me, the key is to begin the morning thinking that way. I start my "mantra" before I head out the door. For instance, today I have a 12 miler in the heat and humidity. I am leaving in about 40 minutes for that run and I have already started telling myself how great this run is going to be. I keep saying two things in my head - "I love to run in this weather" & "I feel great today". I simply will not allow my brain to focus on feeling hot or tired today. When those thoughts creep into my consciousness, I begin to repeat my mantra. If I wait until I already "feel" tired, it is too late. Knowing that a mantra can help cannot turn a negative mindset around for me - I have to get out in front of it.

BTW, recent studies have shown that our muscles are capable of carrying on way after our minds tell us that we are exhausted. They proved this with electrical muscular stimulation. In fact, we can generally go about twice as far as our mind allows. But if your mind is properly conditioned, you can overcome this (to a point). In running, as with all endurance sports, your most powerful weapon is your mind. But that weapon can cut either way. It is up to us to ensure that we use it to help us, not hurt us.

 

[KBrown88]

Hi there! I am trying to get in better running shape for the Princess Glass Slipper Challenge in 2016. I find it motivating to read other people's journeys to their race goals. So thanks for sharing!

I have the flip belt and like it ok, but I can't wait to read about your review of the other belt you are trying.

 

[SarahDisney]

For me, the key is to begin the morning thinking that way. I start my "mantra" before I head out the door. For instance, today I have a 12 miler in the heat and humidity. I am leaving in about 40 minutes for that run and I have already started telling myself how great this run is going to be. I keep saying two things in my head - "I love to run in this weather" & "I feel great today". I simply will not allow my brain to focus on feeling hot or tired today. When those thoughts creep into my consciousness, I begin to repeat my mantra. If I wait until I already "feel" tired, it is too late. Knowing that a mantra can help cannot turn a negative mindset around for me - I have to get out in front of it.

That's a great point - I tend to think of ways to help myself only when I really need the help - it makes a lot of sense to start early and tell myself that things will go well from the start so that I don't get to the point where I need help.
On my first 5 mile run, because it was National Running Day, I went out there wanting a good run and "knowing" that things would go well, and they did - so that's definitely proof that the right mindset can work for me.

BTW, recent studies have shown that our muscles are capable of carrying on way after our minds tell us that we are exhausted. They proved this with electrical muscular stimulation. In fact, we can generally go about twice as far as our mind allows. But if your mind is properly conditioned, you can overcome this (to a point). In running, as with all endurance sports, your most powerful weapon is your mind. But that weapon can cut either way. It is up to us to ensure that we use it to help us, not hurt us.

I'm going to need to track down some of these studies ... I like looking at numbers on these kinds of things.
I'm definitely someone who can let my mindset get me down, so I really do need to work on using my mind for good. I know that finding a way to get into the right mindset will improve my running, so it's definitely something I want to work on!

Hi there! I am trying to get in better running shape for the Princess Glass Slipper Challenge in 2016. I find it motivating to read other people's journeys to their race goals. So thanks for sharing!

I love Princess Weekend - I did the 5K last year, and I'm hoping to do the Half in 2017 or 2018. I hope that reading about my journey helps you with yours - I know that you'll love running the Glass Slipper Challenge!

I have the flip belt and like it ok, but I can't wait to read about your review of the other belt you are trying.

I liked the Flipbelt, I just think it didn't work well for me. I wish it had, because I really liked it. I'm using a Fitletic belt now, and I'm hoping to have the review on that one written up later this week.

 

[SarahDisney]

Fitletic Ultimate II Race Belt: A Review​

*Note: I was not in any way compensated for this review. This is an unsolicited review based entirely on my usage of the Fitletic Ultimate II Race Belt, which I purchased based on recommendations and research

​

After trying a different belt (Flipbelt) and not loving the way it fit me, I decided to try an adjustable belt. Of the adjustable belts I looked at, I liked the fact that the Fitletic Ultimate II Race Belt had two pockets and I liked the size of the larger pocket.
I also liked that Fitletic sells water bottles to attach to the belt (I haven’t purchased one yet, but I like having the option for longer runs where I may not want to be carrying around a 32 oz water bottle).
I decided to buy it in pink because, well, pink.

My first “tryout” of the FlipBelt was on the treadmill. This was a big tryout for me because I had to make a decision based on one run – unlike the Flipbelt, which had an inconspicuous tag (which allowed me to use it outside with the tag on), this belt had large packaging that I couldn’t really keep on for outdoor runs. I tried it out with my ID/cash and camera in the big pocket, nothing in the small pocket, and my phone in a holster case clipped to the belt. The phone stayed attached, but did bounce around a bit, so I decided to take the camera out of the pocket and put the phone in instead. I actually found that it was a little difficult to get the phone in and out while walking, but super easy while running. I decided that I liked it, so the tags came off so that I could take it outside.

On my first outdoor run, I put my cash/ID, tissues, phone, and key in the big pocket, and a small bag of jelly beans (aka mid-run fuel) in the smaller pocket. As with the treadmill, the phone went in and out much more easily while running than while walking.

I actually had two small problems on that run, both of which I was able to rectify for future runs:
1 – My key got in the way whenever I took the phone out of the pocket (which I do at the beginning and end of the run to start/stop my GPS). In subsequent runs I put my key in the small pocket with the jelly beans, and it’s much better there.
2 – There were points where the belt felt like it was digging into my stomach, which was painful. I adjusted the size a few times over the course of the next few runs, and finally found a place where it was comfortable.

Now that I've worked out the “bugs,” everything has gone great with the belt. It fits great, it doesn’t move (which was my major issue with the Flipbelt), it fits what I need so far, I can easily access my snack (and fairly easily access my phone), and I really don’t feel it while I’m wearing it, which is great.

The last thing I wanted to do before writing up this review was test the belt outside with my phone in a holster case attached to the belt. I didn’t think I could handle this for a longer run, so I decided to try it out on my shorter (32 minute) run. My hope was that for shorter races (like 5Ks or 10Ks that I might be relatively fast) I could put my camera in the pocket and have my phone on the belt. The holster was fine, it bounced a little (which took some getting used to) but didn’t bother me. What did bother me was the cord for my earphones. It kept getting in my way and tangling around the phone. So that’s something I need to address, but not something that would stop me from using it.

There was definitely a learning curve with the belt, but after a few weeks of using the belt, I love it! I think the pocket fits everything I need, it’s comfortable, it’s not bulky, it’s easy to use, and I love that it’s adjustable … so if I lose or gain weight, I can still use it without needing a new size.

The only downsides are the difficulty in getting the phone out while walking and the fact that I can’t really access things in the back of the large pocket while running. But both of those are things I can live with – I can deal with needing a little longer to get the phone out while walking, and I just don’t keep anything I’ll need during the run in the back of the pocket.

Bottom line … I’m glad I decided to get it, and I highly recommend it for anyone with my size phone (Droid Ultra) or smaller. For a larger phone, though, it might be difficult to fit it in – so check the specs on the belt and on your phone before purchase/use. I can’t say anything about race bib toggles, as I haven’t used them yet, but check back with me after my next race (currently scheduled for January 2016) to see how they worked out!

 

[SarahDisney]

2-Week Progress Update: 6/7 – 6/19​

I was a little too busy to write up last week’s update, so this is a 2-in-1.

Weight Loss:
My first Friday weigh-in was down 2 pounds from the week before … and since it wasn’t a great week, I’m wondering if the previous weigh-in was artificially high. Oh well, I’ll take the lower number however I get it!
My focus on tracking dinner went well early in the week, but kinda derailed later in the week. Still, it was progress. But tracking is still an area where I need a lot of work.

This morning I was up 0.5 pounds, which is not that surprising, seeing as how I wasn’t very good at watching what I ate this week. Plus, I yo-yo a lot.
This week’s focus was sticking to my meal plan (I make a meal plan for breakfast, lunch, and snacks at the beginning of the week). I started off the week okay, but kinda derailed a bit towards the end of the week.

I actually find a lot that I do well at the beginning of the week and lose focus by the end of the week. It’s something that I need to work on. Maybe I need to start adding a second weigh-in some time in the middle of the week as extra motivation? I’ll try that soon and see if it helps.

Running:
I’ve got 5 runs to report (3 long, 2 short):

Tuesday 6/9:
This was a hard run that never got easy. I knew I wouldn’t be anywhere near the previous week’s 5 mile runs.
4.80 miles in 1:01:12 hours (12’44” pace)
Fastest mile was mile 2 at 12:25 (slower than my slowest mile the week before) and slowest mile was mile 4 at 12:45. The last 0.80 miles were even slower than mile 4. I really had to slow down at the end because I just couldn’t go any faster. I wasn’t too disappointed, though – I knew I went out there and ran as fast as I could, even though it wasn’t my day.

Thursday 6/11:
This was a pretty weird run – I didn’t stick to my planned intervals (I kinda just took breaks when I felt like I needed them – a few were with the scheduled intervals, a few were not). It was hot and not an easy run, but there were definitely points where I did feel good – an improvement over Tuesday’s run.
4.73 miles in 1:00:45 hours (12’50” pace)
Fastest mile was mile 2 at 11:53 and slowest mile was mile 4 at 13:57. I usually finish my run in the park (I start a block before the entrance), but I decided to leave the park early and do the last bit on the streets, which is an interesting change (but not something I’d do regularly). Overall, the run was kinda weird … it just felt like a strange run.

Sunday 6/14:
This afternoon short run was brought to you by @BuckeyeBama ‘s amazing advice about mantras. I’m still easing into it, but as I was getting ready for my run, I started telling myself “this is going to be an awesome run” and “you’re definitely going to hit your goal on this run.” My goal was 2.5 miles (because my last short run was 2.47) … so how did I do?
2.85 miles in 32:01 minutes (11’13” pace)
As for whether or not the mantras worked … I don’t know if it was the heat, or the very crowded park, or the fact that I had Mexican food waiting for me at home, but I went out much too strong, and there was a point where I could no longer convince myself that it was going to be an awesome run. But because I had started out so strong, I knew I could still reach my goal, so I kept repeating that mantra – and it definitely helped me keep going when I really wanted to quit! So one mantra definitely worked for me somewhat, but I do need to find the right way to make mantras work most effectively.
Which brings up an entirely different issue – the inconsistency between the statistics and how a run feels (and which to trust). But that’s a discussion for a different time.

Wednesday 6/17:
This should have been the next step in my use of mantras (or, as I have renamed them, positive thought nuggets), but I kinda got in my own head and couldn’t do it. My first few miles were good, but then I let the heat, my tiredness, and negative thinking get the best of me, and I ended up slowing down a lot and taking extra walk breaks.
The first 2 miles boosted my stats so that it wasn’t too bad of a run in terms of numbers, but mentally, it was rough.
5.09 miles in 1:02:03 hours (12’11” pace)
Fastest mile was mile 2 at 11:21 minutes; slowest mile was mile 5 at 12:51 minutes. The run got harder as it went on and I honestly felt like I couldn’t run any more, which is why I was going so slow.
I had decided the night before that I was going to try a change to my course and leave the park early to do some running on the streets (not the same streets as last week – different direction). It ended up being really rough to run uphill at the end when I was so tired, but what was nice was that shortly after I finished I reached a playground, so I did my stretching there and it was very calming, which I needed after such a rough run.
Somewhere in the middle of the run I realized that maybe I’m pushing myself too hard in the heat. I think that for my next long run in hot weather, I’m going to try 5:1 run:walk intervals (and force myself to take the walk breaks) and see if that makes it any easier for me to get used to the heat.

Friday 6/19:
This was another short run, this time first thing in the morning (which, for me, is like 8:30-9ish). I was planning for 30 minutes, and I had two goals:
1 – Have a run where I don’t feel like !@#& the whole time (as I had on my two previous runs this week)
2 – Consistency – have my slowest mile be no less than 30 seconds slower than my fastest mile (which seems easy in a short run, but it doesn’t always happen for me)
2.51 miles in 30:14 minutes (12’02” pace)
Mile 2 (fastest) was 11:58 minutes, mile 1 was 12:11 minutes. So … that’s 13 seconds apart? Better than what I was hoping for! (My last half mile was at an 11:51 pace, but that’s because I was pushing a little hard at the end). Plus, I was hoping for a pace around 12 min/mile … can’t get much closer than this!
Overall, this was a good run. I felt good the whole time, I forced myself to take short walk breaks (because of the weather) and didn’t mind, I was pretty happy with my pace, and … NEGATIVE SPLITS! (For those of you who aren’t familiar with negative splits, there’s a school of thought that you should go out slower and get faster as you go along, which I think means you’re less exhausted at the end … I don’t remember all of the reasoning, but it’s something I always want to try for and I’m terrible at it).
I did not even try positive thought nuggets for this run (although I still want to keep trying them) because I don't do well with mornings. So I need to learn how to get up in the morning and start thinking positive thoughts about my run instead of just wondering when I get to go back to sleep.

Here’s the updated Goofy Graphic:

I'm getting pretty close - I actually should be able to hit Goofy next week! Yay!

General Stuff:
The heels of my sneakers are starting to get pretty worn out, which means it’s probably time for new shoes. I wanted to go to a running store and get fitted for my next pair of shoes (so that I know I’m wearing the right shoes) … but I’m not ready to spend that much on shoes right now (I thought I’d have a few more months with these). So now I’m left with the decision of whether to keep wearing my worn out shoes (probably not a good idea for much longer), buy another pair of cheap (but maybe not best for my particular feet/running style) shoes, or somehow find the money to get expensive shoes (which, based on how long these have lasted me, will be close to needing to be replaced in January). Add to that the fact that I need a few new pairs of running capris … it’s definitely a tough call.
Just a note on what I mean by "cheap" shoes - I usually buy Asics (so it's not like I'm wearing some random brand). They were recommended to me by a friend because of my high arches, and I'm currently on my 3rd pair (I think). I usually just buy whatever style is on sale at Kohl's or DSW. However, when I got my current pair, they weren't so comfortable at first (they're fine now), so I'm wondering if maybe certain models of Asics are better for me, or if I should try out a different brand ... and that's why I want to get fitted at a running store.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Way to tough it out through this heat. Almost everyone struggles running in the heat and humidity. I did another 10 miler today because I can't run at all for the next 2 days, and it was a miserable run. I couldn't get out the door until well after 10am, so it was hot an steamy. But, guess what? I finished the run and got in my miles. That is all that matters in training. Get in the miles. There are going to be good days and bad days, but we still get out there and do it.

Great job!