August Results!

Hey friends! Another week behind me, week 2 of T25 Beta phase complete! That's 7 weeks completing EVERY workout prescribed in the program.  If you've been blog-stalking me for any amount of time you realize what a HUGE deal this is.

It's tough for me to stick to any schedule I make for myself, no matter how hard I try.  I just enjoy variety and shiny objects too much to be a routine person.  Now, you are probably shaking your head and reminding me that I eat the same foods alot.  But I feel I get a TON of variety in the way I eat, and I truly love all the food.  So I'm not bored. 

This week I learned some important things about my body that affected my overall results for the month.

I was hoping to lose 2.6 pounds this week...which is ALOT.  During the entire 102 pound weight loss, I've never lost more than 1.5-2lbs a week with the exception of my cycle week (moon week, girls) in which I have dropped 3-4 lbs.  In fact, my most constant pattern has always been, in a 4 week period as follows:

Week 1: -.5-.8lb
Week 2: -.5-1lb
Week 3: +1-2lbs (bloat week)
Week 4: -2.5-4lb (cycle week)

So my results are that I gained .8 this week.  What the heck, I thought.  But then I remembered my moon calendar and it made sense.  I also made a few choices food-wise this week that I know contributed.

Here are my food pics for the week and then I'll recap what I will change for the next week.

B - eggs, brussel sprouts salad, sweet potatoes, L - leftover pork, carrots, snap peas, D - huge salad with grilled chicken and fruit, olive oil. (my meal planning template also pictured)

B - eggs, snap peas, and sweet potatoes, L - taco salad and a whole mango, D - salmon with cucumber dill sauce, cole slaw and sweet potatoes.

B - eggs, snap peas and sweet potatoes, L - salmon salad boats and cole slaw, D - 3 egg/sausage muffins (literally just eggs, homemade sausage and seasoning) and also pictured is my new purse/laptop bag!

B - eggs, snap peas, L - grilled chicken salad from Soho South in Savannah, D - at the Green Truck, the "whole farm" burger (minus cheese) with an egg and bacon on top of grass fed beef.  Also pictured my awesome friend Wendy who I get to see when I have to head to Savannah for work! We always have awesome conversation and shopping!  But we take terrible selfies. In fact, I ended up having to cover my neck muscles as they kept looking weird in the pictures!  lol

B - Hard boiled eggs, sausage, fruit.  L - green truck again - same thing as last night.  D - chicken salad and leftover cole slaw.  Other picture - brought my clothes this week!  lol!

B - eggs, snap peas and avocado, L - some leftover chicken salad (not pictured) and almond/hazelnut/chocolate butter (no sugar) and apple and D - Aidell's chicken sausage, cole slaw, carrots and avocado.  Also pictured is one of those daily challenges I have yet to start (haha - there we go again, not good with a plan!).

B - eggs (already eaten), snap peas and avocado.  L - taco salad and D - The Rancher at Longhorn, (sirloin with bacon and egg on top) and steamed veggies.  Also the newest temporary member of our family, a beautiful kitty my husband found half starved crawling across the road.  She's perked up amazingly in just 24 hours of a bath, de-fleaing, food and lots of love.  Even purred today.  Hoping we find her a good home once we get her strength up.  I'm guessing she's around 4 weeks old.

So...looking at my food do you see any trends that might have contributed to the gain?  I do!  First, I ate sweet potatoes 4 times in 3 days.  Now, sweet potatoes are W30 approved, however, I have had maybe two this entire YEAR.  So technically even though they are good for some people's regular consumption, they are not for me.  While they are approved, they are too starchy for me and slow down my digestion. Some athletes SWEAR by them as necessary to fuel workouts, runs, etc.  I, um, don't need them! Maybe all the fat left to burn?  I was stressing over the gain then read an article on the fact that if you eat "low carb" (which I don't do, really, I just don't eat crap - lol) that adding carbs back in (and sweet potatoes are a form of that) too quickly and often will cause issues.  Aha! Now that article was trying to convince people NOT to eat like I do.  Sorry folks, I already have figured out what works for me.

And this week I figured out me and sweet potatoes need to break up again.  I'm ok with that! Good thing I don't really love them! Just got on a kick last weekend with them.  Not kicking anymore. Haha.  Going to make some tonight for my family and our guests but not planning to partake.

I also made my own sausage for the first time.  1lb ground turkey and 1lb ground pork along with the Italian sausage seasoning mix recipe from Well Fed.  (BUY this cookbook if you eat like me!  Well Fed 2 is coming out very soon too - can't wait!).  This was wonderful, and I cooked my own egg muffins with sausage as well.  Some of the sausage I made into patties, the rest I ground and cooked to add to the egg muffins, etc.  It was AMAZING.  Fennel seed is my new favorite.  THAT is what makes sausage taste like sausage to me!

But.  Sausage is "food without brakes" for me I think.  Food without brakes, as described in "It Starts with Food" by Dallas & Melissa Hartwig, is ANY food in which you cannot control yourself around.  Meaning you just keep grabbing some here and there, and find yourself snacking, etc.  And yeah, I snacked on sausage.  Alot.  Oops!  Lesson learned.

Here are a few more pics for you of things I learned/realized this week.

Today started football season!  And yes, I have NO shame in wearing my Gator garb around this GA town.  I did get a few looks but who cares?  Not me!  Sorry for the Dixie photo bomb. 

Tried these this week.  The bag is still full.  I do not like them.  $6.99 a bag I'm kinda glad I don't like them plus they aren't technically approved as they have organic evaporated cane juice in them.  Note that is only 2 oz of food for $6.99! And they are gross, to me.  Sorry...have to be honest on here.  lol.

Day 3 of no concealer/foundation.  My skin is simply glowing right now.  It is awesome not to have to put anything but a lil powder on my skin, do my eyes and head out!  Awesome result from eating clean.

So, not super jumping up and down ecstatic about not hitting 179 this week, but I'll take 183.2.  I'm so so close to my goal, and given next week is a cycle week, I just might be hitting that goal in the next few weeks anyway! 

When this happens, you have one of two choices.

1) Give up.  This is too hard and I keep failing or
2) KEEP GOING.  Learn from the signals your own body sends you and KEEP FIGHTING!

Door number 2 for me please!

Overall, I'm happy.  And still motivated.  And so blessed.  Here's to another great week!

~Clara

Whether You Think You Can, Or You Think You Can't....YOU'RE RIGHT.

Hey friends!

Week 1 of T25 Beta is complete!  I was a little apprehensive about stepping it up a notch as T25 Alpha  phase was challenging in and of itself for me!  So heck, taking it up a notch?  Then I wondered, how would this work?  I'm drenched in sweat immediately following these workouts.  How can Shaun T. really fit in more in the same 25 minute time frame.

Uh...He did!

It started off SUPER fast paced.  I was like, hey, where's my warmup yo?  It was tough! But super fun.  This week we got to incorporate weights a few times which was awesome, I LOVE lifting!  I had taken my 8lb weights in my suitcase and they were horribly light so I decided to go heavier next time I did it. 

In fact, this morning I did the Rip'T circuit with my 15lb weights and then went for a run, even though today is technically a rest day.  I didn't feel I needed a rest day though tomorrow I'll just stretch and play softball.  While I was watching the video and exercising along, I noticed that one of the beefy guys was using 12lb weights!!!???  What the heck, Scott (I think that's his name), get with it!  My arms are way flabbier and SMALLER than yours!?  I felt...beastly.  (in a good way).  And strong. 

So I was expecting after a good almost 4lb weight loss last week that I would not see much of a drop this week since I have settled back into Whole 30 eating.  Well, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I am down to 182.4!  I lost another 1.8lbs this week. 

This may not seem like much to you all but let me recap my week a bit for you.

Directly after church Sunday morning I rushed home and cooked pork steak, rutabega and brussel sprouts salad.  I also cooked chili and put in the crock pot for my family.  Packed my bags and hit the road around 3pm on Sunday afternoon.  Had to be in a coastal SC town EARLY Monday morning so I stayed the night in Charleston.

About 3/4 of the way to Charleston I was pondering my brown pants I had brought with me.  My FAVE pants right now are Nine West slacks.  I have brown and black.  Both a size 14, both completely hanging off of me.  BUT I don't want to buy 12s as I'm literally almost in a 10.  So as I was pondering, I looked in my rearview and realized something was missing that I needed for the week...MY CLOTHES!!!  Oh NO!

I called my husband and asked him to tell me he put them in my trunk instead of leaving them hung on the bedroom door.  No...he said.  You didn't tell me you needed me to get them.

I've been traveling off and on for 7-8 years.  He ALWAYS gets my clothes from the staging area and loads them.  Today we both just forgot.

He asked me if I could turn around.  There was no way. It would have put me at Charleston late enough to make the trip there the day before wasteful if it was to save me time the next morning.  I would just have to go shopping!

Now those that know me know this is not a bad thing.  Where some women may have to spend $300 to replace 4 workday outfits, I was determined to do it with less than $60.  And I did. 

Back in 2010, this happened to me once.  I had alot less income than I do now (thank you Lord for my career!) so I stuck with consignment and Cato's clearance that week.

Well this week, I was armed with a Kohl's 30% off coupon.  Design on a Dime is what I called my little facebook series in 2010 when I did this.  I posted a picture each day of my deals and outfits.  It was too fun.

I checked into the hotel and ate a quick salad at Panera, then went shopping.  I got dirty looks from the sales floor people when they saw how many items were in my buggy.  Listen,  I have ONE SHOT to get everything I need for the next 4 days people, it means I'm going to try on EVERYTHING that might fit dang it!

And so I did.  I found some great dresses, etc.  A few items I didn't need for that week but were really useful.  I want to do something fun on here today, I'm going to post side by side my Design on a Dime outfits.  When I originally posted my predicament on Facebook, a friend reminded me that if she remembered correctly, it should be much easier to find clothes now...I forgot that this initially happened just after I got my cast taken off from my ankle sprain/avulsion fracture (you'll see my brace in some of the pics).  I was amazed at how much I've changed and how much easier it was to find items now that I'm not plus sized. 

2010 - Pants Goodwill - $4.00. Shirt borrowed from Mom, pants Size 16 or 18.  2013 - Dress - originally $66.00, I paid $18.48! Size Medium.

2010 - Gray pants already in my suitcase (probably Cato's?).  Shirt, consignment $4.75. Pants size 18, shirt 2x.                 2013 - Dress originally $54...I paid $15.40!  Size Medium.

2010 - skirt size 16, $6.00; sweater, size 2x, $17.99 at Catos.  2013 - actually had this in my suitcase, but tunic Kohl's size L, $9.00.  Belt Nine West, originally $39.99, I paid $7 at TJ Maxx!

2010 - Skirt, size 16, $9.99, top, size XL, $4.00, Jacket, size 16, $21.99 (Cato's).  2013 - Pants, originally $40, I paid $5.40 (size 12) and shirt I had with me, also Kohl's, $12.00.

I'd say I did pretty well this time around! I love dresses because they are so easy, plus my dress size won't change too much more dramatically as I near the end of my journey as much as my pant size still will (lol).  It felt good to shop and leave with exactly what I needed!

This whole thing made me want to start a whole additional blog just for my shopping deals.  My mom taught me to shop well, being the only girl out of 4 kids made it where my clothes HAD to be on clearance since I couldn't do "hand me downs."  I learned from a young age how to calculate deals in my head.  I ONLY buy clearance and almost always have addition % off (especially for Kohl's) though I will buy straight clearance at other places, and love it when there is an additional % off (like Belk's does, etc.).  I can usually score pretty well with regular clearance at Ross, TJ Maxx and Marshalls and even their regularly priced items are much less expensive than mall retail.

Alas, I don't have time for another blog or Facebook page right now.  Maybe one day?  For now I'll share that this was a FUN week!  Oh, and maybe I should share my food too, huh?

Here's a recap of my meals for the week:

Day 7 food! Breakfast (after a fasted T25 workout - Lower focus) omelet with just eggs and diced sauteed chicken sausage. Wasn't feeling like veggies - I give myself a hall pass on veggies at breakfast about once a week. Lunch was chicken salad from yesterday on lettuce topped with pecans, a hard boiled egg and raw carrots. Dinner was a grass fed beef burger topped with a fried egg, mustard and served with steamed broccoli topped with my almond/coconut mixture and a half avocado. Enjoyed some canteloupe too, but forgot to take a picture of that. Also had some yummy Kombucha - my last one! Going to have to get some while in SC this week for work. Kombucha is GREAT - it's a fermented tea with fruit juice flavoring it - and the fermentation makes it fizzy and super yummy. Also helps with digestion.

Day 8 food! Breakfast was 2 fried eggs with half an avocado and my snap peas with coconut and almonds. Lunch was pork loin and rutabaga with a side of Brussels sprouts and apples in raspberry balsamic vinegar. Dinner salad at Panera from the hidden menu, Mediterranean chicken with extra chicken, pecans, bacon, egg, lemon juice and olive oil. So so yum!

Day 9! Traveling so breakfast was not as complete as I was hoping, had to get out of town super early and didn't plan very well. So, 2 hard boiled eggs (so thankful I brought my own - the hotel didn't have them!). Lunch was beautiful salmon on a bed of spinach with a side of roasted veggies. I think there was some kind of oil on the plate that is probably not W30 so I didn't eat alot of the spinach. Salmon was wonderful. Dinner was some rotisserie chicken with a salad from Fresh Market - and a yummy kombucha to drink! Planning some mango coconut hot tea in a little while to unwind.

Day 10! Breakfast was 2 hard boiled eggs, sausage and fruit. Going to hit my veggies at breakfast HARD when I get home! Missing them. . Lunch was steak and salmon (split each with a coworker) and sautéed veggies. Dinner an awesome salad from fresh market with rotisserie chicken, strawberries, carrots, and my toasted coconut and almond mixture and avocado with olive oil. So good! Ate some watermelon and honeydew before I took the pic. Enjoyed my new fave kombucha flavor, hibiscus ginger grapefruit.

Day 11! Didn't get a picture of the breakfast as it happened in phases. 2 hard boiled eggs and some fruit. No other good options at the hotel so I had some pecans. For lunch I shared a sushi roll wrapped in cucumber! Minus the cream cheese. Enjoyed a burger topped with bacon and a fried egg and a side of sautéed zucchini. So good! New fave restaurant in Georgetown. Dinner is old faithful Panera, hidden menu Mediterranean chicken salad with added pecans and strawberries, and I added avocado. Olive oil and lemon juice for dressing. And a green apple.

Day 12! Breakfast was 2 hard boiled eggs, half an avocado and a banana. Lunch was a spring mix salad with applegate turkey and pepperoni and olive oil. Snack was an apple. Dinner was scrambled eggs, natural bacon and zucchini fritters (was a pinterest recipe - didn't turn out as yummy as I'd hoped but was worth a try!).

Day 13! Breakfast was 2 fried eggs with my snap peas in toasted coconut and almonds and half an avocado. Lunch was chicken salad and pecans with carrots on lettuce. Dinner I had eaten some of before the photo -oops! It was grilled pork chop, sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts salad. We had dinner guests and it was so nice enjoying the company and the awesome food with no concern about tomorrow's weigh in! I just skipped the cake they brought and did the dishes instead

If you "like" my Facebook Page (Changing my Blueprint) you can see these meals being posted at the end of each day. 

The lowest I've been since the year 2000 is 182.2.  I never got below that weight since I began this journey in 2009.  So my STRETCH goal for the end of the month is 179.8.  It is 2.6lbs from here, and I know it will be tough to reach that this week given I am traveling again, but if I really tighten my nutrition, pack my veggies for breakfast and PLAN for success, I might just do it! Haven't seen the 170s since HIGH SCHOOL!!!! (class of 1997).

There you have it!  My quote in the title is my mantra for this week. Whether you think you can, or you think you can't you're right.

The only thing standing between you and your goals right now.... IS YOU!  Do something.  You got this.

Clara 

Two Words: RE-SULTS!

Well, the Alpha Phase of Focus T25 has come to an end, along with my first week back on Whole 30. 

I have had some INCREDIBLE results in the last 5 weeks, a great deal of which can be attributed to this week, when my nutrition was dialed in as it should have been the whole time.  But, not going to get sucked into "how much better I could have done" as I'm pretty darn proud of how well I did do!

Here are the statistics:

STATurday! ALPHA phase of T25 COMPLETE!

Weight:
Started at 190.4: Final 184.2: LOST 6.2LBS

Measurements:
Chest: -1 inch
Waist: -4 inches (2 the first 2 weeks, 2 this week with W30)
Arms: -1 inch total
Thighs: -4 inches total!!! (wow!)

I'm super happy with these results.  Note that half of the inches lost on my waist were THIS WEEK from going back to Whole 30 nutrition (hellerrrrr....lol).  

 Here are some pictures for you:

AHHH!!! I see Abs poking out!  And back fat disappearing!  Ignore the silly shorts riding all over the place, I purposely do NOT wear compression gear when taking pics as they will skew how it looks (by sucking fat IN).

Now I want to share a picture of my Before/Current from December 3, 2012 when I first became acquainted with my friend Nate http://renegadenate.com/.

Total Weight difference here is 41.4 pounds.

 Still have a little ways to go, but I can REALLY see myself getting there.  Listen, none of this happened without a HUGE FOCUS ON NUTRITION.  You cannot just work out and lose fat while you eat junk. It doesn't work that way.  And it's really important to know that everyone's body has different versions of what "junk" is.  I know some people that aren't negatively affected by the same foods I am.  That's why the Whole 30 has been such a good journey for me.  I found I'm highly sensitive to the following:

• Wheat/Gluten - makes my digestion almost completely STOP.  Fast huge weight gain.  Bloating.

• Dairy - makes my allergies act up, and causes weight gain.

• Sugar - makes my face break out and my arthritis flare up in a huge way.

  So I posted the following on my Facebook page last night:  
  
  
  "Can't vs won't. Don't tell me you can't do this healthy lifestyle thing or you don't have time or its too hard. I absolutely won't believe you. Just look at what I have done and am doing! It's doable folks. A healthy lifestyle needs to be a priority. Even being a mommy, super busy traveling career person, and preachers wife in my case. It's not only doable it makes you better at all the other jobs you have. So don't say can't. At least not to me."
  
  
  This is entirely possible for ANYONE.  Even with health problems, busy lives, etc.  I am NOT a special super human who has excellent diligence or discipline (my friends are laughing as they read that) and I am not a stay at home wife with time to  hit the gym for 3 hours a day. 
  
  
  Here's what I have stacked "against" me:
  • I live with a meningioma brain tumor wrapped around my carotid artery in my cavernous sinus that causes headaches occasionally, memory loss, clumsiness, etc. 
  • I work a full time job that has me on the road most days of the week
  • I'm a pastor's wife and there is alot that goes along with that. 
  • I have a 9 year old little girl and a husband who depend on me.
  • I cook almost every night I'm home, sometimes multiple meals per day.
    
    
    
    So don't tell me you CAN'T.  You may not be able to work out in the same way, or eat the same as me, but you can do SOMETHING.  JUST DO IT.  A year from now, you will wish you had started today!

Tweak, Tweak, Tweak... (like the sound of crickets)

So, this journey of losing weight and keeping it off for life, without any use of pills or supplements is all about tweaking.  You have to constantly re-evaluate, measure, and determine if what you're doing right now is working for you.

I am LOVING my workout schedule. NEVER have I stuck with a schedule for 4 weeks and done EVERY workout (ok I did miss a few stretch sessions but still) and really enjoyed it.  I find myself getting better at the workouts and even with an injured quad (right quad healed, left almost recovered) I can keep up and modify here and there, and still get a great sweat going.  We have one week left in the Alpha phase of T25.  I'm going to double up on workouts 3 times/week to see if that helps kick start me in the right direction.  After this 5th and final week of Alpha phase, we move onto the next phase, Beta.  Yikes!  I'm excited though.  It's been neat to see myself get stronger and improve each week. 

I haven't run (except a tiny bit in softball) in almost 2 weeks and that has me just a tad stir crazy, but planning to try a run in the morning to see how I do.  Nothing major, may run 2 miles or may run really slow intervals. We will just see. 

I've lost another few inches off my thighs, though the scale isn't moving too much.  My body loves the 180s! Sound familiar?  This is where I was last year (around March-ish) when I had been stuck in the 180s for 8 months and was going crazy.  So Nate thinks it might be a set point for my body.  I've got to change something else in order to break this set point.  I need to do it quick before I begin to get discouraged again like I did last year, just before gaining 40 lbs back!

And we all know that's NOT gonna happen.

So I've decided to go strict Whole 30 again for 30 days, starting tomorrow.  Now, this doesn't mean I'm going to be miserable, as honestly, it's just a few tweaks away from where I am.  But it is definitely challenging.  I think fruit has equaled dessert for me a little bit which causes the sugar dragon to sneak back into my life.  I have also enjoyed a bit more cheese than necessary...(gosh I love a caprese salad...) I need to get that in check and see if I can't jump start my weight loss again.

This week I ate lavash pizza twice which had cheese on it...and probably overate it (felt too full more than once) and also had caprese salad at lunch once this week along with another salad for my meal.  lol. Now I did split the caprese salad with someone else but that was still a few ounces of full fat mozz I could have done without.  Added a thin slice of cheese to an omelet earlier this week and had some gorgonzola on a salad.  yeah...definitely overdoing the dairy.  I also had a great friend send me some chocolate hazelnut almond butter (homemade - no sugar added) and I ate it warmed up on a banana twice...once with honey!  I know!  Also had homemade "ice cream" which is frozen banana mixed with canned pumpkin and cinnamon.  No added sweetener and I still lost a pound this week, but I wonder what I would have lost without all that cheese and not using fruit as a treat?  There's some "food" for thought.

So tomorrow starts my 2nd official W30 (even though my first was almost a W60!).  So through September 10th I'll be working hard to stay compliant which means even more planning!

Here's how I'll prep:

1) hard boil some eggs - will have hard boiled eggs with me this week to snack on if I get legitimately hungry as well as if I get stuck somewhere with no hard boiled eggs (like I did this week).   
2) pack some baby carrots in snack baggies
3) put my larabars away.  sigh.  now I love larabars.  They are completely natural food.  No additives and no junk.  BUT they aren't necessary.  Not if I can pack something else. It will just take more thinking and planning on my part.  Don't get me wrong, I only had larabars twice this week.  But they are dried fruit which is supposed to be limited during W30.  (in fact, I ate NO dried fruit in my first W30 at all).
4) make SURE I get my water in.  this has been a little harder with all the driving in the middle of nowhere places I travel through.  Going to make sure I have my cooler in the back of my car.
5) PLAN EVERY MEAL. Sound extreme?  Well, honestly it's not.  I plan just about every meal now, but I don't necessarily hit each one on paper. I won't be journaling food (cause ain't nobody got time for that!) but I am going to plan in advance so there's no question I will stay on track!
6) Switching out my snap peas.  I eat these every single morning for breakfast.  They are on the approved list for W30, but they aren't highlighted. Instead, I'm going to stick to the highlighted veggie recommendations on the W30 shopping list.  (click here for the list - it's free online!)

So there you have it.  I'm excited!  I feel really good about pretty much everything.  Going to spend a little time planning for my success tomorrow afternoon with some food prep.  For now, I'm off to make next week's menu (I do that anyway every Saturday and make my grocery list accordingly) and will keep you all posted on how it's going!  Going to see about taking pictures of every meal during this time's W30 and post on my blog page.  Excited!

Here we go!  Waving goodbye to the 180s.  Leaving you with a picture from last night - heading to an art exhibit of a great friend of mine! 

Clara

Ain't Nobody Got Time for THIS!

So this has been an interesting week plus.  Right now I am dealing with a quadricep strain.  Yep.  Strained the quadricep muscle (the big one on the front of the thigh) on both legs!  While trying to escape from a bug.  Yes, it is true.  Embarrassing, but true.  A bug got in our house during a heavy rain last Friday night and landed on my foot.  Those of you who really know me know that I FREAKED and kicked both legs to get away from it.  And then screamed because of the pain in my legs.  Never felt such a searing pain in a muscle before. 

The thing is, now that I've read up about quad strains, it was bound to happen.  Can't blame it on the bug, or my irrational fear/reaction to them, not completely.  Instead, I am blaming it on lack of stretching while working on an intense and rigorous training schedule.

Over the years I have gotten lax with stretching.  I know, I KNOW!  This is terrible.  But I found myself to be fairly injury free without stretching, even after my runs.  I usually stretch lightly after a run if I have time, but most of the time, I don't have time.  I stretch better when I run with a friend.  Alone?  I forget about it completely and jump into my routine.

The new program, Focus T25, is amazing.  It works the heck out of my quads.  I'm reading that many runners are stronger in the hamstrings, so a quad strain is normal when they are overused.

My treatment plan includes...drum roll... NO RUNNING.  Sigh.  It's terrible.  I was only running about 2 days/week but something about running for me is like an escape. Whether it be intervals or a nice 5k on a Saturday morning.  And I love love love to run just before weighing in since it makes me sweat so much (especially this time of year!) and I always post a good loss after a run.  I am, however, to keep up with my T25 training and modify as needed.  I have been modifying some.  Earlier this week, when crouching to get something out of my laptop bag, it was difficult to get up without help or pain.  Today I completed 2 workouts with minimal modification so beginning to feel stronger, though I still feel twinges every now and then.

The week leading up to my injury my quads were extremely sore and tired.  More than I have ever experienced before. Given I lost over an inch off of each thigh, that is proof that something was working.  My quads were working HARD.  I wish I had paid better attention because now that the muscle has torn I have to wait for it to heal.  Blah, this is where I get impatient, and I'm normally a fairly patient person (don't ask my husband his opinion on that).  But it being just on the edge of the tear, jumping away from that bug the way I did just pushed it over the edge...it seemed ok the next day, I ran intervals the morning after and it was fine, that afternoon in softball I hit the ball and it tore badly on my way to first base.  I was burnt.  This is when I finally admitted I was officially injured.  Dang. It.

The sad part too is no running means I'm limited to the position(s) I can play for our softball team.  Since I can't hustle after the ball, outfield is out.  Even infield would probably be a bit too much jumping around.  So I'm stuck behind the batter.  Oh how boring.  I did manage to get someone out at home the other day so all is not completely lost.  But let me tell you, you can't get a pinch runner until you get on base.  I've got to focus on hitting as hard and far as possible in order to make sure I get on base!

I have shared before that I care WAY too much about what people think of me...well picture this:  in my mind, not being able to run makes me look lazy.  I know I am not lazy, but it feels lazy to not be able to "hustle."  It also reminds me of when I weighed 285 pounds and didn't know how to hustle.  I mean, you can't tell by looking at me that I'm injured.  So I just look lazy.  To me anyway.  And I feel like the fat kid again.  I know, I know.  Just venting how I'm truly feeling.

I know consciously that I am not there, not going back there, and will be better soon, but in the meantime.  Man. Being benched from running STINKS!

Well, I am going to focus on the positive here. Going tomorrow to get some KT tape to try some creative taping for the next softball game.  Going to keep foam rolling.  And realize how important this cross training adventure I am on is; I should have super strong quads after this which will only benefit my running.

Why do we always read and learn things AFTER an injury?  Oh yeah, cause we're benched and have time to.  Hmm.  Maybe I need to research these things in advance in the future.

So there it is...will update in a few days.  Hoping to be so busy being active that I can't blog for a few weeks! Reality is saying otherwise, but I'm trying to think positive!

Peace from my couch yo,
Clara