My Legs Are Killing Me — Time To Workout!

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I've got a lower body workout, run/walk, light stretching and yoga on tap today. Time to get these sore legs moving this morning.

I’ve got a lower body workout, run/walk, light stretching and yoga on tap today. Time to get these sore legs moving this morning.

It’s been three days since my first hike of the season and my legs are still killing me. Yesterday’s spin class didn’t help either. Today my trainer scheduled a lower body workout and afterwards I’m planning on a short run followed by a 3-mile walk.

What are my poor legs to do?

I knew my knee injury set me back, but I had no idea it was this bad. I think my legs are working at 80% of where I was before the injury. My trainer warned me it would take time to rebuild my strength, but yowza! Yes, I know the sore legs shows progress. I just can’t let the soreness get to me.

I’ve got some light stretches this morning and the ice pack is on standby. Once I’m home from the gym, I’ll lightly ice up my hamstrings and quads. The key for me is minimizing the sitting. It’s just too dang painful to stand up or start moving around. I can’t even face the stairs.

Yoga seems to help as well. There’s a class at my gym later this afternoon. I hate to travel back and forth from the gym, but active recovery will increase my circulation, which in turn speeds up my muscle recovery.

Also, a little pedicure this afternoon won’t hurt either!

 

2014 ‘Fatpacking’ Season Kicks Off With Raven Rocks Hike

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I kicked off my 2014 fatpacking season at Raven Rocks. Here I'm resting after climbing 1530 ft to the top of the 2nd climb at Raven Rocks.

I kicked off my 2014 fatpacking season on Sunday. Here I’m resting after climbing 1530 ft to the top of the 2nd climb at Raven Rocks.

My husband and I love backpacking. We plan to do much more of it this year. Not only is it great exercise but it gets you outdoors to many beautiful locations. I’ve taken to calling it fatpacking as you burn off lots of fat and give your whole body an incredible workout.

To help us prepare for our fatpacking adventures, the hubby and I are launching into our day hikes — 2-4 hour hikes at nearby trails. These little day hikes prep us for the more challenging weekend trips where we carry a lot of gear — tent, sleeping bags, food, water, stove.

Yesterday was our first hiking trek of the season — Raven Rocks. We ended up hiking for nearly 3 hours. I was unable to do the full 5.4-mile trail. The hike includes 3 big climbs and 3 steep descents – in both directions. The largest vertical climb is 1530 feet. The smallest of the 3 big climbs is 1200 feet. I normally have to ease myself into a climb like this with more flat trails. But with the weight loss, my hubby convinced me to try something more challenging.

I shot up the first vertical climb with great ease. However, I didn’t pace myself. A rookie mistake.  I paid the price on the 2nd ascent — huffing, puffing and resting during the climb. I was so happy to make it to the top, until we started our steep, rocky descent to Raven Rocks Hallow Stream. As my ears started popping, I knew I was in for a rough climb on the 3rd hill.

We got about 3/4 of the way up the last climb before calling it quits. My legs were tired and I started stumbling too much. A sign of fatigue. I knew I needed what little energy I had left to make the two climbs to get back to my car.

I’m not disappointed we turned around. It was my first hike of the season, and the first time attempting something with so many steep climbs. But Raven Rocks is now on my radar and I’m determined to finish the hike when I revisit this trail later this summer.

A beautiful view of the Winchester Valley before descending to Raven Rocks Hallow Stream.

A beautiful view of the Winchester Valley before descending to Raven Rocks Hallow Stream.

The hubby and I did get off to a slow start yesterday. We hit the trail head a little late in the day and ended up hiking when the temperature hit over 80 degrees. Not hot by Virginia standards, but much hotter than I anticipated. Without much coverage from the trees (lots of buds but no leaves yet), the sun did beat down on us and we have the sunburns to prove it.

While we had plenty of water, I think I drank too little and dehydration set in. I ended up chugging a lot of clean, cold, high quality H2O when we got back to the car. I’m sure it would have helped my legs to pace my water intake better than I did. Lesson learned.

We ended up hiking over 4 miles and according to My Fitness Pal I burned an estimated 2,000 calories on my little excursion.

After a 3 hour hike, Five Guys bacon cheeseburger hit the spot. I treat myself to one of these puppies once a year. A good way to cap the first trek of my fatpacking season.

After a 3 hour hike, Five Guys bacon cheeseburger hit the spot. I treat myself to one of these puppies once a year. A good way to cap the first trek of my fatpacking season.

Starving after the hike, we ended up at Five Guys for the best damn burger in the world (no fries!) and water.

The hike was great, but what I loved was the hubby agreeing to a day hike every weekend (weather permitting). He is planning out next week’s trek to Great Falls.

Weekly Weigh-In: Down 3 Pounds; Lost 35% Of Total Body Weight

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Twelve pounds to go before I reach 200 -- a huge milestone in my weight loss adventure!

Twelve pounds to go before I reach 200 — a huge milestone in my weight loss adventure!

Great news! I lost another 3 pounds, bringing my total weight loss to 113 pounds. With those 3 little pounds, I’ve officially lost 35% of my total body weight. That puts my BMI at 34.9, down from 53.3 when I started my little weight loss adventure.

I do need to watch the eating out, as I’ve done that one too many times this week. I stuck to simple grilled chicken salads when ordering, but the menus’ unhealthy foods are always beckoning me.

My workout schedule is the same as last week, although I pushed the hike off until tomorrow. Just too much going for a weekday hike. So the hubby and I will blaze a trail to Ravens Rocks in Bluemont, Virginia.  It’s a 5.5 mile hike with a vertical gain of 1,530 feet. The hike includes 3 big climbs coming and going. I’m expecting a great workout.

Time to dig out my hiking boots!

Weekly Weigh-In: Down 3 Pounds

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I lost 3 pounds this week. I'm back to where I was before the strep throat!

I lost 3 pounds this week. I’m back to where I was before the strep throat!

Hot damn! I dropped 3 pounds this week and officially lost the weight I gained during my strep throat. Phew! With the injuries, illnesses and frickin’ snow out-of-the-way, it feels like I can finally see daylight.

Chances of me reaching my short-term goal of weighing under 200 pounds by the end of April are looking pretty slim. It’s looking like the end of May is more realistic. As long as I get there I’ll take it.

Food wise, I stuck to eating 25g of carbs a day. I did have one little slip (or should I say sip). Yes, I broke Lent with a glass (or two) of wine. Sigh…but on the bright side, wine is low carb. Anyway, I’m back on the wagon and will not drink for the rest of Lent.

In addition to eating healthy, I kicked my workout schedule up a notch. With all the weight lifting, biking, walking, running, yoga classes and my burpee challenge, I worked out a total of 11 hours this week. Awesome!

This week I’m adding an extra challenge to my workout schedule – my first day hike this year. I’ve got my sights set on Manassas National Battlefield Park. The park has 40+ miles of hiking trails and my goal is to cover 11.5 miles.

 

The Blood Work Is In & I’m Awesome!

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Results of my 3rd annual physical are in and my new routine helped I've turned the clock back 20 years! Image courtesy of smokedsalmon and http://www.freedigitalphotos.net.

Results of my 3rd annual physical are in and my new routine helped I’ve turned the clock back 20 years! Image courtesy of smokedsalmon and freedigitalphotos.net.

Last week I had my annual physical and, unlike most people, I actually looked forward to it. I mean, who doesn’t like sitting on a tissue-covered examining table wearing a very large paper towel opened in the back? As fun as that sounds (and it does sound fun), I didn’t always feel that way.

When I went in for my first-ever physical, in 2012, I wasn’t the same tissue-sitting-lovin’, paper-towel-with-holes-wearin’, physical-takin’ aficionado I am today. I knew I wasn’t in perfect health, and I expected the usual from my doctor: lose weight, get more exercise, been there done that, please pass the ketchup. You know, like what doctors say to normal people.  Right?

Wrong. Unfortunately for me, I got what can only be described as a punch in the gut. I was well on my way to a heart attack and to becoming a diabetic. Only time would tell which would hit first if I didn’t change my life.

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March Cardio Workouts – Walked To West Virginia

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March was a tough month workout wise. Thanks to horrible weather and illness, I made it past Lewisburg, WV in my Virtual Walk to Denver.

March was a tough month workout wise. Thanks to horrible weather and illness, I made it past Lewisburg, WV in my Virtual Walk to Denver.

March is over and it’s time to total my cardio miles to see how far I’ve virtually traveled. I biked, ran and walked a total of 68.93 miles over 11 days. That’s a little below my 72 mile monthly average. But considering all the snow, ice, bitter cold temps and 10 days of strep throat, it’s not too shabby.

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Lost 3.5 Inches Since January

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Saturday was the mid-point check-in for the 2014 Gold’s Gym Challenge. It was time for the Challenge Gods to take a look at my progress. Considering my plateau, the results are pretty awesome. Since January 6 I lost 18.9 pounds and 3.5 inches.

march meassurements

I’ve noticed that my jeans are very loose these days. Dropping 2.5 inches off my waist and hips will do that. I’m not quite ready for a smaller size just yet, but maybe by the end of the challenge.

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Plateau Continues; Up 1 Pound

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I'm up a pound. This little plateau is putting up a big fight. Time to cut back on my carbs and shake free of this plateau's grip.

I’m up a pound. Time to cut back on my carbs and shake free of this plateau’s grip.

Well crap! This little weight loss plateau is putting up a big fight. After a week on Simple Start I’m up a pound. Time to really shake things up by cutting back on my carbs and changing my exercise routine.

Daily Carbs Target: 25g
My daily carb count bounced between 75-125g a day on Simple Start.  Time to drop my daily count to 20-25g.  The bulk of my weight loss came when I ate 20-25g of carbs daily. A week or two eating at this level should help me shake free of this plateau.

Putting My Knee To The Test
Besides cutting my daily carb count, it’s time to test my knee. Occasionally I have minor stiffness after a workout, but no pain. I think it’s time to try a little running.

It’s about 60 degrees out and the sidewalks and bike paths are clear — perfect for interval training. I’ve felt like my workouts were getting stale — weight training, spinning and yoga only get you so far before boredom sets in. Crossing my fingers in hopes my knee holds up.

Should I Enter Gold’s 2014 Challenge?

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To enter or not to enter?

To enter or not to enter?

In my push to weigh 200 pounds by the end of April, I’m thinking about entering the Gold’s Gym 2014 Challenge contest. On average people lose 12 pounds and 7.5 inches during the 12 week contest. Not that I expect to win the $75,000 in cash prizes, but it might be the motivational push I need to kick my workouts up a notch.

How Does The Contest Work?
After paying the entry fee, my Gold’s trainer takes my measurements and a  head-to-toe “before” photo. Then 12 weeks later my trainer takes the final measurements and an “after” photo to document the results. Each participating Gold’s picks a male and female winner in 5 different age groups that underwent the most transformation. Those local winners are entered into the national contest.

The key — what I do in those 12 weeks between photos is strictly up to me.

I like the idea of a specific date to work towards. But a date and an after photo makes me work 10 times as hard.

Now, About That Photo…
For women, Gold’s recommends wearing a two piece bathing suit for the photos. Yikes!

That’s the only reason why I’m “thinking” about entering and not actually signing up. The last time I wore a two piece was…well, I can’t remember!

Sigh…Maybe it’s time to stop fearing the two piece.

I’m heading over to they gym in about an hour. The challenge is calling to me.

No guts no glory, right?

Marcellus Wallace Was Right. Pride Only Hurts.

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Marcellus understands how pride never helps you...it only hurts!

Marcellus understands how pride never helps you…it only hurts!

I just finished up the long run part of my 5K interval training, and I completely screwed the pooch by not pacing myself.

I started off great – a nice slow pace – for the first ½ mile. My intervals are set for a 20 second run and 40 second walk. Am I going to set records at that pace? No, but I am a newb when it comes to running.

For some reason, I started thinking (first bad sign) that it was too easy and I wasn’t pushing myself.  I could go faster. And I did.

By the half way point I felt great and I wasn’t out of breath.  Then I turned the corner and realized my mistake.

The rest of the way home was uphill.

That, my friend, is pride screwing with me.  I didn’t think about the back half of the trail. I used all my energy and reserves before I hit the hill.

During the climb my legs felt like lead. I was huffing and puffing. Each 20-second run felt more like 20 minutes.

At the top of the incline I hit a wall.

Exhausted and desperately trying to catch my breath, I ended up walking during the last 3 20-second intervals.

Marcellus Wallace was right — “Pride only hurts. It never helps. You fight through that sh#%.”