From Mushy to Marathon

Yay - W4D1 DONE!!!

It was cold today also but I really enjoyed it. I took it at a steady pace and the first 5 minute run was almost easy! I got into my stride sooner than I had been doing before and I just did it! The second one was harder because I was tired by then, but I am so much more encouraged by how much easier I am finding these longer runs. I am beginning to think the marathon might actually be doable, based on how much I have improved in only three weeks!

My body is changing too. I am finding muscles I never knew I had - not just in my legs either, my waist is getting harder and my belly is shrinking.

I’m still nervous at the thought of running for 20 minutes non stop at the end of Week 5, but for the first time since I started C25K I am beginning to feel like I could do it.

Yay for getting fit!

W3D2 today! It was still hard, but at least I don’t cough whenever I take a deep breath like I did on Monday after W3D1!

I also did an extra run. Normally I tack on a 5 min cool down walk on to the end of the schedule - but today I felt like I could run some more, so I ran for 2 minutes of that 5 minutes, then walked for a minute and I was home. So I did the 5 minute distance in 3 minutes.

Also hit my lowest BF% ever today, as well as my lowest weight ever - 25.9% and 136.8 respectively! This running lark is great!

W3D1 done!! Woo!!

At the end of that first three minute run I felt like I was dying!! But I did it, and when I got to the next 90 sec one it felt like a holiday - I was like “yay - I only have to run 90 secs!!” And I did the second 3 minute one also!!

I ran past a bunch of teenagers outside a high school and I half expected them to laugh at me - if I had been 30 lb heavier they probably would have - but they kind of went quiet as I went past! I guess that’s a good thing! Maybe they were impressed!

I have a new man, he is called Graham an he is very nice. We went out last week for a drink and totally clicked. he rang me the next evening and we talked for about an hour and a half. We went out again on Monday for a meal, and he rang me again last night and we talked for 2 hours!

He is coming round on Friday for a Blackadder-fest, which should be fun!

Yay for nice new boyfriends.

I did W2D2 yesterday which went well. my calf hurt a bit again - I will have to be careful, I really don’t want to have to stop again.

I am starting to plan Ruby’s first birthday party - I have so much to do, but I definitely need to have time to fit in my runs! Instead of going in the afternoons, I have a window between 9.15 and 10.30 in the mornings between Ruby having her breakfast, and going down for her nap. I can do it then, then it gives me the whole afternoon to do other stuff rather than trying to fit in my run. It takes 15 minutes to get to mum’s, so adding up the time it takes to get there and back, and to do the run, and a little bit of chat - that is just about right.

OK - I did W2D1 today - felt good.

Bearing in mind last week’s injury, I ran very carefully today - I shortened my stride - I think I might have been overstretching it, so I jogged rather than ran.

I can feel a little something in the calf that I injured but it’s more of a slight stiffness rather than a pain, so that’s good. So as my muscle gets used to running again I think I will be able to gradually increase my stride until I am running properly.

I think my legs are just rebelling and going “What? Us? Run? I don’t think so!”

The weather was lovely today - chilly but not too breezy and very sunny. Tomorrow is forecast to be heavy rain, but Tuesday looks to be nice so I can go out on Tuesday and do W2D2.

Weight this morning was 139.2 - finally got back under 140 - yay me!

Before you all jump on me, this is not the same as a clear liquid diet, which is just coffee, tea, water, fruit juice and broth.

It’s more about the consistency - you can have quite a few different things so long as it is pureed - like baby food. I would be eating the same calories as I do now - just in soft food instead of normal food.

My problem is I think I might have IBS - I tend to get very bloated and constipated. I have to take laxatives once a week to get things moving, which works, but I really don’t like having to do it.

By the end of the day I look about 5 months pregnant when I stop pulling my tummy in. With a BMI of 23 - I shouldn’t be looking like that.

So my thought was if I eat food that is mushy, it should move through more easily, right?

On a full liquid diet, you can eat the following things:
All fruit juices and nectars
Bouillon, broth
Butter/cream/oil/margarine
Carbonated beverages
Cheese soup
Coffee/Tea
Fresh or frozen plain yogurt
Fruit drinks
Fruit punch
Honey/jelly/syrup
Ice milk
Liquid meal replacements
Milk, all types
Milkshakes
Pasteurized eggnog
Plain cornstarch pudding
Plain gelatin desserts
Potatoes pureed in soup
Refined/strained cooked cereal
Small amounts of strained meat in broth or gelatin
Smooth ice cream
Soft or baked custard
Strained lemonade/limeade
Strained or blenderized soup
Thin fruit purees
Tomato juice
Tomato puree for cream soup
Vegetable juice
Water

Has anyone ever tried anything like this? I thought I’d try it for a week and see what happens.

If it does the trick, then I thought I would continue doing that during the day, but having normal meals in the evening - I don’t think I could eat like that forever - lol! But I made an amazing smoothie shake made of 1/3 glass of milk, some strawberry puree I originally made for my baby, and a carton of yogurt - it tastes amazing! So I am having that for lunch with a WW tomato soup.

But I have looked into this on google and have seen quite a lot of websites which say you shouldn’t do this - they give their reasons as you don’t get enough calories. But if I eat the same calories as normal, but just have them as soft, liquid foods, why should there be a problem?

So anyway, I am going to list my foods on here:

Total planned calories: 1400-1500

Breakfast:
Mushed up weetabix and milk - 186 cals
Cup of milky coffee - 59 cals

Morning snack:
1 serving Birds’ instant custard - 106 cals
Cup of milky coffee - 59 cals

Lunch:
WW tomato soup - 74 cals
Milk/strawberry/yogurt smoothie shake - 131 cals
Cup of milky coffee - 59 cals

Afternoon snack:
2/3 serving custard - 71 cals
Mini Milk - 30 cals
Cup of milky coffee - 59 cals

Dinner:
WW chicken soup - 88 cals
Milk/strawberry/yogurt smoothie shake with bran - 136 cals
Cup of milky coffee - 59 cals

Evening snacks
3 x Laughing Cow triangles - 74 cals
Cup of milky coffee - 59 cals

Supper:
Weetabix with milk and 2 tsps bran - 196

Total cals: 1445
Fat/carb/protein: 21/57/22%

Did W1D3 of C25K today - it felt really good. I feel confident in moving on to Week 2. Last time I finished Week 1 I was very nervous about moving on, but I am champing at the bit to get moving some more.

I am changing my blog name to “From Mushy to Marathon”. I want to run the 2010 London Marathon. So, I should finish C25K in January, then work up to the Blackpool 10K fun run in May. After that, I’ll just see what fun runs and half marathons are available to do before the big one in April 2010!

I am very excited about this - I am determined to get fit and hard. My body fat % hit 27% this morning, which is good - it’s coming down. I think I need to be about 20% at most to be at optimal for running.

1) Playing games with my fingers. After lunch today I laid my hand flat on her highchair tray, palm down, fingers splayed, with the middle finger up in the air. She would push my middle finger down, and then giggle helplessly when it ‘magically’ popped back up again. And when I let it stay down, she would grab hold of it and pull it up again so we could play again! This kept her quiet for at least ten minutes.

2) Trying to put her socks on. I have just watched her pull her socks off and then spend 5 minutes trying to put them back on again by means of laying them on her feet and expecting them to magically be on properly. When it didn’t happen, she would pick them up again, shake them about and lay them on her feet again! Hilarious.

3) Escaping. Until today she has been confined to the living room. Whenver anyone left the door open she would squeal and crawl at top speed out into the hall where there were bikes and al sortsof exciting things to pull down on herself and/or eat. But now I have babyproofed the hall she is allowed in there. She spent some time exploring but decided it was boring now. But sometimes she forgets and thinks it’s forbidden again, and does the whole “squeal and run” thing.

On the weight front - down to 140.8 this morning - yay!

Well, we had an amazing time in Paris. I just wish we’d had MORE time - we’ll just have to go back!

I braved the scales this morning and after a week away AND mine and dad’s birthday party yesterday, I was up from 138.2 to 141.6!!

My parents gave me some money towards my new running shoes so this morning I went out and got myself analysed. The man at the shop was lovely - he watched me run and asked if I had done a lot of running when I was younger, and he seemed surprised when I said, um, no!! He said I ran like a sprinter - on the balls of my feet. Anyway, he said I needed a neutral she - I don’t roll noticeably so I bought some Nike Air Pegasus 06 shoes on sale, down from £65 to £35 which I was VERY pleased by, as mum and dad had given me £30 so they only cost me £5.

It’s a gorgeous day today so this afternoon I drop Ruby off at mum and dad’s and I start the C25K all over again.

This morning I hit my lowest weight ever - 138.2.

Not sure how this happened. Last Thursday I had a shameful chocolate binge on Halloween chocolate I had bought in advance. Yet since last Wednesday (9 days ago) I have gone from 141.6 to 138.2.

I have not been counting calories at all - which is strangely liberating. I have been eating the same breakfasts, lunches and dinners I ate when dieting, but I have been drinking white coffee instead of black which adds a good couple of hundred calories in milk when you drink as many as I do, and I have been snacking on healthy snacks (cereal bars and apples) when I felt peckish. I couldn’t tell you how many calories I ate today - but I feel great.

I bought the most gorgeous dress from Jane Norman the other day (size 10!):

http://www.janenorman.co.uk/fcp/product/buy-fashion-look-fabulous/Glitz-&-Glamour/organza-beaded-flower-dress/4824?colour=black

It looks amazing on - my body looks like someone else’s!

I also tried on a dress I had bought before I got pg and never wore. It fitted perfectly and looked divine.

So, while I wouldn’t recommend binging on chocolate as a diet aid, it worked for me - lol! I must get someone to take some pictures of me!