It wasn't pretty, but I did it and got a medal for it

What a journey this has been, I started out in January wanting to improve my health and compete in a 5K. My friend Pam said why not run in the 5K run her school is sponsoring I thought about it and said ok I can do this. What the heck was I thinking so I began training(?) the goal was to get it done in 30 minutes. As the the run grew closer and I started running outside and the cold weather moved in I decided that if I could just finish the run that would be good. My son and sister and nephews were all coming in to watch me run. Well the day before the run I have to run a few errands and went outside and OMG it was cold, so I decide to go get some fancy cold weather gear. I was able to get running tights and top so when my track star son comes in Friday night I am telling him about all training and oh yeah the new cool running tights and shirt. He looks and said do you know that the theft tag is still on the pants and shirt and if you try and take it off dye will ruin the clothes? MAN! Is this a sign of what the run will be like? MAYBE I don't get very nervous, but I was very nervous about this run. Had I trained enough?NO Would I be able to come in at around 33-34 minutes?PROBABLY NOT Or completely embarrass myself? OH MAN I HOPE NOT Well it's Saturday morning and it is cold as ** so I wore ledotard tights under my regular running pants and 3 shirts, 2 pairs of gloves and an ear band. It was below freezing (30 degrees) and really dark, we arrive for the race and to my surprise there are other crazy people out there ready to run --lots of them. Now I am really nervous, I start to run a short warm up lap around this area and my son said you need to do that at least 4 times, drink more water and ......(WHAT?) oh ok, just as I hit the 3rd lap and I think I am not going to make it I am already breathing hard and it is SO COLD. He doesn't know there isn't a lot of gas in my tank and he wants me to waste all of it out here in the parking lot. My sister and the her boys arrive they have signs for me to cheer me on, MAN that is so nice what will they think of me if I don't make it???? Show no fear! Poker Face!

Runners get set go, and off I go did I tell you how cold it was out there. We start off it is dark, we are running in a large pack, up in a distance you can already see the folks that are going to win the run today, immediately I think please do not come in last. My legs are stiff and cold I am breathing heavy and wondering when I will hit the 1.5M marker they promised water. But my legs and breathing are telling me you have got to be further along than that because if not you won't make it. I finally get to the "1.5M" water table, I think of Lisa and our talk of "elite athletes" which of course I am not, I take the water from the volunteers and swoosh it around in my mouth and spit it out and throw the cup down (in the waste can) just like the "elite athletes" some how that made me smile and feel stronger. I continue to run not very fast finally another volunteer shouts out my time 20min and __sec. For a brief moment I thought well maybe you are on track Pattey but then naa....nothing about this run reminds me of the training I have been doing. As I am coming up a hill I look behind me to check and see if there are any other folks running behind me ....other than small children and puppies. Thank goodness there are....translated mean Pattey you won't be last adult. As I come around corner I see my son and sister, I think oh I have done so poorly they are checking up on me....there only small children and puppies behind me! how sad are you? They are cheering I try hard to pick up my pace, my son joins me and said Mom you doing great, I tell him between tears that I hoped this would be a much better run for him to see and he said your doing great. Just then we turn the last corner I look up and the clock, OMG it said 30:30 is it possible am I going to come in before 31, if I tell you that last 100 yards was ugly.....I gave whatever I had left in me to finish that race. I made it 30:53 my sister gives me the biggest huge ever and tells me she is so proud of me, my son has that look in his eyes and I am exhausted but I feel so high and if this makes any sense I am proud that my family was proud of me. Marcellus said I am a distance runner .....I wouldn't go that far but I can run a 5k. Oh yeah, they gave me a medal for it 2nd place in my age bracket. (ooooh shinny)

BMI-Body Mass Index

I went to the doctor's office a few weeks ago for my annual check up and the Doctor and I chat and he said that you look very fit, healthy "etc". All is well I am in good shape....in my opinion probably the best shape of my life. As a young woman I was an athlete and in good healthy shape but pretty much after getting married, having children and a very busy life I didn't do very much healthy. Then when all of that changed, I realized I was not in the best shape and could loose a few (many) pounds. Anywho, so while there at the Doctor's office I checked out the BMI chart and according to it I am within the normal range by a 1 point. One more point I am considered overweight. Which I find very interesting because I am very healthy, I eat well, drink with moderation and exercise like I want to be a TV personality (really, damn near daily). Well while reading Danielle Belton's The Black Snob's blog post I found an article regarding BMI. This is very interesting but it was printed last year, so with that said I believe they have not finalized the study but it may explain some things.

Widely Used Body Fat Measurements Overestimate Fatness In African-Americans, Study Finds ScienceDaily (June 22, 2009)

— The body mass index (BMI) and waistline measurement overestimate obesity in African-Americans, according to a new study. The results, which were presented at The Endocrine Society's 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., suggest that conventional methods for estimating body fat may need to become race-specific.

"Compared to Caucasians, African-Americans of the same age, gender, waist circumference, weight and height may have lower total and abdominal fat mass," said principal investigator and study leader Samuel Dagogo-Jack, MD, professor of medicine and chief, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis. "These findings argue for a review of the existing cutoffs for healthy BMI and waist circumference among African-Americans."
BMI is a simple and common method of estimating someone's body fat levels, based on that person's weight and height measurement. Obesity experts classify an adult who has a BMI less than 18.5 as underweight; normal weight is 18.5 to 24.9, overweight is 25 to 29.9 and obese is more than 30. An indirect measurement, BMI is not a reliable indicator of body fat for people who have a large body frame or lots of lean muscle. More specialized methods, such as DEXA bone density scanning or computed tomography (CT), can directly measure total and regional body fat, but these methods are expensive and more time-consuming.
The waist circumference is used to identify abdominal obesity. This fat around the middle carries a higher risk for obesity-related complications such as diabetes and heart disease. Experts define abdominal obesity as a waist circumference greater than 40 inches in men and more than 35 inches in nonpregnant women.
National data show that blacks have higher rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes than whites. Dagogo-Jack and his co-workers therefore examined whether the relationship between body fat and BMI would differ by race. In a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Diabetes Association, they compared how close BMI was to body fat directly measured by DEXA in whites and blacks. The researchers performed the same comparison for waist circumference and abdominal fat. They studied 93 nondiabetic adults (53 blacks and 40 whites) who have one or both parents with type 2 diabetes. Subjects had a broad range of body weights.
The correlation between DEXA-measured total fat and the BMI was higher in whites than blacks, the authors reported. The same was true for the correlation between directly measured abdominal fat and waist size.
Therefore, body fat is likely to be lower in blacks than in whites of the same weight and height, Dagogo-Jack said. He said their data suggest that muscle mass may be higher in blacks, which would explain the dissociation between weight expressed as BMI and measured body fat.
"If our results are confirmed in a larger study population by other researchers, the obesity field will need to develop ethnic-specific cutoffs for what values represent overweight and obesity," he concluded.

TOO MUCH! WAY TOO MUCH!

Well I am still in training for my 5K run next month, to really make sure I do this I went ahead and paid the fee. Now of course I can't back out or make any excuses so I am there. Running this event is as much a mental challenge as a physical one for me. I know that once I get this under my belt I will do other races and that makes me smile. ......Anyway have you ever heard this expression "Pain is just a weakness leaving your body"? That has to be the most DA thing I have ever heard. Pain is Pain it is just that simple..... But with all my so called training, running on the treadmill to build endurance, strengthening my leg muscles and then finally going outside to run and almost burning out my lungs. I have stayed outside to prepare myself for the run. I have let my other workouts fall to the side my Lifting, Zumba, Salsa and Spin classes. I am/was feeling a little guilty since I did my long run on Sunday, I thought I would not run Monday and instead go to the gym to do a leg (weight) workout. Well that I did....and pushed myself pretty hard considering I haven't been in there for a while. I figured I needed to make up for lost time. (Note to self running miles can be and is considered by some a leg workout.) Well Tuesday morning when I woke up OMG what the heck is going on with my legs I need to run but walking is a challenge. So I thought well I will go to the gym since I don't/can't /want to run and do an ab rotation and regular weight rotation instead. I got there and pushed it hard, (I sometimes (most of the time) think go hard or go home) was feeling pretty good so before I left I thought well go ahead and get some treadmill time in....quickly I realized that I could not run, so I decided that would walk on the treadmill with a slight incline at a pretty good click for 45minutes. During that time all was well, I felt fine and even thought you are back you can make up for this wasted day on Wednesday. Well Wednesday morning came and if I tell you that I literally rolled out of the bed believe me. My poor, poor body was in so much pain and ached in places that it had not ached before my chest, my arms and my legs were as stiff as boards, to walk yesterday was a real effort, walking was not natural it was almost as if my brain had to send an impulse down to my legs and say go move forward. So I decided not to do anything and allow my body to heal for a day. I was still so uncomfortable last night that I considered taking some Motrin or muscle relaxers (didn't). This morning I feel 50% better still sore but not to the point that I think my knees won't bend without authorization from my brain, so I hope I am back on track because my race is coming and it is challenging enough for me without adding unnecessary physical pain. I will not do any more leg (weight) exercises before the race and I will cut back on some of the other lifting until after the race. Today is Thursday and I will run and I have not run since Sunday but I will keep on.

All the right stuff

This morning I did something new, (love new things, yeah right) I went to run today with the local HS Cross Country team. These young men run at 6:00am before school .....2, 3, 5 miles and then in the afternoon they have regular practice. Our local HS Cross Country team has a few of the best distance runners in the State. So I am most appreciative that their Coach would even allow me to participate in their morning run. They sent me out with one of their "slower runners" (yeah right) I said to the young man don't worry about me and off he went. I was with him for about the first 400 meters (with him means could see his flasher)and then it happened.....my lung said OMG what the heck is this cold stuff , I pretty much lost sight of the flasher then. I have been running inside on thread mill for a couple of weeks finally manged to get up to 4 miles without a break so I thought I can do a 2 mile run outside. I need to practice outside running so that I can run the 5K in November. My lungs said the air is very, very different out here, we are not going to be able to run this with out a break today. I thought you can do this you have all the right stuff, head lamp, flasher, GPS, HR monitor, watch, IPod. The only thing I hadn't planned on the differences in the air ..it was about 50 degrees, it was so dark, the broken sidewalks, up and down roads, jumping over mess on the sidwalks. So today I didn't perform as well I had hoped but I will go back out in the morning (after the sun comes up)and try this again because I am going to run with (follow) the Cross Country team again Monday morning. Oh yeah I did get in before the guy I left with......(he ran 3 miles)

Running to nowhere

I am back at training for my first 5K. I am running on the treadmill, running to nowhere, a fellow asked me today why, you lift, you have a trainer, you do too many classes, do you want to do it all? he asks. No I don't think so, but this year has been a year filled with the unknown, so.......I want to do something that I have never done before. Sure I ran in HS, but I have never run as an adult. (At the beginning of this journey my goal was to compete in a 5K run this past summer. I did not run for many reasons, but I lift weights, hired a trainer, join too many classes. But now as my birthday approaches I have decided that I must do this run and I can do this run, so I am on the treadmill now trying to find a pace and build up endurance.) My goal this week is not to blow out a lung, the fellow asked me at the gym something about sprinting and I said it felt like I was moving, hauling ass, getting out, doing my "own" thing, but I suspect if there were a video camera I would look as slow as the day is long. I will go again tomorrow and run again until I can't take another step or blow a lung which ever comes first.

Be Inspired

http://www.athleta.net/chi/2010/05/11/enduring-beyond-barriers-the-harriet-anderson-story/?EV=ATHP5132010&CD=ANC_APR&DI=10741848

I run, therefore I am

Good news, I am back on track training again run/walk 3 miles. YAHOO I am now running in my neighborhood which works out really well for me, still haven't figure out that d* G1. I will keep trying to work that out. Boy, I tell you I am working out sooooo hard (LOL) that my heart rate monitor band is soaking wet with sweat. I was sweating so much when I got into the shower that I was still sweating for 15 minutes after the shower. GROSS. I went to the gym today worked out for over an 1.5 hour includes 45min elliptical came back to the house worked in the yard for 2.5 hours (spring has sprung) and then ran/walk my 3 miles. For those who count calories I burned over 900 at the gym and over 900 out in the yard but less than 450 during my run go figure. (man, I love that orange watch) The activities sound like a lot written down but when I sit in my chair and watch t.v. I think I should be doing something else, hence a very active day evolves. I have to work on my breathing I think that if I can control my breathing I think that will bring down my heart rate. That sounds like it makes sense but to actually do it is something entirely different. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Eating Better-- tips from Runners World

Runner's World has this great article "On the Money".....How to save and when to splurge on healthy runner friendly foods.

A lot of the food discussed in this article agree with The Eat Clean Diet the program I follow, I am going to share a few of the items in article and others that I practice.

Splurge--Grass Fed Beef, (lean protein) Grass-fed beef comes from cattle raised in open patures , feeding on a steady diet of 100-percent organic grass. Grassfed beef is lower in saturated fat, Bison is my favorite, bison has a higher protein content and less fat than beef. I had my first Bison Burger this year, believe me it is one of the best burgers I have ever had. Also had very very lean beef (used in Chilli) I could tell the difference and my kids did to let's say the joke "fat is flavor" applied when it came to my kids, I didn't and don't agree.

Splurge--Greek Yogurt, Thick, creamy Greek yogurt, which is strained to remove excess liquid. , containes up to twice as much protein as less-expensive American-type. I love this yogurt just make sure you look at the fat and sugar content, some Greek yogurts can pack a lot of sugar, recommend buying low fat plain versions and adding fresh fruit to sweeten them. "A probiotic is a beneficial bateria usally from a plant source and found in the intestinal tract. Beware of what you are buying in the dairy case. Yogurt already has probiotics in it. Don't be duped by products that say the contain enhanced probiotic agents. They are all the same."

Save--Large Snack Bags, those 100-calorie snack sacks cost two to three times more per ounce than their bulkier counterparts, instead buy big and portion out an appropriate serving size yourself. While your at it, choose a big bag of popcorn over orange cheese puffs. "Despite the built-in portion control, most of these 100 calorie snacks come from nutritionally poor foods like chips and cookies--and they create extra waste".

Save--Regular Eggs, Why not spend extra money on "free-range" eggs? After all chickens that forage outside produce eggs higher in beta-carotene, omega-3, and vitamin D. The problem is the USDA allow producers to use the "free-range" term if their hens are uncaged with access to the outdoors--but the type of access and time outdoors can greatly vary. And "range" can mean anything from grassy field to a concrete slab. Unless you can talk directly to a farmer, stick to a regular eggs, which is still chock full of nutrients.

These are just a few items from the article and some things things that I have learned in the process, I hope you find them informative. Well I have to go run, I am behind the 8-ball again so hopefully I can catch up this week, I will keep you posted.

Uber Fiber

Well the weekend has begun and I have given the Diva and the Marshall more fiber than they know what to do with. A lot in and a lot out according to the Diva I have given them a "gazillion" fiber grams.LOL. You may not know this but not only am I doing the Gym and Run thing but I also "EAT CLEAN" I made a lifestyle change at the beginning of the year and have been pretty committed to The Eat Clean Diet what that means simply is that I do not eat "processed" foods. I eat lots of fiber (fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts seeds and OMG oatmeal), lean meats protein (meat, fish, tofu), Healthy Fats (olive oil avocado, flaxseed nuts) and drink more water than I thought was possible. It has been fun to share my lifestyle change with the Diva and the Fire Marshall, the Marshall thinks I am a "fiber fanatic" I am not a "fanatic" but the changes I have made in my eating and exercise have directly affected my hair, skin, nails and attitude all in a positive way. To prove to that they are healthy eaters the Diva made a roasted vegetable dish....HELLO it was really good. See not all healthy food has to taste like trees, twigs and bark. Any who......

The Diva and I have started our fitness weekend with a run last night as you are aware she has realized that she was/is able to run her race a little faster than she originally thought. Which is just fantastic, we went to the track to run, we did not really run together the Diva did her thing and I did mine. I was able to run a complete lap (5 times), what I normally do is run the straights and walk the curves. What I discovered or learned is that my pace was too fast to run a lap this early in training.

Yesterday, we went and found some running apparel I have been wanting a pair of running tights, (why? because). My training watch arrived and we got the thing set up and HELLO it is so cool and orange, it makes you want to work a little harder just so you can push yourself. The Diva was so green with envy that ..... well you will see. Anyway I have gotten 9 track miles in this week but if you add the bike and elliptical I have gotten 28 miles in this week, can you say HELLO.

The Diva and I went to the GYM today worked out for about an hour, then off to find a Dr. Scholl machine to find the perfect shoe inserts. That was in an interesting experience. lol

OMG, have I fallen off the training wagon?

I am not sure what is going on with me. I have not been out to run/walk since Thursday, I have worked out daily at the gym. I have planned for the past two nights to get the run in but have not. I have the (special) shoes to run in and ordered a special training watch (very excited about that), still not enough to get me out there to run/walk those 13 laps. (Let me say this if when the "watch" arrives I do not run I will scream). The Diva is due in on Friday, I have to get some time in on the track before she arrives. I spoke with her today and she plans to take lots and lots of pictures of the two of us working out. If you haven't noticed she can be a little competitive, I think she wants to take pictures of me out of breath and gasping for air and maybe sweating like a pig. She will get the picture of the sweating thing, but I really don't want any of those gasping for air photos posted in her blog with a caption that is less than flattering under it. The Diva comes in a few times a year with the FireMarshall, the FireMarshall is here on business and we visit. We plan for the visits with either a shopping weekend (fun) or a home improvement weekend (fun) and now we have added fitness weekend (fun?) to our visits. This is the first time for fitness, the plan is to get some running in, go to the gym to workout, if I had a swimsuit I would like to get some swimming in. Becca has gotten me interested in the swimming I think I would like to add that to my workouts. Thank goodness I don't own a bike. Well I think I will give the run a try again tomorrow, wish me luck.

Bobby pins and Running shoes

I see the Diva told of our daily "workout" conversation. Today's conversation was about my head according to the Diva "I said my head is "perfectly round" and thus the headbands she was using to keep her hair outta her face was falling off. Bandanna - a no go to! Everything was sliding of her "perfectly round" head". Well I literally look like a hot mess when I am at the gym, by the time I finish my lifting circuit and then the cardio workout I am dripping in sweat, red in the face and my hair is dripping and what does not fit into the ponytail hangs in my face. So I have purchased a few (many) no slip headbands hence the comment about my "perfectly round head". However I have Hope, I discovered little bobby pins these may work.

I had another discovery today----- new running shoes, I have been need of a new pair so I hit the jackpot today bobby pins and running shoes. Well now with the new shoes I had no excuse to night not to run/walk. The shoes are wonderful and they ran/walk 13 laps around the high school track. The weather here is great so I am running outside (I am not much for running on treadmill), I started late this evening and stuck with, in fact track complex had gone dark. You know going around so many times it is hard to keep track of what lap your on so I do 13 to be sure I don't want to cheat myself. I worked a little more on form this evening, keeping the arms moving, not making fists and breathing and stretching out my stride. I run the straights and walk the curves. The Diva will be surprised in the words of Becca BRING ITTT! Yesterday, I walked between 4 and 5 miles and felt pretty good about it. Until I read Becca's and Gladys' blog and felt like a lazy lady. (I work out everyday, lazy?????) But I need those things as motivation, keep up the good work ladies.

p.s. I am walking tomorow, it is cardio day at the gym, I don't care what Becca, Gladys or the Diva have planned.

OMG!! Really? Why?

I go to the gym on a regular basis, I see things that I don't understand and wonder why. Perhaps you can help me understand why, why, why you would come to the gym in a pair of sweatpants that are too big, roll down the waist band to just above the crack of your butt, wear your (way) too small camisole and red (sexy kitty) bra to run on the treadmill? Did you think I wouldn't notice that you didn't have on underwear or maybe it wasn't me that you were hoping would notice. The gym brings in all kinds of folks including me, but some of my personal favorites have to be the:

• "senior" men who come for social hour(s), they walk around in sweatsuits that are way too small pants pulled up to their chest and elastic around their ankles and look like they are 10 months pregnant and want to chat with anyone who will stand still,


• or the "senior" who comes in street clothes, hair gel and gold necklace(s) to work out with 20lb weights.


• OMG! did you really come to the gym to meet a man??? I guess I am so naive to believe that you may have come to the gym to work on your body, health. Help me understand, when I work out I sweat and I am not nearly as fresh as I was when I arrived at the gym, if you are working out how or why would you even consider getting close to someone? And if you aren't there to work out what about him? I guess he didn't either....boy I have been out of the game for a while.


• Probably the one that leaves me really confused is why when I walk into the locker must you stand there in all your glory displaying your tattoo's in all those very private places. Also help me understand why oh why do you wear flip flops in the shower and sit your naked bottom on the same bench that I am sure is not has not been clean in how long? People put their shoes on that bench, drop their sweaty towels on it, sit their sweaty bottoms on it and who knows what else and you just put your naked bottom on it REALLY???!!!!! you had on flip flops? What makes you feel so confident to stand in front of me and not wrap a towel around your body, please be a little modest. I see parts of you that even you can't see without a 360 degree mirror. I am not a prude (well maybe a little) but WHY????!!!!

Am I ready?????

I just completed another step in my quest to become a healthier me and compete in a 5k run this summer. I have been going to the gym on the regular for about 6 weeks and feel good about that I lift weights, row, bike and use the elliptical machine eat more fiber than my body knows what to do with, but have been afraid of this day for about 6 weeks. I can be very competitive and this has been one of the more humbling quests, things do not happen as quickly as I would like some folks think that I may be setting my expectations too high.... what is too high? The idea of just finishing the race does not motivate me, that may be all that happens is I just finish..... but I have to set lofty goals or it is just not any fun. Anyway Lisa will be here in about 2 weeks and I need to be able to run around the corner by the time she gets here. Otherwise those expectations will really make us laugh. So no time like the present to get started, I completed my first 3 mile run/walk this morning (it was 50/50). Did I do an 8 minute mile-no, would I have been able to win a race against a small child in a race-no, but I did finish it-yes. YAHOO!! The plan is to get in as many runs as possible before the arrival of the Diva.