dieting

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The Path Not Taken…

The good thing about new bike paths is that when I can run I will have new running routes.

On Saturday, rain was forecasted but it held out until the afternoon. It was warm (70s) and I decided to ride on the Corning Trail.  The fishermen were on the Hudson in abundance.


Well on Sunday it was 30 degrees colder but it wasn’t raining so I went for another bike ride.

This time I decided to park at the Colonie Town Park and take part of the Mohawk Trail that I had never done before. I headed toward Cohoes (an industrial city on the Hudson.)

looking back toward the park

It wasn’t very scenic.  No view of the River.  You go under several over passes.  You see the city of Cohoes eventually on both sides of the path.

It is slightly downhill the whole way.

again looking upward toward Colonie

Yes, that means that it was uphill on the way back. Gotta build those quads & calf muscles back!!! (Maybe it will help my running….)

I think it was 4 miles down & 4 miles back. 

When I got back to the parking  lot, I figured that I might as well bike in the other direction since it hadn’t started raining yet.

I headed toward Niskayuna where I have ridden before.  I only went a mile and then turned back.  The sky was getting darker.

(With nicer weather & when my legs are in better shape, I’d like to ride from Niskayuna to Cohoes and back.)

Look what I passed on my way home:

rumored to have the best soft ice cream in the area

10 miles of biking deserves some ice cream, right?

But, I chose frozen yogurt – mint choco patty with sugar-free choco syrup…YUM!

I see a long run route in my future… and if I do it, then I will try the soft ice cream 🙂

Happy Running!

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Tuesday Update and the Ladder

The weekend was filled with LOTS OF EATING!!! Passover Seders and Easter dinner at my MIL.

Italian pastries, my downfall (obviously not observing the Passover no flour rule)

In the past, I could justify the extra food (and desserts) by my running mileage! 

Not this year….

I did walk on the treadmill and I did go for a bike ride (solo on the Corning trail).   Here are some of the things I witnessed on my ride:

green grass & a runner

Hudson River & a fisherman

a goose crossing the road

The calories burned are not the same.

Oh well…I’m not stressing.  I think I have gained some weight but not a lot (cuz I can still fit into my clothes.)

This is week 8 of PT.

Usually at the end of my PT sessions, a local HS track team uses the facilities.  The kids do these ladder drills that make me drool.  I always joke about wanting to be able to do them.

So yesterday PT guy J took out the ladder.  I said “Are you serious?  I’m not ready to do that!”

Well, he had me do a variety of drills and it was hard at first but little by little I was able to get faster and pick my feet up higher.

That was follwed by the ellipical (with resistance for the first time) and then the treadmill.

It’s not running but it sure felt good. 

Happy Running!  Are you working off Easter eating?

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My New Lunch Routine

I didn’t participate in this challenge but it’s a great idea.

Before my injury, my lunch time routine was going to McDonalds or  Subway or Paneras or one of the 3 nearby school cafeterias.  My eating choices were fast food so no matter how healthy they seemed, we know that they were not.  While I ate, I usually read a variety of newspapers and magazines.

First after I came back to work from my injury, I couldn’t drive so I had to bring my lunch.  Then when I started driving, I still couldn’t walk so I had to bring my lunch.

Now that I am more mobile, my new lunch time eating habits have remained with me.

I eat at my desk what I bring from home. It’s usually Greek yogurt, a wheat bagel, a fruit & a drink. Then I go to our gym and spend 45 minutes on either the bike or the treadmill (watching TV on my iPad).

New  lunch routine:

  • save money,
  • eat healthier and
  • get exercise.

So there is something positive that came from my injury imposed running layoff.

Happy Running! Do you eat fast food or are you a healthy eater?

 

 

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Random Things on a Thursday

Since I work in a law school, the image above seems appropriate.

1.  I have my high school reunion this weekend (my 40th cough cough).  Thanks to Facebook for planning this event and that there’s no hiding how we’ve aged…  I will not post our high school photos but here’s one of the 6 of  us at the last (20 year) reunion:

 

2.  My diet isn’t going so well.  First I had to carb load for my 3rd half Marathon and now I have to carb load for my 4th Half Marathon.  What’s a runner girl to do?  Wear loose clothing, I guess.

3. I hate being sick!! I’m not real ill but just have that annoying stuffed nose, sneezing, sore throat, itchy eyes kind of cold.  It makes it hard to run when you feel crappy.  But better now than on Nov. 6, I say.

4. Thanks to all those slow runners who commented on my last post.  I’m glad I’m not alone.  Don’t get me wrong.  I enjoy reading blogs by those runners who want to PR every race, run the NYC Marathon, qualify for Boston, etc.  Unfortunately it’s not me.  I’m jealous, of course.  But we, penguins, still go out there and run and compete at our own pace.

5. I can’t believe it’s mid October.  The end of 2011 is right around the corner. Almost time to think about racing in 2012.  Unless Nov 6 goes horribly, I will want to do another Half Marathon. I definitely want to try a 10k and maybe get back some 5K speed (speed is relative here).

6. The running community where I work is growing!!!  Two more just completed their first half marathons last weekend.  YAY!  There are quite a few casual runners but now we have at least 7 serious runners.  It’s fun to talk running with them and have something in common beside work.

Happy Running!  Happy Thurday!

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Wordless Wednesday or My New Addiction

Yup, I’m becoming a connoisseur on Root Beer Floats.  I’ve tried them in many locations and they are all different.  Sometimes it is made with A&W root beer. Sometimes it is made with soft ice cream.  Sometimes they give you the rest of the bottle of soda with your float .

My preference:

  • Soft vanilla cream
  • the rest of bottle or can so you can add to it when the foam dies down.
  • I don’t care if it is A &W or not.
  • Stewarts anywhere or LuckE Star in Warrensburg are so far my favs.

If you like Root Beer Floats, here’s some interesting trivia:

It was originally called the “Black Cow.”  The Black Cow was put together the first time on Aug. 19, 1893, by Frank J. Wisner, owner of Cripple Creek Brewing in Cripple Creek, Colorado. The tale passed down through the generations in the Cripple Creek community says that Frank got his inspiration of the snow caps on the Cow Mountain, sparking him to think of ice cream floating on top of the black Cow mountain. This vision prompted the name of the treat, The Black Cow.

August 6 each year is National Root Beer Float Day!! (If only I had know!!)

On the running front:

I am running every other day: walk stretch…run…walk stretch…run…walk stretch…run..stretch…ice

Running slowly 2-3 miles at most…in the mornings…not really painful but if I did more, I think it would be. I am listening to the PT and do not want to risk injury. 

I WILL RUN 13.1 MILES on NOV 6, 2011 or eat lots of root beer floats to drown my sorrows!!!!

Happy Running!

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TTT: My Weekend, My Injury & My Weight

  1. 6 weekends in a row, it has been sunny and we have gone boating on Lake George. 

    enjoying my first lake swim

         Am I greedy to want another sunny weekend?  I have a 3-day weekend.   The weekend forecast doesn’t look good 😦 

           This weekend is also our annual tennis  gathering on Schroon River.

2.  Today is my next to last PT appointment.  It’s with my favorite PT guy #1.  Since I last went to PT on Monday, I have:

  • run 2.5 miles plus .5 mile walk on Tues
  • played 1 hour of tennis (doubles) on Tues
  • 1.5 hours of yoga on Wed
  • walked 1 mile at lunch today

It seems to be getting better but not fast enough for me!  I hope to run again tomorrow and gradually increase over the weekend…(if I have no pain!)

3.    I am FAT!!   No, not obese… but since I have not been running or playing tennis, I have gained weight!!!! I say it’s the lack of physical activity.  But it could be the frequency of rootbeer floats I have consumed this summer.

I have always been very thin.  Underweight as a kid.  I have never had to diet.  I don’t even know how.  I love my carbs & desserts!!! It’s never been a problem but I think it’s also an age thing!!!

me in college many moons ago

As you get older, your metabolism slows down!!!!  If you eat the same way as you did 10 or 20 or 30 years ago, you will gain weight and even if you don’t gain lbs, you gain inches…in all the wrong places.

Mine is in my waist, stomach & butt… I haven’t gained a huge amount of weight …maybe 8 lbs but it’s a lot for me!!!!!

I HATE IT!!!!!

recently - the dress covers it all!

So what’s the plan?  Of course, run and play tennis.  Continue yoga, walk at lunch…switch from chocolate poptarts to vanilla (90 calories less), cut out the ice cream (well, most of it), drink more water, eat more salads…

Happy Running! Any diet tips for the “old” lady?