Happy birthday to Sean!

Yesterday was Sean's birthday. 

He requested a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, and boy did I deliver.

Dark chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting topped with chopped up Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

It's beautiful.

It tasted just as good as it looks.  I found a peanut butter frosting recipe that is a keeper.  The peanut butter frosting recipe can be found here, from Joy the Baker.

Happy birthday Sean!  We went to the Minnesota Wild game last night.  It was a fantastic blow out game against Vancouver.  Wild won 5-1.  There were a couple great fights, which is my favorite part. 

Weigh day.

Happy November!  2011 is flying by it seems...

Today was a weigh day.  And I'm two pounds lighter from the last weigh day. 

November 1: -2 pounds, -21.7 pounds total

Disappointment.

Yesterday was the Monster Dash 5K.  I'm disappointed about it.  Let me tell you about it in more detail.

This is Katie, myself, and Christa pre-5K.  We were Sideline Superheroes for the costume contest.  Our costumes looked pretty awesome, but the metallic leggings were not good to run in.  They were falling down so much -- which is the cause of my disappointment.

Stupidly, we didn't do a test run in the leggings.  If we had, we never would have worn them.  Within the first 10 steps of the 5K, I knew the next 3.1 miles were going to be absolutely horrible.  The leggings were falling down.  I couldn't run because the leggings would fall down and I was afraid my ass was going to start hanging out.  I guess one good thing is that our glittery capes covered that up.  But, I spent the entire time pulling up the leggings and pulling my shirt down.  I tried running, but I would take about 10 steps and the leggings would be back falling down again.  I ended up power walking the entire thing, except for the last .1 mile.

This is the medal we got after the race.  I don't feel like I earned it at all because I didn't want to walk the whole thing.  I wanted to run it and beat my previous 5K time, but because of the stupid leggings, I couldn't run without them falling down to the point where my t-shirt wouldn't cover it anymore.  I'm upset with myself that I didn't know the leggings were a bad idea.  I'm upset I wasn't able to run the 5K.  I spent the entire time walking faster and faster, hiking up my pants every 20 feet, hoping I would get close to my previous 5K time. 

It probably would have been easier to run in jeans than those leggings...

Sorry for sounding like I'm beating myself up over this, but I'm really disappointed and upset about the whole thing.  I'm not looking for a pity party right now, I just really wanted to vent.  So, right now the medal is hanging on the wall above my desk, but it is not a medal I am proud of. 

That part is really sad because I was most excited about the medal for this 5K. 

Possible garden news!

So, way back in May when the community garden group I was a part of was disbanded, I contacted Saint Paul's District 10 (which I reside in) via their Web site.  After not hearing back about the email I sent, I didn't think much about it.

Well, today I got an email from District 10 telling me their contact form on their Web site hadn't been working and that had missed my email because of that.  I was told an Environment Committee will be working to get a garden set up next spring.

Of course I emailed back asking if they need any community involvement that I would be interested.  I was told when a planning committee gets planned, I will be contacted and meetings about planning the garden could start happening in November or December.

This is so exciting!  But, I don't want to get my hopes up too much because last time I was extremely disappointed.

That reminds me... I need to get my $15 dollars back for the garden that never happened.  Hopefully this garden works out better than the last.  Cross your fingers!

Two more runs until the 5K

Well, make that one more run.  I've knocked one off my list tonight.

The 5K is fast approaching.  I'm not as prepared for it as I was for the first one, but I'm not very worried about it.  My philosophy is, run until my lungs are tired then walk for a bit.  Then, start running again.  It seems to be working for me because I'm going faster than I have been.

Also, I think I'm going to post my Lose It! daily summaries on a weekly basis instead of daily.  I'm thinking about being like Katie and only posting them when I go over my daily calorie limit.  I don't know.  Thoughts?

Daily summaries...

All of my daily summaries from Thursday through Sunday.  It was a busy weekend with my mom.  It's going to be a very busy next three weeks for me.  5K this weekend, Sean's birthday, Sioux Falls weekend, Wombats concert, and a visit to Sleepy Eye so my dad can work on my car. 

Very busy indeed.

10/19/2011

Things to do tonight:

• Run
• Clean apartment
• Thursday night TV (Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice)
• My mama is coming to visit tomorrow so I need to get food for lunch on Saturday
• Hmmmm, anything else?

Read this, now!

Read this post about Halloween by Joy the Baker. 

It's wonderful and so true.

Probably only the ladies will enjoy it, but it's true nonetheless.

P.S. I love the word nonetheless.  And albeit. 

10/18/2011

Hey, guess what?

I went for a run!

I ran the same speed testing route I did last time.  And it went better than last time.

One minute and 14 seconds faster actually...

I'm proud of myself.

Monday, monday.

I've been sticking to posting my daily summaries for a week now.  And I can tell it has made it easier to stay on track knowing that I am posting this here. 

I need to go for a run tonight.  In the cold weather.  It's not even supposed to break 50 degrees today.  Hopefully the day of the 5K will be warmer!

10/16/2011

10/15/2011

Blah.

Here's yesterday's daily summary.  Today was a disappointing weigh day.  I lost .2 pounds.

Yes, that's better than gaining .2 pounds, but really, .2 pounds?  Whatever.  No point in dwelling in the past, time to move forward and lose more next time.

Have a good weekend.

10/13/2011 and making goals.

Another daily summary.  Exciting.  I never know what to write about with these.  Maybe I won't write anything?  I will figure something out.

I am SUPER happy and proud of Katie for making her goal weight today!  Like I told her, "We're kickin' butt and taking names!"

Tomorrow is weigh day for me.  Who's excited?!

Small victories.

I noticed tonight my ankles are getting skinnier.  Weird, I know.  But it's the small things I'm noticing that are keeping me going.

10/12/2011

Daily Summary 10/11//2011

Here's my food summary from yesterday.  To see it larger if you would like, just click on the image.  I came in 139 calories under my 1,830 calorie limit.  Also, I usually do not add my exercise because I don't want to over compinsate for those calories.  

Have a good day!

Back on the horse.

I ran tonight.

I'm testing out a 1.41 mile route to see how long it takes me to walk/jog it.  Eventually I want to be running the whole route.  Today wasn't great, not going to lie.  I'm not very proud of it, but I'm proud of myself for going out there and doing it.

Also, I'm going to start posting my daily summaries of what I eat the day before to hold myself more accountable.  That way, I will think, "Do I really want to eat this and put on my blog that I ate this?" before I eat something crappy.


Katie and I talked about posting daily summaries at work today.  We can hold ourselves accountable.

Sidebar, small victories: moving to a smaller notch on my belt and putting on athletic shorts that were previously too tight around the leg.  It is the small things like that motivate me because I look at my body every day and I don't see a change at all.  But.  But!  I notice a change when little things like that happen.

Now, I'm going to go put on the shorts that now fit and enjoy my evening not watching my normal Tuesday night programming because of baseball playoffs.  Boo.  

Have an abnormally large carrot? Make cake.

Hi!  Hello there.  How was your week?  I hope it turned out just how you wanted it to.

Want to see what I did this week?  Let me show you!

First, I was visiting my parents and was able to watch the yearly garden competition judging.  This year, my dad blew my brother out of the water with his huge carrots. I'm pretty sure my dad grows vegetables on steroids.

So, I went home with this carrot.

Isn't it huge?  What do you do with one giant carrot?  Well make carrot cake of course!

First, grating of all the carrot commenced.  By the way, finally bought a box grater from Ikea.  And, I love it.

Gotta mix all the dry ingredients together.

Gather all the wet ingredients together.

Now comes time to combine!

Stir, stir, stir.

Doesn't look appetizing.  Don't think about the batter, but instead about the deliciousness carrot cake is.

 

Prepare for frosting.  Don't ask, I like taking pictures of random things.  Don't judge me.

Creamed butter and white chocolate.  I don't even like white chocolate and I love this frosting.  

Time to add powdered sugar.  Just about done with the frosting.

Stupidly, I didn't take any pictures after the cake/cupcakes were completed.  Silly me.  You will just have to take my word on how delicious it turned out.

I slightly modified the recipe for carrot cake from Better Homes and Gardens.  I wanted to stick with a basic recipe for carrot cake.  I didn't want any orange or pineapple in it or other crap like that.  Gross.  I made white chocolate frosting that can be found here.  I love this frosting. 

Seriously, try the frosting.

Enjoyable blogs

So, I was thinking to myself earlier today, "There are many blogs I enjoy reading.  I wonder if anyone else would find those same blogs enjoyable?"

Let's find out, shall we?

Food/Baking Blogs:

• Joy the Baker - I want to try many of her recipes and her podcasts are quite entertaining.  It's not always about baking, but interesting nonetheless.
• shutterbean - Tracy does the podcast with Joy the Baker.  She also has delicious looking food.
• Sweetapolita - Mmmm cakes and frosting and other various baked sweet treats.
• Sprinkle Bakes - More gorgeous cakes.

Health/Fitness:

• One Twenty Five - She is documenting her weight loss and the struggles with trying to achieve her goal weight.  It's entertaining to read.
• Ben Does Life - Reading this blog inspired my lifestyle change.

I know, that is only six blogs.  And yes, I do know they're about food and fitness.  Two opposite extremes.  But.  It is what I enjoy reading. 

I used to read a few other blogs, but I've realized I find them kind of annoying and I'm have no idea why I keep reading if I find them so annoying.  So, I'm trying to stop reading those.  I really should delete them off my favorites.  That way it won't be so easy to click there and then be annoyed by it. 

I'm sorry if my blog is annoying to you.  Really, stop reading if it is.  There are better blogs to read (like the ones linked above).

Seriously, for sure check these blogs out.  Especially the baking blogs. 

October 1

I have good news to report.  The October 1st weigh in went well.  Very well.  I lost 3.5 pounds since the last weigh in. 

Honestly, I didn't think I was going to lose anything.  I was sure I was going to gain a couple pounds. 

Luckily, I didn't. 

Total since July 28 is 19.5 pounds lost and many more to go.

Bad Kali

I've been bad. 

A bad blogger. 

A bad runner. 

A bad lifestyle changer.

Bad all around.  But.  But!  I am overcoming my bad self by getting back into the swing of things.  I wish I had an excuse for the running hiatus I have taken since the 5K.  I only have me and my laziness to blame.

Weigh day is tomorrow.  I'm not looking forward to it, not going to lie.  I have a feeling it's not going to be good.

Now, the good news.  Today we got our yearly bonuses from work.  I spent a part of mine (okay a very good part of mine) on a new bicycle.  As Sean pointed out when I was hesitant about the cost, I'm making a purchase on a 15 year investment.  I won't need a new bike for a long time.

Isn't it a beauty?  Do you want to see the best part?  I'm really excited about it...

I have a lovely pink bell!  That way instead of feeling awkward when I have to say, "On your left," when I'm passing someone I can just give my bell a little ring-ring.  I've already rang it so many times.

Before taking off and heading for Sleepy Eye, Sean and I are going to go for a little ride around Como Lake.  It will be wonderful.

I have been riding one of Sean's bikes to work and back, but his bike seat was really uncomfortable on my lady parts.  This seat doesn't hurt at all.  Oh, I'm super excited to ride it to work!

Completely unrelated to fitness, Boots went to the vet to get her nails trimmed today.  Sean and I being new kitty parents were unfamiliar with the cat nail clipping technique.  So, we wanted to be shown how.  Getting Boots into the pet carrier was a challenge.  We've learned that we need to shut both bedroom and bath room doors before trying to get her into the pet carrier.  She knows that when she goes in there, it usually doesn't end up very well for her.  Cat treats work wonderfully when trying to lure her out from under the bed.

Once at the vet, Boots was terrified and didn't move very much during the nail trimming.  Overall, I think it was a successful time.  Below is a picture taken of her a few days ago.  It's adorable, like usual.

She fell asleep with her yellow toy on top of her.  She must have been tuckered out from playing.  She was kind of waking up when I took this picture.  Her one eye is creepily open a little bit.

Anyway, Sean and I are going to do a little Mario Kart Wii racing.  Have a great night and an even better weekend!

Maple Syrup

Two (maybe more) random things.

I made whole wheat pancakes for dinner tonight.  Pretty much the best fall/cooler weather food.  Wait, I take that back.  Pretty much any season kind of food, mainly because that means maple syrup is involved.  It's always a good day when maple syrup is involved.  I'm like my father in the sense that I LOVE maple syrup. 

Picked up Bridesmaids on DVD.  A night of laughing is about to ensue at the Lingen-Collins household.

And to answer your burning question, no I have no ran since the 5K.  Don't worry, I will start again. 

Bootsy Cuteness

I have a cute kitty.  She likes laying on the cat stand my dad built.  She's a pretty kitty.

Boots like to lay in between me and my laptop.  I love it.  She's so freaking adorable.

This was the second try to capture this picture.  First, when I got home tonight, Sean told me to go look in the guest room at the cat.  I saw her and then immediately went to get my camera.  Then, like normal, she follows me and stops doing the really cute thing.

Sean then saw her again laying on the pillows after Sean and I cleaned the kitchen up from dinner.  He told me to grab my camera, which I did.  

I love our Bootsy Pootsy Poo.

5K, done!

The 5K is over.  And it was harder/easier that I thought it would be.

I know you're wondering how a race can be harder and easier at the same time.  Well, I'll tell you.  First, here's what the route looked like.

It was cold this morning.  Sean, Katie, her husband Lee, and her brother Jason and I lined up at the front of the start line.  It was intimidating looking back and seeing nothing but people.  Once the air horn sounded all you could hear was feet striking the cobblestones.  It sounded kind of cool.  Jason, Katie, and Sean took off in front of Lee and I.  Lee and I had planned on running slow together.  We were okay with walking during the 5K.

Lee ended up running ahead about half a mile into it.  I was alright with it because for some reason, I really enjoy running alone.  Finally all of the faster runners passed me.  I was within a group of people who would run for a while, walk, and then run.  I was basically playing leap frog with some other girl because she would pass me and start walking and I would run past her and start walking.  It was entertaining.

I really liked the random people that would be cheering on the 5K participants -- the ladies and dog on a balcony, the police officers that were blocking off roads, and the other walkers and runners in the parks on the course.

I finally got to the Stone Arch Bridge and ran most of it.  Nearing the end of the bridge, I saw Sean.  Everyone else was already done and it was great to have Sean and Katie run to the finish line with me, even if Katie was cracking jokes.  Once I crossed the finish line, my lungs felt like they were going to die.  Katie then proceeded to tell me a funny story about what happened to her when she crossed the finish line.  I'll let her explain that one on her blog.  It's too personal for me to say it.

I finished the 5K in a little less than 46 minutes.  That is a rough estimation.  I should have been running the stopwatch on my iPod for a more exact time.  Oh well, next 5K I will.  

I am really appreciative of all of the support I've been given by the other four 5Kers, as well as everyone who gave me well wishes.  

I never thought I would finish a 5K.  I did and I'm super proud of myself. 

A long time coming

This 5K has been a year in the making.  I've been wanting to run this particular 5K for over a year. 

The 2010 Dave Ryan 5K for Special Olympics was advertised on KDWB last year when I first started working my first out-of-college "real" job.  I would be driving to work and would hear about the 5K on the radio.  Every time I heard about it I would think, "I could probably never be able to run a 5K, but I think it would be cool to do."

Then, I completely forgot about the 5K, or so I thought.  Sometime this spring I casually mentioned to a lady in my office that we should run the KDWB 5K in September.  Katie was training to run a 5K over Mother's Day 2011.  Then, I got lazy and decided in June that I probably wasn't going to be running the Dave Ryan 5K. 

Enter, lifestyle change. 

I'm incredibly nervous and at the same time excited about tomorrow's 5K.  Right now, more on the nervous side of things.  Mostly, I'm afraid I'm not going to be running all of it.  It's all a mental battle for me.

I'll do a recap sometime tomorrow after the race.

Weigh day

It's the first of the month.  You know what that means.  The dreaded weigh day.  Well, not really dreaded but I was more excited about it before I weighed myself.  No beating around the bush here.

Down three pounds.  Not as great as I had hoped, but it's weigh loss still the same.

I need to keep better track of what I'm eating.  Weight loss is a simple equation.  Calories in have to be less than calories expended.  I need to work on that. 

I'm almost finished with a book about overeating.  I will discuss it more when I'm finished with the book, which should be in a few days.

Total weight loss over the past 15 days: 3 pounds
Total lifestyle change weight loss: 16 pounds

Only one more run until the 5K, eek!

I ran tonight, woo!

Two things.

iPod not syncing music when I connected it to my iTunes library on Sunday.  (I was being a dumb-dumb and forgot to plug in my hard drive -- which stores the music -- when I was syncing my iPod.)  Therefore, tonight's run was sans music.  Surprisingly, I enjoyed it.

Number two.  I need to start running before 7 p.m.  I run around Como Lake and it was pretty dark when I was heading back home.  Sean even got worried (how cute/good boyfriend) and met up with me on the trail.  Also, I feel like I've ran faster tonight that I ever have.

I do this little counting trick to help pass the time of running and not focus on how badly my lungs want me to stop running. As I'm running, every time my right foot strikes the ground I count 1, 2, 3, etc., to 10.  Then once I get to 10, I start over at 1.  When I find myself getting tired I think, "Okay, one more set of 10."  Then, I usually do a couple more sets of 10.  I enjoy it.  It passes the time and set tiny little goals.

Well, 5K is on Saturday, who's excited?!

Sean running update: he went for a run today and running the 5K is a possibility (I really hope so). 

I ran!

Want to hear the good news?  I ran yesterday morning. 

Want to hear even better news?  The 5K is on Saturday.  Okay... maybe not the greatest news, but the sooner it is here to sooner it is over.  I know, I shouldn't be wishing it was over.  But it's stressing me out.  And we all know what happens when stress starts piling up.  Shingles.  (Let's hope I never get that again.)

This week's running plan:

• run Tuesday night
• maybe run Wednesday night
• run Thursday night (also weigh day!)
• take Friday off
• 5K on Saturday

Also good news, Sean is thinking about running it on Saturday.  Don't you think he should?  I do.

I know.

I haven't blogged.  I haven't ran (except for the pathetic attempt with on Tuesday night with Sean). 

The 5K is a week from tomorrow.  Yes, I said a week from tomorrow.  I'm so not prepared.  And you know what?  I'm oddly okay with that. 

I know during the race I am going to try my hardest.  I'm not going to say I'm not going to walk at all during the whole thing because I know I am going to probably walk a little bit.  I don't want to set myself up for failure straight off. 

I'm going on a run tonight.  It shall be grand. 

Got shingles? Make cake!

Shingles have ruined my Labor Day weekend.  I was planning on going to Sleepy Eye this morning with Sean to visit the family, but last night I ended up going to urgent care. 

On Thursday morning at work, my left bicep started itching like crazy.  I had two welts there I then discovered.  I assumed I got bit by a mosquito on my walk to work, so I didn't think much of it.  Thursday night, I took an allergy pill and put some prescription itch cream on the welts and I assumed it would be taken care of when I woke up Friday morning. 

Alas, I was wrong.  The welts that had a distinction between the two no longer had a distinction.  In addition to itching, the big red spot on my arm a couple inches in diameter began to hurt with a stinging pain.  After spending all day at the Minnesota State Fair on Friday, when I got home I Googled spider bites.  I thought maybe that was it.  The stuff I was finding about spider and bug bites said if it worsens after 24 hours to seek medical attention. 

Hence, the urgent care visit.  As soon as the doctor looked at my arm he asked, "Have you ever had shingles before?"  Then he went on to explain that it is caused by the varicella (chicken pox) virus.  The virus can lay dormant for years or decades and then flare up when immunity is low.  He asked if I've been stressed lately.  Sean pointed out later that I've been extremely stressed out from work lately. 

After being given an anti-viral prescription, the doctor said I should try to find a 24 hour pharmacy to start the medication as soon as possible.  Sean and I found a 24 hour Walgreens and finally got the medication at 11 p.m. last night.

The doctor said the shingles aren't contagious, but I can give chicken pox to someone who hasn't had it.  I immediately thought about how I was going to be seeing Travis, Becky, and Charlie the next day (today, Saturday) and I definitely don't want to give little Charles chicken pox.  So, long story short, Sean and I stayed home today.  I'm supposed to be babysitting Charlie on Labor Day, but I don't want to risk getting him sick.

Instead of going to Sleepy Eye, I decided to make strawberry cake with creamy, fluffy strawberry frosting.  It turned out great.  Tasty and pink.

Fluffy, strawberry frosting

The cake got a little overcooked on the edges, but overall turned out good

And now, I'm going to attempt to get the kitty to play with me.  I hope your Labor Day weekend is lovely!

First of the month...

...and you know what that means!  It's weigh day!  Well, it's more like it's weigh day... ho hum.

I've lost two pounds since the August 15th weigh in.  Kind of disappointing, but I guess it's better than gaining two pounds.  Let's look on the bright side!

I know I have no one to blame but myself and I'm not going to beat myself up about this.  There's more time to be running and eating well.  Time to re-motivate. 

Have a happy and healthy day!

Down 13 pounds since beginning the lifestyle change.  Check the pages near the top of the blog for bi-monthly weigh in totals.

Today

Today, Boots went to the vet to get her free exam to check her out.  Everything is good.  She weighs 7.69 pounds.  She got a vaccine and a feline leukemia test.  Stool sample was taken in.  Also, medication for worms, just to be sure there is none in her system since she did come from a shelter.  A phone call back from the vet's office letting me know both the stool sample and the feline leukemia tests came back negative.  Now she's curled up into a kitty ball on the red futon chair.  Sean and I refer to it as her chair.

Last night I went running.  Run, run, run.  Blah, blah, blah.

I've been unmotivated lately.  With the bi-monthly weigh in coming up on Thursday, maybe that will reinforce my motivation.  Or maybe it will tell me I had too many Sweet Martha's Cookies at the State Fair.  Obviously, I'm hoping there is weight loss.  I'm thinking so because my pants have been feeling looser lately, which excites me.  But, I don't want to get ahead of myself and say that I'm going to lose a bunch of weight when I enjoyed the food at the Fair and didn't worry about the calories.

I'll get back to you on Thursday about that.   

World, meet Boots

Sean and I have a kitty.  Meet Boots.  I like to call her Bootsy.  She follows me around like a puppy.  She uses Sean's stomach as a trampoline to jump somewhere else.  She purrs when she gets picked up.  She is a fan of lap time. 

She's sleeping on her chair right now.  This afternoon was the most she's slept in the past 24 hours since we've had her.  She looks very tired in the picture. 

At first, she seemed terrified, but slowly she crept out of the bathroom and into the two bedrooms.  Then, she would make her way to the end of the hallway, creeping closer to the kitchen and living room.  Once she got to the living room, there was no stopping her.  Now she occasionally runs around and watches kitty TV, a.k.a. sits and looks out the window. 

She's wonderful. 

Award winning cake

  

The Great Minnesota Get Together started today.  And guess what?  My chocolate cake placed third in the chocolate cake lot.  Yay!  It's the chocolate cake with white frosting with a white ribbon hanging under it near my arm/shoulder.

Now, I'm exhausted from walking around the fair all day.  Oh, and I should also mention, I went for a run this morning before the fair.  Maybe that counteracted some of the calories?  Probably not.  But, Sean and I think we ate less than last year, which is probably a good thing.

Good night world.

Week 4 started

Week 4 of 5K training has begun.  It breaks down like this:

• brisk 5 minute warm-up walk
• 3 minute run
• 90 second walk
• 5 minute run (!!)
• 2 and a half minute walk
• 3 minute run
• 90 second walk
• 5 minute run
• 5 minute cool-down

It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but then again, I didn't run as much as I should have.

Note to self -- don't go running when you have to go to the bathroom don't know you have to go to the bathroom but realize it halfway into the workout.  It's not fun. 

I really...

...wish my parents or sister-in-law would blog more often.  Just saying.  'Tis a lonely world in the Lingen blogosphere. 

In other news, the Lingen family rebellion reunion is scheduled for September 10 in Sleepy Eye.  I should think of something tasty to cook/bake for the event.

There's a cupcake recipe I've been wishing for a reason to bake.  Maybe the family gathering would be a perfect oppurtunity. 

Maybe...

C25K Week 3 is in the books

I'm done with week 3 of 5K training. 

My last run was on Wednesday and that night my right knee was hurting a little.  Because of that, I pushed Friday's run to Saturday.  Then on Saturday, I got busy baking my creative activities - baked products entries for the State Fair.  I made dark chocolate cake with toasted marshmallow frosting, spice cake with white chocolate frosting, salted nut roll bars, and banana bread. 

Now, I have to go and shower so Sean and I can drop the entries before 11 this morning.

How was your weekend?

It's a small personal item belt, not a fanny pack (you know who you are...)

A couple weeks ago I ordered a Spibelt.  It's a small person item belt and not a fanny pack like my mother and Sean were saying last weekend. 

I love it!  When I go out for a jog/walk, I usually do not wear exercise pants that have pockets.  Actually, when I think about it, none of my exercise apparell has a pocket large enough to fit anything.  (With the exception being capri legging that have a pocket large enough to put keys in a pocket right above the butt, but those I wear when it's cooler out because they get so hot.)  I read about the Spibelt on another blog and after a little research, I placed my order. 

It fits everything I need perfectly and it is also useful for storing things when I don't want to lug around my purse a.k.a. Brown County Fair and State Fair.

You may call it a fanny pack, I call it convenient. 

Run

I ran all of tonight's run, and then some.  Life is good.  If I'm feeling it, I may even run tomorrow. 

Weigh day

I'm weighing myself only on the 1st and 15th of every month.  Since today is the 15th, today is weigh day.  I was really excited for it because my pants have been feeling looser.

The results are in:  I'm down 8.5 pounds.  And I'm really happy about it.

Total lifestyle change weight loss: 11 pounds

Have a good day!

The weekend and life in general

This weekend Sean and I went to visit my parents in Sleepy Eye.  My parents had gotten a quarter beef and offered to give us some, so of course we took them up on the offer.  By the way, we had steaks tonight and they were delicious.

I was supposed to start week 3 of the Couch to 5K program, but with going to Sleepy Eye on Friday, that did not happen.  Instead, my dad, Sean, and I went to the Brown County Fair.  My dad saw a few people he knew (six to be exact, Sean and I were counting) and I spotted Ed and Mary from Solar Drive-In in Springfield.  It was nice to catch up with them.

Saturday morning I got up and went for a run.  Surprisingly, the transition wasn't so horrible.  Yes, there was a point where I my lungs were screaming at me telling me to stop.  Yes, I did walk about 20 feet in the middle of the 3-minute runs.  But yet, I still felt good about it.  I'm making progress!

Sean and I also went for a bike ride around Sleepy Eye Lake, total of 4.5 miles with biking to the lake and around Kiefer Park.  'Twas enjoyable. 

Overall, it was a very nice weekend.  Now, on to a little relaxing before I go to sleep.  What did you do this weekend?

C25K: W2D4

Today was the first day I was genuinely excited about a run.  That is the first time that has ever happened.  I feel great about that excitement alone.

And I'm even happier about the run.  I ran it all and I felt great.  My favorite time to workout it about 8 o'clock because a) I don't have to get up 45 minutes earlier b) it's generally cool and nice out and c) there's more people around and about so it's not so eerily quiet.

Now, it's time to bring a fan back to Target that Sean and I bought earlier this evening.  The fan already broke.  A blade totally broke off and made a scary, loud sound as the other two medal blades were chopping at the broken one.  Then, an allergy pill and I'm off to sleep.  

Need protein?

I've become very conscious of the calories I'm ingesting with the Lose It app.  I've also been checking the nutrients I'm taking in and watching the percentages of carbohydrates, fat, and protein daily. 

According to About.com:

"The USDA suggests that 50% of your calories come from carbohydrates, about 30-35% from fat, and about 15-20% from protein. For a 2000 calorie per day diet, that equals 250 grams carbohydrates, 67 grams fat and 75 grams protein per day."

Over the course of the last seven day, my protein has been all over the map, as you can see below.

 Eeeek!  Only 10% protein yesterday and an even worse 4.5% August 5.  I really need to work on that.  I'm trying, but I think I need to try more. 

I think in addition to upping my protein I should also up my fiber.  The FDA recommends people get 14 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories consumed.  Roughly 25 grams of fiber for women, 38 grams of fiber for men.  In the last week I've highest amount of fiber consumed was 21.7 grams.  That was on August 7, and looking back in my food log, I thought I ate really crappy things that day.  Apparently, nutrient-wise it wasn't horrible. 

Katie agreed I should up my protein more especially since 5K training because my body needs more protein for my muscles.  If you have any good protein increasing tips, feel free to let me know!

Oh and P.S. If you listen to Pandora, you should probably make a Spice Girls station because you won't be disappointed.  If you love any late '90s pop music (like I do) it will become your newest obsession.  Trust me on this one.

C25K: W2D3

Tonight's run went a lot better than Saturday.  A lot better. 

I really did not want to go and run tonight.  I knew it was going to be nice out today so I wanted to sleep in this morning.  I'm glad Sean made me get out there and run tonight though.  Thanks boyfriend.

Although the run went nicely, it started out a little rocky.  The first couple runs were slow going and I was pretty winded.  But, then I seemed to get my second wind or something.  To make up for the slacking on the first two runs I ran a few blocks more at the end of it when I was supposed to be walking the cool down. 

I'm happy about my progress so far.  I really feel like I'm getting better at this and maybe, just maybe, it's getting slightly easier.  On Wednesday, I'm going to do another week 2 workout.  I haven't felt like I've really nailed the workout yet, so I want Wednesday to be that day.  Then, I'll move on to week 3. 

Have a good night!

Last week's calories

Every Monday I'm planning on posting a screenshot of what my weekly caloric intake is.  I previously discussed the Lose It! app on my iPod and tracking my caloric intake.  (Also, the program is available online, not just as an app.)  Lose It! sets up a program for you where you enter your weight, height, and select male or female.  Then it asks if you are doing weight loss, maintenance, etc.  If you select weight loss it ask you for a goal weight and how many pounds per week you would like to lose.  The maximum is two pounds per week you can set the app to lose.  Then, it calculates the maximum number of calories that should be consumed. 

My maximum is 1,958.  I generally consume 1,300 to 1,700 per day.  Below is a picture showing the number of calories I took in last week.

It also shows how many calories under or over I am for my weekly allotment of calories.  As you can see, I was 2,561 calories under my calorie maximum. 

Lose It! also allows you to enter in the amount of exercise done and how that configures into your calorie intake.  I haven't been adding my exercise simply because once an exercise is entered for the day it adds more calories available to consume.  I don't want to take in more calories that I burned, so for now, I have not been inputting exercises. 

By the way, the Lose It! exclamation point is bothering me.  I think I'm going to quit putting in the dumb exclamation point (!) and hope you know what I'm talking about.  Okay?  Good.  Good talk. 

C25K: W2D2

Well today's run was crappy.  Real crappy. 

Between the humidity, side aches, and being lightheaded made the run just miserable.  First, weather.com says the humidity is 82% with a dew point of 70.  Then, I started getting a side ache at about the second run.  I would get to the walking part, the side ache would go away.  As soon as I started running again the side ache would come back.  This went on for the remainder of the workout.  And I should have eaten something before going out because I was getting lightheaded.  Yes, the water I had helped for a little bit, but add that on top of everything else and it just sucked.

Oh well, there's always next time. 

Today is a very special day!  It's Charlie's 1st birthday!  Happy birthday nephew! 

Now, time for me to shower so I can head to Winona for the birthday party.  Have a good weekend!

First 5K

I'm signed up for my very first 5K.  It's the 2011 Dave Ryan's 5K & 10K for Special Olympics Minnesota.  If you are interested in running (or walking) it with me and a lady in my office, sign up and let me know!

With the $25 regristration fee (it's $30 the day of the race) you get a t-shirt.  There are other awards and prizes as well, I think, but I'm not 100% sure.

It's going to be a good time -- consider signing up!

I've been a bad lemon tree mommy

I've been horrible.  I've neglected my lemon tree.  My lemon tree = my baby.  I can't believe I've let it get this bad! 

Look at all of those yellow leaves!

A bunch of leaves have fallen off within the past couple days (see the lush looking tree when I first got it here).  It has gotten really bad in the last 72 hours.  The leaves are yellow because the tree is lacking nitrogen.  I found that out after doing some research.  At first, I thought it was because the soil was too wet, which can also cause leaves to be yellow.  After letting the soil dry out for about a week, last night a couple leaves that fell off had brown spots which means it needs to be watered.  Clearly, it wasn't over watering causing the leaves to turn yellow. 

I then found out it was a lack of nitrogen.  Apparently citrus trees need fertilizer with a 30-10-10 ratio of nitrogen-phosphate-potassium.  After work tonight I went and picked up Miracle Gro Miracid.  After re-potting the lemon tree into some fresh dry soil I applied the Miracid.  I'm supposed to feed the tree with it every two weeks, which means every other week I'll be using a solution of the Miracid to water the tree. 

On a happier note, the tree has a bunch of new leaf growth.  I'm happy about that!

You can see the new growth above by the yellow leaf that is going to fall off within the next 24 hours.  By the way, this is an amazing picture with the depth of field from the blinds.  I love it!

Not to toot my own horn here, but how awesome is that picture?!  I really think I should be photographing plants for my career.  Obviously, I'm pretty good at it.  :)  I'm also very modest.

Other good news -- the little lemons haven't fallen off and they've doubled in size since I got the tree.

At least the lemons are still doing okay.  I guess that is what matters.  I will try to be a better lemon tree mommy.  Why is it that I can grow any other plant just fine with no issues?  I can forget to water it, neglect it and nothing happens.  The plant just wilts a little but perks right up after being watered.  Why is it the the plant I care most about I am having issues with? 

I will keep repeating, "I will try to be a better lemon tree mommy.  I will try to be a better lemon tree mommy..."

C25K: W2D1

I so didn't want to get out of bed this morning.  I was desperately looking for an excuse not to get up at 5:45, but I knew I would be mad at myself if I didn't go.  And now I'm glad I went.

Week 2 workouts consist of:

• Brisk 5-minute warm-up walk
• alternate 90 seconds of running with 2 minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes
• 5-minute cool down walk

I was jogging on the eastern edge of Como Park when I heard sirens in the distance.  Suddenly I heard a bunch of howling and remembered that the wolves at Como Zoo are on the eastern edge of the park.  Usually at the zoo Sean and I have only ever seen one or two wolves.  I heard at least four different howls.  Then, I remembered how Frankie used to howl whenever there were sirens around, or when I would play a particular song on the piano really loud.  I chuckled to myself and kept jogging.

I'm glad I went, but I'm tired.  Have a good day.

C25K: W1D3

Well, I got up at 5:45 this morning and worked out.  I thought it was going to be cooler out since it rained last night, but I was mistaken.  It was humid and miserable.

Good news though, I ran everything I was supposed to run!  I am very happy about that.  Thursday morning I'll start week 2, which is exactly like week 1.  So, I'll have three more days of doing the same run/walk I've been doing. 

Now, it's time to shower and get ready for work -- I need it I'm very sweaty.  Happy Tuesday!