Daisy's Diary

I have a quick read of diaries in the evening & I think my mouth popped open when I read that you talked on the phone while you were running. I just went back and had another read. Yes, you did. WOW! Awesome!
Never apologise for how much you put in your diary Daisy. It's your space for whatever you want it to be (except trying to sell something) It's how we get to know one another.
 
Wow, I love this forum. You gals totally just made my day with your kind words and support. It was much needed and even more appreciated today. Hana, I was watching the world series too! Cubs vs Indians. I'm fairly certain my boyfriend is the biggest Cubs fan on the planet. He is born and raised in Chicago, currently living in the heart of Wrigleyville. We started the long distance thing about 5 months ago when I moved to the west coast for work. We went to college together and have been dating just over a year. So far its been ok - I mean, it's not ideal, but neither of us are the kind of people who stir the pot or create problems over piddly little things, so it hasn't been incredibly difficult per se, it's just that after a while I definitely miss him. That conversation yesterday was soooooo needed, I feel like we have new life in our relationship, which is good because we still have a month to go before seeing each other.
LaMaria, I've really been trying! I'm just feeling a bit worn down from it all. On the surface, today looked pretty good too - went in to work early, got (most of) my stuff done by 5pm, took my friend to the airport, came home too tired to go exercise right away, so I had a smoothie and did some class work (FINISHED! one item checked off the list...I came close to finishing last night, then got too tired :p ). I did a few more work items on the agenda, and finally made it out for a short run (it was probably only 2.5 miles). Lunch was what I had prepared yesterday, so it was healthy (rice noodles with tofu and veggies, and some squash for a snack later on in the day) but my coworker, J, is wonderful, but gave me chocolate that I definitely don't need. I don't ask for it, it kind of just gets dropped on my desk when he stops by. So...oopsie.
And Cate, thanks for the encouragement! (Although sometimes it annoys my mom when I talk and run...my hair brushes the microphone sometimes and she has a hard time hearing me). But I'm also really happy to be able to write stream-of-thought in this diary. It is kind of like an effort to get back into journaling, as well. I used to do that a lot, but just haven't put the time into it anymore. I've really enjoyed it, so I'm glad it doesn't just seem like I'm ranting :)

Crazy enough, I think I might just be able to check all those things off the list by the end of the week. We'll see. I think the next step is going to be to find balance, though, because as it is, I feel like my mind is churning all the time, constantly thinking about the next thing I need to do. I swear, sometimes there could very well be smoke coming out my ears. But recently, as part of taking on more responsibilities for one program I work for, I am being weaned off another...with the perk that this means my first meeting is now at 8am instead of 7:30. I've been getting in at 6am, but next week I think I might try exercising in the morning and getting in later. This might balance things out. It will probably decrease my work hours, because I will still shoot to leave at a reasonable time, and by the time I get home I will have already worked out once, so I can either do something different and extra (maybe take up some yoga, or kickboxing, or something fun!), or I can devote more time to the things I want to do and currently sacrifice. I don't know, its tough, because on one hand I think how balance is good and all that, but on the other hand, there are PLENTY of other people putting in as much or more work, why should I deserve a break? I'm young, I haven't worked long enough to use that as an excuse. I should be grateful for every hour I work, because I was fortunate enough to get a good first job. There is no reason for me to go home early. I shouldn't complain about a thing. So it's hard to distinguish the difference between "balance" and not trying hard enough. That's kind of what had me down today.

Ok, it's getting to be time for bed. The mind is turning to mush. Thanks for the support this week, you ladies are more helpful than you know!!
 
Balance sounds like a great thing. Why should you deserve a break? Because you need it. Nobody is going to say thanks if you end up burning out by 26 or having a heart attack at 35. Looking after yourself means there´s one more person in the company showing that looking after ourselves is, in fact, a thing we´re allowed to do. Can´t expect folks who´ve been in there for 30 years to suddenly change everything.
 
That's going to be this next week's goal then. I'm going to keep some of the goals from last week (I did my grocery shopping today and planned ahead so it should last me a long time...at least a week, maybe even longer because I got stuff that can be cooked in bulk so I can have leftovers (Chicken, Brown Rice, and Veggies to use in a casserole). From last week's list, I'm happy with what I can cross off...I cooked. Check. I spent $0.00 until Friday when I spent $6.00 at the apple orchard (and gas money to get there and back). Almost check. I worked out every day except Friday, but spent a good amount of time walking around the orchard. Another almost check. I finished my class. Check. I had to work some long hours, but stayed focused, so I'll give that one an almost check also. I voted. Check. I don't know if I have lost weight. I'm still afraid to weigh myself :/ I feel like it at least trended in the right direction...I had more energy and was more motivated this week, so that's a step. When I start to see some physical changes, then I'll muster the courage to step on the scale.
We are going to call today a "cheat day." I started off pretty good. I did a 10 mile run this morning, but that is shorter than my usual Saturday long runs. I had a tough time getting in the right mindset today. Normally when that happens it is only for the first mile or two and then I can get into a rhythm that begins to feel like bliss, but today I could never really find my rhythm. Either way, running in the mountains is my favorite part of the week, so I am glad I got to do it, only bummed I didn't go farther. The shorter run meant I got to watch the University of Michigan vs Michigan State football game (I went to University of Michigan and everyone else in my family are State fans, so it was fun when my team won :) ). Then I went to a friend's birthday party. Caveat: it was a birthday brewery crawl. I tried 2 different beers. So I wasn't "crawling" anywhere, but it's just empty calories. As were the birthday treats she had there. My calorie count hasn't been devastatingly high, but the calories I've had were by no means the most nutritious. (Luckily, I did have healthy egg whites and spinach on a wheat tortilla for breakfast). But tomorrow I will have to redeem the diet.
I got back from the brewery and am currently watching the 4th world series game with my boyfriend (C'MON CUBS!), and after this I think I'm going to go chill at a friend's house. Another friend wanted to go out for Halloween but I am very ok with my decision to stay in.
Goals for this week:
1) Cook and portion
2) Work out 5 days/week, and make 2 of those days 2-a-days. Include light yoga in 2 of the days that I do not work out twice. That was a lot of 2's...
3) Start a new class and, in the spirit of bullet point #2, get through at least 2 lessons.
4) Enroll in health care plan (the company has released information about updates in the plans, so I need to choose which one I want to enroll in).
5) Spend $0.00 UNLESS I need to spend something on supplies to complete a bench I started making a few weeks ago. I need to put legs on it and may need additional screws, so the expenditure would be <$10.00.
6) Balance. Limit working hours to 10/day, so I have time to enjoy other things, too.

I think for now, that's all. I'll add to the list as I think of other things, but that seems like a good start. Happy Saturday, all! I hope everyone's weekends are going well!!
 
I think those 90% checks are almost better than 100%ing everything because it shows you´ve still got a life. Well done girl!
 
:iagree: with LaMa. You are achieving a balance. That is one of life's biggest challenges. Well done Daisy!
 
You are doing so well lovely lady - you kicked butt last week with your goals! I need to be spending no money too but I love my wine (hence the chunk..I usually eat well and my drinking lets me down) so I spend money most weeks on that.. I will try and do some "no spend days" too though, you've inspired me! My job is silly stressful and I'm also quite new so I feel the same pressures as you - i'm first in the office and last to leave most days but I'm starting to realise that it doesn't get me any special treatment and my social/home life suffers. I figure I can do the same quality work in my actual work hours and I've started to draw back from the silly early starts and it's helped a lot. Hopefully going in later and starting your day with some exercise will be a good mood booster for you too!
 
I still feel like I have a long way to go :/ Maybe it's because I have had years of this "balance" and all the while have been gaining weight, slowly, slowly, slowly, but surely. What it really comes down to is I'm eating more than I need to. I really just need to get it under control. That's so much easier said than done though. I just want to feel confident again. There have been times in my life that I felt confident and I want that again. There are so many reasons why, but I know the one that matters most is because it will be consciously taking care of myself, and accomplishing my goals. I want to add another bullet point to my list, because if I can do it for a week, I can do it for longer than a week. NO junk food. I heard two women talking in the grocery store today and they were bickering playfully about which kind of junk food to get for their ONE cheat day. One wanted dark chocolate. The other wanted ice cream. One said "we only get one day, we need to make it count." Of course, they were saying this playfully, but it wasn't which kind of junk food they were getting that interested me...it was that they have ONE designated cheat day. My approach is to eat healthy meals, but if the day has been good and I get a craving, I eat junk. I have the healthy meals thing down, at least pretty well. I always liked knowing my meals were healthy. The problem is that I'll eat a grilled chicken breast with spinach and avocado, then because I did a good job, I'll allow myself dessert...and that's where control starts to disintegrate. If I only had my healthy meals, and designated one day of the week as a day when I will allow myself a dessert, maybe I can start to see some results. I think I can come up with some tricks to stick with it...maybe a smoothie or an apple with peanut butter to replace dessert at first, if I really need something. I'll let you gals know how much I'm struggling tomorrow. Until then, goodnight all!
 
Some people who have a cheat day keep a list of things they crave during the week. The act of writing it down and realizing that they can have it in a few days helps relieve the craving. Then on cheat day they review the list and decide what they want to have. They find when they review the list most of the cravings are gone and they have a few treats that they still crave.
 
I really like that idea! I'm awful with cheat days (they turn into binge years) but planning for them sounds good.
 
Sorry, gang, its been a while since I last posted, but Brooke and I have been using the buddy system to hold each other accountable. It's been really helpful! She's definitely helped get me through some days that would otherwise have been disasters. If I were to recap the last week it wouldn't have looked too drastically different. I caved midway through the week and did have chocolate, even though I said I wouldn't. But I also had a lot of healthy stuff too. I managed to make it out for a run on 3 weekdays, and biked to work on the other 2. Then, today I ran a marathon. I was unprepared, but still survived. I even surprised myself by getting first in my age group, and qualified for Boston. The course was "easy" as marathon courses go, but it was on paved roads rather than my beloved trails, which makes a huge difference (more things hurt). I should start a list of all the things I've learned from long distance running. There's some pretty random (and entertaining) things on that list. To name a few...

1) Wear chapstick, and make sure it has SPF. My lips have been burnt every time so far.
2) Body glide the thighs. I have thunder thighs, and they'll chafe if I don't. Sorry if thats TMI, but consider yourself warned. On the positive side... those thunder thighs kick BUTT on uphills :)
3) The body is amazingly efficient. Despite what you may here, you don't need thousands of calories to get you through a marathon. You don't even need a crazy amount to get you through a 50k. 50 miler...ok, now you're starting to need some serious replenishment. But for distances 50k or under, you just need to do it SMART. Anticipate what your body needs by listening to it. During a marathon I did last month, I had a chia packet (Mamma Chia is a perfect energy source for me. No digestive issues, easy to carry, no mess, tastes good, hydrates and nourishes...the list goes on. Its a win all-around), a GU, fruit gummies, water, and powerade. That was a trail marathon between the Mohave desert and Death Valley. The fruit gummies are not a normal thing, but after a climb to the top of a mountain on mile 19, when theres an aid sttion with fruit gummies, you suddenly crave them haha. Today, I had a chia packet, GU, water, and powerade. I probably didn't even need the GU, but I couldnt figure out if my legs were sore from the pavement and pounding, or if they were about to cramp because I needed some energy, so it didnt hurt to play it safe.
4) Drink water BEFORE you need it.
5) Cheeeeeeelllll (this is "chill" pronounced in a very chill way. Once one of my friends told me story of a race he was in. One of his teammates came up next to him and said "Cheeeeeeeeellll." In response, all the runners in the race slowed to a collected pace and at the end it was an all-out sprint to the finish). That side note had nothing to do with the reasons you should actually chill during a race, I just thought it was funny. The real reason you should chill out and not get worked up over the little things is A) you will likely forget things (how do you think I am putting this list together...because I made mistakes and learned from them) and B) because every runner has different weird traditions, superstitions, pre-race routines, etc and what works for one person will not work for everyone. So do yo thang and don't worry about what other people are doing.

And today I added...
6) Know if there is a place for "drop bags." This morning it was 50 degrees and all I was wearing was a race tank and shorts. Everyone else knew drop bags would be loaded in a truck and taken to the finish, so they were all fully clothed in sweats and had heat sheets (those thin blanket things that look like aluminum foil but keep your really warm by holding in your body heat). Then at the start, they simply put their clothes in their bags, put the bags in the truck, and reunited with their gear after they finished running. Much smarter than shivering for an hour before the start of the race. That said, also don't make your drop bag HUGE. I made that mistake a different time and it was just embarrassing.
7) Other places that need body glide...armpits and sports bra line beneath the sternum. Both are currently rubbed raw. Sorry again if that was another TMI situation.
8) Smiling can get you out of a rut. If you are having negative thoughts, smile. It releases endorphins and will help you think positive.

Ok, that was a fun little blog-type post. This next week is going to be a recovery from today (the pavement left me much more sore than trails), so since I will be running less I need to watch my diet more closely. Goal tomorrow is to make something that lasts for most of the week. I'll let ya'll know what that something is when I figure it out :)

G'Night!
 
Nice to hear from you, Daisy! Spontaneous marathons? :svengo:Color me unbelievably impressed. How did your foot hold up? Do you plan on actually running the Boston marathon as well or was qualifying just a side-effect of winning your age group? I really like your list of tips - although I´m very much not a runner. I think most of it is just as applicable for things like hiking and biking longer distances. Good to know you´re doing well!
 
My foot was great! Never even felt it! I learned something today that I can add to that list though... Road marathons hurt A LOT more than trail marathons the next day haha I am SO SORE from pounding the pavement. My calves feel like they are going to explode and stairs are not my friend. It was a good time though, and pretty scenery, so it was worth it (I guess). I don't think I'll run Boston this upcoming year. It costs a lot of money between race sign up, the flight there, hotel, and all that jazz. I'd rather spend it on several trail races instead. The mainstream races aren't really my scene yet. Eventually, I will (even if that means I need to qualify again). I feel like it's a kind of initiation that needs to happen for me to be a "real" runner...but for now I'll keep on playing in the dirt :)

Do you road bike LaMaria? I'm kind of interested in getting into that. I love riding my bike to get around, and someday I want to spoil myself with a good bike, not one I need to fix every couple months. I just don't know whether it should be a mountain bike or road bike. I always loved mountain biking, but I haven't done it since I left Michigan. I don't know anyone else who does it in California (though there are plenty of people, so I am sure I could find someone). I wouldn't go alone, though. The trails here have looser ground and if anything happened, I wouldn't want to be stuck out there. I think I would get more use out of road biking, but then I wouldn't have the option of going on the trails. Hmm...tradeoffs.

Normally I'd be sad that tomorrow is Monday, but I'm actually excited for it (is it blasphemous to say that??). The sooner this week comes and goes, the sooner next week comes and my boyfriend visits!! I saw him for less than 24 hours back in September, but haven't seen him since. It's been too long. So looking forward to some quality time together.

Goals for this week...hmm.... 1) eat ONLY when hungry and STOP when full. That is such a simple concept, yet so difficult to actually do. 2) Drink more water. 3) Dedicate time to study for the class I am taking. This one was offered through work and only offered for a couple weeks, so I want to put in the time to make it count. 4) Do yoga. Maybe a class, but even if I don't go to a class, I want to do it at home. I think I need to reconnect with the bod and give it a little lovin' after what I put it through this weekend.
 
Ooo, boyfriend visit! If that isn´t a great motivation to eat on point this week I don´t know what is ;) I remember the long-distance thing... Enjoy every minute of his presence (not that you need reminding).
I only use my bike as a mode of transport, really. Love that and I used to enjoy doing longer distances but here in Austria (not to mention with an Austrian bike; I WILL some day import a real bike) it just isn´t much fun (bike infrastructure sucks outside of Vienna) so I prefer to hike.
 
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