It's been a while

So paddling season is in full swing, which means that I don't have time for anything else, including blogging. That's why it has been so long. The season has been good, there have been some frustrating times, but all in all I feel like our team is really pulling together. We have come in second 2 times and then we came in 4th place in Kailua. We came in 3rd in Nanakuli, but that race won't count towards States points. It's been challenging, and it's been rewarding. I have sat seat 1 in 3 of our races. Because we have a different coach this year, it took us a while to get used to his coaching style. It was a lot of technique work in the beginning, which seemed really slow and boring, but in the long run it has paid off. We look pretty good anyway. I have taken to running on the beach after practice with whoever will go with me, usually Keysa, Joanna, Amber and Karen. Ananda ran a few times, but it gets really late. It's something I wish I had started doing a long time ago, running barefoot on the beach at night is freaking awesome. It's so nice and cool and somehow there is plenty of light out there to see where you're going. The best has been the few occasions when there has been a full or nearly full moon and you get a full on shadow it's so bright.
My weight goal had been to lose 5 pounds in 5 weeks, but I couldn't get my eating under control to lose the weight. It has taken me about 8 weeks to lose 3 pounds, but I guess that's not terrible. The running definitely helps me since for some reason paddling isn't enough of a cardio workout most of the time. We've been doing more sprinting recently, but it's not anywhere near the level we were doing last year.
So I want to lose those last 2 pounds by my birthday (July 16th if anyone wants to send a gift). Regatta season goes until the first weekend in August. I will try to start running more in the meantime, but when I start running again after paddling I should be able to drop a few more pounds. I would like to lose a few before the half-marathon on September 14.
I have been doing an excellent job drinking a lot of water. I have been taking my big water bottle everywhere with me and I empty it before practice and then I usually drink a ton of water during and after practice. I'm going to continue on that track.
I created a training log for myself on an excel spreadsheet that counts my paddling workouts, my runs, calculates my pace per mile and has an area for counting calories. I set it up to average everything out per month. I'm not going to worry too much about being exact on my calories, but I am going to make sure that I go back and think about the day and try to get everything on there including when I snag a couple of crackers or have a handful of chips. The other day I was very proud of myself, I avoided some emotional eating and wrote to my friends instead. The log is better for me than most I have seen that get really complicated about where you have run and what pair of shoes you were wearing and your measurements and everything. If I ever get into some more weight training or something else that I want to measure I will add it in. If anyone wants to check out my log just comment with your email address and I'll send over my template.
I also just discovered a fantastic free journal/log for both calculating how much calories you're eating and it will compare your intake with your calories burned from activities. I encourage everyone to check it out at http://my-calorie-counter.everydayhealth.com It is very easy to use if you're looking for a log.
Okay, so my new goals:
1. Add entries into the training log every day. Figure out from the log where I am taking in the most calories and where I need to change.
Next week I should have an idea where I need to cut the calories in order to drop a few pounds.
2. Run twice this week.

Pre-season

Our first pre-season paddling race was yesterday. It seemed really long, but I guess that's why they call it long distance. It was okay, it was an ironman 6 mile race starting at Ke`ehi Lagoon, out and around a buoy and back. In the boat sat Keissa, me, Debby, Ananda, Katie and Joanna steered. It was a beautiful day so we just enjoyed the paddling. We are doing the same race, same course next weekend. Hopefully it won't feel as long as this one did. I started to lose my voice towards the end, sitting in seat 2. I was pretty exhausted when I got home.
Today I went for a run. Well, I started at 12:00, in the very middle of the day so it was a little hot. I tried to do the loop from home, but only made it to Aala Dr. That's 4.76 miles (I calculated it) I ended up walking three times because it was so hot and humid. It felt good to get out and run though. Especially since practices have seemed so sluggish and slow. I have been continuing to weigh myself and I'm down to a steady 138. I've been replacing my carbs with more vegetables and protein, which helps me feel full. Unfortunately Nate bought Peanut Butter Cup flavored frozen Klondike bars. Damn they're good. I can't resist after dinner. But I think I can lose those pesky three pounds in another two weeks and then start on the 5 that I originally wanted to lose. It would be great to get to 130. Then I would just need to maintain. I think physically it would be possible to get down to 125, but I think that would involve giving up lovely things like peanut butter cup flavored Klondike bars. Who wants to live like that? Certainly not me.

Goals:
Continue bringing water bottle and lunch to work.
Attempt to not eat ice cream one night this week.
Continue replacing carbs with veggies and protein.

Monday- paddling, Tuesday- KCC strength training, Wednesday- paddling, Thursday- off, Friday- paddling, Saturday- race, Sunday- run/hike/lift.

Check in

Checked my goals from the last blog and I did really well. I brought my water to work almost every day, I did the dinner chart and worked out all the days I said I would.
I did weigh in at 138, but it's a shaky 138. I should be able to get down another pound this week.
So my goals are:
Weigh in at 137 on Friday, April 18.
Workouts:
Tonight- paddling, Saturday- paddling, Sunday- hiking or running, Monday- paddling, Tuesday- lifting/run, Wednesday- paddling, Thursday- off, Friday- paddling.

New Goals for April

It's always hard when there are big changes in your life to stick with your healthy lifestyle. I just started a new job with the DOE and as I was preparing to leave my other job, my whole healthy lifestyle fell apart. I began eating a lot of fatty food, plenty of carbs and dessert every night. These are all things that I had moved away from for a long time. One of the things that I think will help me from going too far off track is the fact that I weigh myself regularly. I noticed that I have gained 5 pounds. It's amazing how fast they pile on compared to how slowly they melt off. Anyway, 140 is not good. I need to start paying attention again. Honestly, that's the hardest part. To remember during a stressful day that healthy living is important. I bought Nate and I new lunch boxes, and have gotten back to making lunch. While mom was visiting we stopped making a weekly dinner chart, but we're getting back to that, too.
Paddling started back up yesterday, but it seems like we're going to be doing a lot of more distance type training, so we're not really getting our heart rates up too much. I'm going to have to supplement with some running in between. That's easy if I can get back into throwing on my sneakers when I walk Titus. Doing some quick sprints with him is a good quick workout and I can fit that in once or twice a day.
Today is April 3 and I would like to lose at least 2 pounds this next week. That would put me at 138 by April 11 (I'll make it a Friday to even out my week.)
I'm trying to remember to just set a simple goal for the week and to stick with it.

Goals:
Remember to bring water bottle to work every day.
No drinking (alcohol).
Weekly dinner chart.
Pack lunch every day this week.
Lose 2 lbs by April 11th.
Friday- Paddling, Saturday- Paddling, Sunday- Quick Run, Monday- Paddling, Tuesday- Paddling, Wednesday- Paddling, Thursday- Off, Friday- Paddling

Check in on April 11th.

A Day in the Life of an MIA

The day began with an early rise to meet the original MIA's at the Marimed/YWCA parking lot. It was a sign of the luck we were to face all day that Mike and Blaine headed to the wrong parking lot at first. However, they made a call, picked me up and we were on our way to the airport. Security was its same old lovely ride,
slow and awesome all the way to the other side of the metal detectors. It would have been shorter and awesome with a quick jump to Sector 1 if Mike hadn't let his special golden ticket expire.
We found our way to the plane and knocked the passengers left and right to get our three sweet, separate aisle seats. They even served us coffee on our flight. Although they ran out of their cute little coffee cups and served mine in a plastic water cup. Oh well.
On the Big Island of Hawaii we were able to locate and commandeer a vehicle. The Impala, with it's tight turning radius and state of the art music system was more than we ever dreamed of. There was room for at least three dead bodies in the trunk. Four would fit with the right positioning. We practiced our inspection skills by checking the car for scratches and dents. We then sped off down the road and immediately took a wrong turn and got lost. A quick check in with base camp had us back in the correct direction. We checked out a waterfall as we sped on by and arrived at the main office of the Wahiola program.
While I performed a quick CAFAS training the MIAs checked out the boys' house. Because the information is confidential, I will not be discussing any of their findings.
When the hard work was complete, we hit the 50s Diner for lunch. The exquisite burgers made of real cow meat were served to us after a short wait, by our moaning waiter. In the meantime we studied the "eclectic" decorum, the toy cars, the life-size manequins in 50's dress and the records pasted to the walls. After eating we all enjoyed the Betty Boop bathroom, with its crazy waiting area outside the door. Blaine has been ordered to take a shower in the Betty Boop shower next time they're on the Big Island.
I grabbed myself some coffee and then we headed up to the girls' house to inspect. Again, I will not be revealing our findings, I will not however, that I was an excellent inspector, and discovered many things. I was offered the opportunity to become an official Marimed Inspection Agent and I didn't even have to shank anyone to get the position. I was told I would receive a secret nickname. I think they forgot.
From there we toured as much of the island as we could, driving through Puna and flying by the zoo. I got to look at the Big Island Borders on our way.
Before we went to the airport to drop off our sporty Impala, we did NOT, I repeat did NOT stop by the Big Island Candy store to buy Nate a few cookies and get a few free samples.
We had a hard time returning our vehicle, because they had to check the trunk for dead bodies first, then Blaine had to reverse into a parking stall. It was all a little hectic, but we all arrived safe and sound in the end.
We passed by the airport bar, and Mike, shown here, sadly refused an alcoholic beverage. Then we were on our way back to Oahu, where the world makes more sense and there are less people living in yellow school buses.

Stress Diet, Swamp Romp, and Home-made Salsa

Haven't posted since the Aloha Run, so there are many things to talk about. First of all, the weekend after the Aloha Run, we ran the Swamp Romp in the marine corps base. I'm going to post the pictures. If you want a copy of one, please go to the following website: Printroom.com and go to the swamp romp section. Or you can click on this link. I will hopefully get my pictures developed soon and I'll post them when I do.
I just want to say that I love the swamp romp. It is the most disguisting thing ever and it hurts really, really bad and you run through really sticky mud and you run on sand and go over obstacles. It was a little over 5 miles this year. There was one point that we were running through a particularly sticky patch of mud, my feet got totally stuck and I thought to myself, this is the kind of mud that people get stuck and die in if there's no one around to get you out. Some people did a kind of fast spider crawl over the top and didn't get stuck somehow. I put my foot in and immediately was stuck and had to be pulled out. Thank god Mariya was there, I might have been stuck there forever. There were several walls that you had to pull yourself up and over, and there was a lot of swimming through disgusting mud. The pictures I believe were taken during what I though was the nastiest part of the whole thing. You could swim through the mud, but it was like a sludge. It was thick and you could feel it gathering in your shirt and pants. I think this is how Atreyu must have felt when he was leading Artax through the Swamp of Sadness. Of course Artax died, and we did not.
After the Swamp Romp I was pretty focused on my two interviews that happened to be set up for the same week, on two consecutive days. The first was for a Program Supervisor position, the second was for a DOE SBBH position. I think the first interview actually went well, and I was scheduled for a second interview. However, the second interview also went well and I was offered a position at the end of the week. I had to accept. I have wanted to work in the Department of Education for quite some time. So, I accepted the position, cancelled my second interview for the other position and began the resignation process at my present job. That was hard. I cried when I told my supervisor, when I told his supervisor, when I told the cadets, and when I told pretty much everyone else. I love this job, but it's really stressful and Nate and I can't take vacations at the same time. So, it's time to move on. While I was interviewing and stressing out about the possibility of new jobs, we were also changing banks. Central Pacific Bank has a great no minimum bank account and we wanted to change. In the meantime I bounced four transactions. Nate was not happy and I was really stressed out. It almost cost us an extra hundred dollars, but Nate went and complained to the bank and got two of our fees dropped.
So, in the meantime, I was completely stressed out, worried about getting a new job, bouncing checks and I lost two pounds. For real two pounds. I can always lose a few, but I generally gain them back pretty quickly. These have stayed off. I took advantage and have tried to eat well and have been working out 3 times a week, even if Ananda and I have gotten a little lazy and have been walking the loop.
Nate and I have actually been hiking with our lovely dog, Titus, and Nate has lost a few pounds. His shorts are all too loose. I think it's a combination of the hiking, walking Titus and the fabulous home-made food Nate and I have been creating. Nate likes to get different ingredients that we've never used before and look up a recipe. Recently we made home-made pesto with ingredients from the farmer's market, we made a spicy salsa (delicious!) and put together a guacamole that is really, really tasty. (The first time we made it, it was so salty that we had to throw it out, but the second time was incredible.) We also made meatballs and then put together a meatball sub with spaghetti sauce. I think we are both losing some weight and gaining the health benefits from our home-made food. And let me tell you, it's so tasty. And actually pretty easy, when you look up a well-written recipe online.
So, this is what is going on with me in the past few weeks. I am looking forward to paddling and have been trying out tennis. My goals are:
Monday- paddling (maybe)
Tuesday- run the loop
Wednesday- paddling (maybe)
Thursday- run the loop
Saturday- tennis at 10:30am and swim laps at 11:00am.

I would like to get back into doing pushups as well.
Oh, and I need to finish my walking stick, that I grabbed from our hike earlier today. I will take pictures. We cut down a young tree on the hike, and I'm going to sand, carve and stain the walking stick.

Great Aloha Run 08

Today was the Great Aloha Run, finally. It seems like I've been training for it forever. I was definitely starting to get burnt out on running the Lanikai loop, but none of us have taken the initiative to find another course or suggest something different. Anyway, Great Aloha Run. I woke up at 4:30am and made some eggs and coffee. I also ate half a banana in the hopes that I wouldn't cramp too bad. Hit the bathroom, no problems there, if you know what I mean. (Smooth sailing) Picked up Ananda at just after 5 and we were on our way. We listened to a little Jonathan Mendelsohn to pump us up for the race. We parked at the stadium and caught a large school bus down to the start line. People were in all sorts of moods from pumped, to tired, to irritable. I thought quietly about how badly I had to pee again, while Ananda figured out how to get the time chip onto her shoe. After she had laced it up good (spelling out Champion with the plastic connector) we arrived on Bishop. We made an immediate pit-stop to the porta-potties, which ended up being a big mistake. We ended up in the slow line at the johns with no TP. We saw several YMCA folks, but since they were going to walk and we were determined to win we said our goodbyes and headed to the start line. Unfortunately we took so long on the potty line that we were at the end of the herd to start. We saw the uniformed soldiers had already started, waving their flags. When the gun went off at 7:00am there was a general movement towards the start. Luckily the timer chips start when you cross the start line, so it didn't matter how fast we were going until we got there. We started our time at 7:07 on my watch. It was hard at first because there was a ton of walkers back at the end of the herd with us and we had to navigate around them. It's our own fault for taking so long to get there, but it was slightly annoying. We did end up running a fast first few miles. We missed the 1 mile marker and hit mile 2 at 17 minutes. We ran about a 9 minute mile until marker 6 and then the course headed out onto Kam Highway, into the sun and up the hills. We had already passed both water stations. We had to slow down because it was getting harder to keep up our pace and we wanted to finish the whole thing with a good time. We passed a few interesting people. A black guy dressed in old school red sports gear with red wrist bands did the whole race backwards. There was a few people who did not use their morning allotment of deoderant and smelled pretty bad. We ran faster to pass them. I myself used deoderant, but started to sweat buckets a few minutes into it. I was pretty soaked by the end of the race. Miles 7 and 8 in the race were definitely the hardest for me, you might call it, my windward leg. I had a brief second wind at mile 7 that didn't last very long. It was the slight uphill rise, that went on forever that did me in. After you finished the first one, there was another one not far behind it. I'm not sure if there was a mile marker for 8, if there was I missed it. We did a pretty good job of not going too fast when we got close to the stadium (there's still a lot of distance left at that point) even though that's when people started to go a lot faster. The best part is, as always, the run into the stadium. We sprinted through and hopefully there will be a fantastic picture of me crossing the finish line with a fierce, determined look on the GAR site. We ran the whole thing in 1:18:43, about a 9:40 mile. That definitely beats last year's time.
After the finish you throw your leg onto a bench so they can cut off the chip and you follow the herd towards the water, the bananas and sweet bread, and the best part- the ice cold lemonade drink they always have. Mmmm, it's so wonderful after a hard run. Then we picked up our t-shirts and wandered into the stadium where we decided that we did not much care to stay for the show. We found our way to the car, took some fabulous post-race pictures in the parking lot, and drove home, where we told everyone that we won the race. A tie in fact, because we are both so fast. Click here to look at the rest of the pictures.