Polar Dash 2014

Love the duct tape shoes?

Well as usual, here I am saying "Oh it's been a long time since I've posted anything…."  Today I did the 5k at the Team Ortho Polar Dash in Minneapolis, MN.  I went so far out of my own comfort zone, I don't think I can ever go back to the person I was yesterday.  She is forever gone and a part of my past. And that is a good thing.

I was no nervous last night, and learned so much today, that I wanted to write it all down right away so that I don't forget and that I learn from my mistakes and triumphs.  The first thing I need to remember is to settle down the night before.  I got myself so worked up worrying about the weather, not being with Rico (he had to work), the parking, what to wear, catching the bus and everything that was so unknown, that I made myself sick.  I was literally SICK this morning and for awhile thought that I might not even be able to leave the house.  But, now that I know vaguely how this works, it will be better next time.  

The drive was good, the roads were good, but I arrived too early.  I arrived at the parking lots about 1 hour and 15 minutes before the race because I thought there was a "warming house". Warming house implies that something is warm.  Nope.  It was an underground garage, and while there were a few patio heaters around, there was nothing warm about it.  I learned that I hate winter.  Oh wait, I already knew that.  When I did my first 5k back in October of 2013, I thought it was cold that day.  I really truly did.  Man, was I dumb.  It was about 40 degrees that day.  Today?  Actual temps were around -5 with the wind making it feel about -10.  And I was miserable.  

I had a hard time deciding what to wear since this was my first actual cold weather race, so I scoured the Polar Dash Facebook page looking for veteran advice and found lots.  (Runners really are the nicest most helpful people in the world I think!   Honestly, out of 5,000 some odd people today, I cannot recall one rude one!)  What I decided on:

Top: sports bra, wicking tank, Under Armour cold gear turtleneck, stride long sleeve long shirt, and Polar Dash fleece jacket.  This was a PERFECT combination.  Not too hot, not too cold.  I wore a big old parka until right before the race too and then left it at bag check.  Bag check is AWESOME.  It was very well organized with extremely nice volunteers.

My amazing friends!!

Bottom:  wind gear tights and another pair of running tights.  This was NOT enough.  I should have worn another pair of pants.  I had worn just the wind gear tights at the Gobble Wobble in November, and was too cool, so thought that one extra pair would work well without being too much.  I was wrong.  During the race, my muscles in my thighs were cold and cramping and by the end, waiting for the buses, I was outright miserable because my thighs were so cold.  Lesson learned!

Feet:  compression socks and smart wool socks.  I also wore plastic BAGGIES over my socks, and then wore my older running shoes, and put duct tape over the outside of the toes.  Before the race, I was pretty miserable, and my feet were too cold.  I had wanted to wear another pair of thick wool socks, but there just was not enough room in my shoes.  If I did this race again in these temps, (which I will) I think I will get a larger pair of shoes and go with the three pairs of socks.  The first mile or the race, my feet started to warm up and it was ok, but before and after the race, it was pretty awful and I would have been happier with warmer feet.  But, the duct tape was a nice tip that I think helped keep things warmer.  

Frozen Finger!  

Hands:  epic fail.  I wore a pair of thin rubber gloves under my regular workout gloves, and a pair of wool mittens over that.  And I had disposable hand warmers.  Again, I arrived too soon, and there was no where to stay warm and I have problems with my right index finger getting number and cold when it's below 60 anyway.  So it went from bad to awful pretty quick.  I need better warmer mittens!  When the race started, I was already feeling pain in my right hand.  As the race went on, it got better, and I warmed up fine.  However after, I got cold VERY quickly, and then waiting in line for the buses, and this is what my hand looked like by the time I got to the car.  My entire index finger was yellow, I could not move it at all, and I honestly thought about going to a hospital, but I didn't know how to find one, and I just wanted to go home.  I ended up body heat warming it under my arm.  Fun driving, let me tell you.  LOL!  It took about an hour, but my fingers finally went back to normal.  It was really scary for a bit though.  They didn't just feel cold, it was like dead.  I felt NOTHING.  Hurt like a bitch as it warmed up too.  Yikes.  I think I may have a little problem called Renaud's, but that's for another day.

Head:  baclava and Polar Dash hat.  Perfect combination.  The baclava I just adjusted as I ran and uncovered my face or not, and it was just right.  I did end up having to take off my sunglasses though because they fogged up.  It was cloudy out though, so it was ok.  

All in all, not too bad for my first Polar Dash on the clothing choices.  A few minor adjustments, and I'm good.  

Overall, the race was WONDERFUL!  Being cold sucked, being there in a strange place with so many strangers (not my cup of tea) was very rough, BUT, I did it.  I did have to walk for a little tiny bit, but I think it was because I had my face mask off for too long, and the air was just too tricking cold that it gave me a horrible stitch in my side.  There were the usual wonderful people along the sides ringing cowbells and cheering.  I wish I could communicate to those lovely people how very wonderful and helpful that is for me.  They have NO idea!  My eyelashes and face did frost up, which was very odd - I've honestly never had that happen before.  I wasn't able to get a picture of it because it was so cold that my phone kept shutting off.  LOL!

Best hot chocolate ever!

This wasn't an official timed race, and I started my Runkeeper too soon and forgot to turn it off, but I think I had a similar time to what I had at the Mankato Marathon 5k.  The only problem, per se, was I wish walkers would have stayed to one side.  They all just sort of plopped right down the middle with no awareness of people around them, and I felt like I did a lot of "Frogger" style moves trying to get around people.  I am not fast by any stretch of the imagination, but I did want to run, and it was difficult just due to the sheer number of people there.  Had the walkers stayed off to one side, it would have been easier I think.  

At the end, when the very sweet volunteer handed me my medal, I started to cry.  She was cold and standing there and could have looked miserable but she smiled at me and said, "first one?"  I couldn't even answer her.  I know it's just a little piece of metal, but to me, it symbolizes everything I've worked for the last six months and everywhere I want to go with the rest of my life.  2014 started out with me healthier than ever.  I've lost almost 70 pounds, and feel amazing.  My depression I used to battle with is no longer an issue.  Turns out losing 70 pounds, getting closer with your husband via a shared hobby, and the awesomeness of running just trump the shit out of depression.  ;)

So, next stop, The Get Lucky 7k in March.  Rico will be running that race with me, so already it's a better situation from the get go.  My wonderful girlfriends will be there with me too.  It's going to be warmer too.  I just know it.  :)

That white stuff on my scarf
and arms is FROST from my breath,
and it's hard to tell in the pic,
but my eyelashes were all icy. SO WEIRD!

Don't Drown Your Food

Sorry I have been so quiet. It's been crazy. I started YMCA Boot Camp and a new spinning class this week. Last week I wasn't feeling motivated, and had too much on my plate. Enough excuses! I am feeling good again now. Boot camp is really kicking my butt. Like, OMG, dying, barely making it through class burning a billion calories dying. I love every second of it. But, I will talk more about that later! Today I want to talk about FOOD!

Yes, I love food. Hello, have you seen my before pictures, of course I love food. I love to cook. I love to eat. I love to eat out. I used to love complicated dishes with heavy sauces, Alfredo and hollandaise being my favorites. I loved ketchup and mayo. NUMMY! Oh, and steak sauce? My other fav! And cocktail sauce. And cheese. Oh Lord. I used to put cheese on everything because I thought it tasted better. My husband would cringe when he would grill a steak to perfection (he is an EXCELENT cook) and then I would slob sauce all over it. He'd say, "Don't drown your food." I always thought he was a poooper head as my daughter would say. It made it nummier. How could he not understand that?

Well, here we are years later, and I realize, he still weighs within a few pounds of when I met him 163 years ago. (It seems that long...LOL. Actually it's going on 18 years.) He looks amazing. He is not fat like me. And he DOESN'T DROWN HIS FOOD! Hmmm, maybe he is on to something here? He eats meat plain, he doesn't like sauces (except for occasional gravy - no one is perfect) he doesn't use condiments, and he doesn't like cheese on burgers, omelets or sandwiches. Hmmm. Then it hit me....

HE EATS CLEAN!!!!! Omg, it hit me one day when I was reading a little Tosca Reno. My husband eats clean and he doesn't even know it. He eats raw fruits and veggies, lean meat, and hardly any dairy, and yep, no white bread for this dude!

A few years ago, the idea of an omelet without cheese, or a sandwich without mayo would have gagged me. But I made SLOW changes. VERY slow. I went from full fat products to low fat to no fat to plain food that I could enjoy. (Watch your sugar content though. You must read labels!!) I went from regular cheese to low fat cheese to no cheese - it's just extra fat and calories. I went from piling on white sauces to sparingly using red sauces. Subtle changes over the last couple years. Now, I don't WANT cheese on my sandwich. I threw the mayo away because I was the only one that liked it before, and it's been so long since anyone used it, it's more of a science experiment than a condiment! And hummus and tomatoes make a sandwich much tastier than any cheese ever did. You can make changes too. And what's funny, is in the long run, you WILL like it better, and food actually tastes SO much better without all the sauces, creams and crap. And the calories and fat you save. It's insane!

Let's go through a typical meal to see what happens.

Old Breakfast

3 egg omelet with cheese cooked in butter
3-4 slices bacon or link sausage
2 slices white toast with real butter
Orange Juice (big glass)

Ugh, what was I thinking???? That lovely little meal adds up to 1240 calories, 77 grams of fat, (36 of them saturated) and 52 grams of protein. All by 8am. Well no wonder I weighed 235 jiggly pounds. I ate like that all the time!

Now I would have something more like this.

New Breafast

5 eggs white omelet with 1 tablespoon ground flax seed & 2 cups raw mushrooms cooked in a drizzle of olive oil.
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries or raspberries
1 slice Ezekiel bread with a teaspoon of sugar free preserves or honey
1 cup green tea

Notice, this is actually MORE food. But, it's only 360 calories. We saved 880 calories!!! It is also only 7 grams of fat, with only 1 gram saturated, it has 12 grams of fiber, and 28 grams of protein. (You should never have more than 25-30 grams of protein at a time - your body cannot process it and guess what happens to calories your body can't process? THEY TURN INTO FAT !!!!!)

Now, if I had the first breakfast one day, and the second the next, it probably wouldn't taste great. Eating clean can take time to adjust to. Maybe jumping full force works for some people, but making gradual changes not only allows you to adjust, but your family as well. I have stopped buying white bread for instance. It was VERY gradual. They survived. They didn't even notice when I bought sugar free jelly. And when the sugar bowl was replaced with Stevia packets, they didn't mind. Your family will adjust too. I hear a lot of people say "Oh my husband would freak if we ate like that." Well, if you change things slow, they won't really notice. By the time they figure it out, you will be able to point out to them how much healthier they are. I have seen my boys go from borderline chubby, to lean and trim athlete types! What a gift I have given them to not go into adulthood as an obese person! I feel like the best mom in the world! As Flylady would say, take baby steps! But, more about food.

Let's look at a poor drowned sandwich I used to love. Bologna, american cheese, white bread and mayo on one side, butter on the other. (It gags me to even think that I used to like that....)

643 freakin calories. Ewww. That's not to mention the cheetos or some other crap I would have eaten with it. And washed it down with a coke to boot. Barf. Easily a 1000 calorie lunch.

Now a typical lunch would be some tuna, some sprouts and some hummus tucked into a pita bread. An apple. A dish of some fresh veggie like 2 cups of cauliflower, and a large glass of water, plus a cup of tea with honey in it. (I can forgo desserts usually, but tea with honey in it is my treat now.)

305 little butty calories, and twice the food! And only 6 grams of fat and 11 grams of fiber! Again, start with skipping the mayo and adding a slice of tomato or hummus. Switch from white to wheat. Switch from bologna to chicken or turkey. Baby baby steps!

Over the course of time, you will not want the condiments. I just ate a piece of salmon that I grilled last might. No seasonings, no sauces, no anything. Just the smokey flavor of the grill. It was beyond decadent. I used to eat piles of potatoes with gravy and butter. Today I had a sweet potato I cooked in the microwave, just plain, mashed up. I reveled in the texture and taste with nothing to cover it up!

So, I could go on all day, but I leave you with this. Condiments are hidden calories that you are just globbing on your hips and thighs. Might as well just stick that package of jeans into the top of your jeans and let your muffin top flop because that is where it is going to go! Being aware of what goes into your mouth can be a real eye opener. Start reading those labels and start adding up those hidden calories! You'd be surprised at what a few little changes can add up to in your daily caloric intake!

Love, laughter and light,
Mrs. ChildFun