I had been thinking about challenges/goals for the coming year. I wasn’t sure what it would be.
The goal came to me.
I had forgotten that I put in for the NYC Half lottery. I was reminded, when I got the email.
I wasn’t sure how happy I was because logistically NYC events are a bit of a pain. Worth it, but still a pain. The exciting part is that 2 of my running friends also got in. So misery loves company.
I’ve been thinking about goals for event now too. I’m thinking if I could finish the Bethlehem Running Festival in 2:41:08 after running 3 other races that weekend, I would train for a possible 2:30 half. We shall see. We shall see.
Then after wrapping my head around that, two of my suns have roped me into a 6K Spartan race. Fortunately that won’t be till summer. So one goal at a time.
I can’t believe how much Yorvipath is making a difference. Not just in my running, but my day to day life as well.
While I love what this is doing for my running, I am not just taking this to be able to run. That is just a bonus. Living with untreated PTH loss (aka Hypoparathyroidism) was like living with one hand tied behind my back. Some days both.
As I told my family, I made it look easier than it actually was because what was the point otherwise. The constant worry if my calcium would crash. The self monitoring. The leg cramps. The cramping of hands.
So even if I wasn’t running, I would happily take it. The running is just a bonus.
Training has been going well. I even hit 20 miles for the week. Runs have felt good. Legs have felt good. To be honest, I am waiting for the shoe to drop it has been going so well.
I have also been working on controlling my pace. Thinking about which of the fall races will to be my goal race. Consistency will be the key.
My goal is not perfection, but to follow the plan as best I can.
2016 was the year I began tryin to take my running to the next level. I was working with a running coach. I had goals. There was no stoping me….. or so I thought.
Then, as I’ve said before, two weeks after running NYC Marathon which I crashed and burned because I went out WAY too fast I had my thyroid out. As you know this was the surgery that left me with Hypoparathyroidism.
I’ve started thinking about new goals now that I am on the Yorvipath hormone replacement therapy. It has gotten me looking at where I’ve been with my running and what I might now be able to do now that my body seems to be working again.
The following year, I wanted to push myself to run another marathon. It was hard. It was hot. I did it. I finished in 5:48:52. My marathon times only got slower from there. I usually finished shortly after 6 hours. My slowest being in 2023 at 7:14.
It was always a struggle. I had to balance the need to replenish my calcium supplies for running while taking into account my kidneys. Then there was also the issue of making sure not to allow calcium to get to low causing a crash.
I pushed myself.
Now that I am taking my Yorvipath, it appears that my body is able to once again do what is asked. Suddenly I can push to hit 12 minute paces. I still. Have much to go, but it is a start. My Garmin even recorded a best pace of 9:24. No, I can’t sustain that but the fact that I hit it is a start.
So as I get ready to train for Bethlehem festival, it is time for new goals…..
We are searching for that magic pill. Some are even opting for an injection instead. I get it. Sometimes it is necessary. Sometimes there are medical reasons that would require such extreme measures. Sometimes there isn’t except that loosing weight is hard. I’ve thought about other options, but as I mentioned before I signed up for weight watchers at end of April.
I am the type of person that needs a plan. In my 40’s when I lost 20 pounds (before gaining it all back and more), I used the South Beach Diet. While it helped, it is not a healthy diet for me nor did I want so much a diet as I wanted to retrain my brain/body to eat healthy.
So here we are 7 weeks in and 11.4 pounds down.
Steady…. Slow but steady
As you can see from my step goal, I am doing well. Probably because as a PreK teacher, I am rarely off my feet during the day. So that seems to be working in my favor. I am trying to be steady in working out. I, honestly, have not been running since the Brooklyn Half. I’ve been walking, indoor biking, and weights. I have not been as steady on that as I would like, but I do know that I am gearing up to start my Hat Trick Training at end of July. So theres that.
I like a plan. I like an easy plan. I have found the plan that is now working for me. Tracking which I’ve tried before and never stuck with seems to be working for me now. I think the overall approach to Weight Watchers is what is working for me. I’m not just tracking my food. I am assessing and thinking about what foods I am eating. The daily points have made me think, “is it worth it” when thinking about food choices. I am also encouraged to move more to get more points!
I still don’t feel like I am necessarily on a diet, but on a healthy eating path. When I pack my lunch, it is both tasty but also weeding out the easy to grab processed foods.
Breakfast, lunch and snack for the day.
That being said, I am still eating a cookie which I track. The thing is I am thinking just one cookie and not several. A small piece of ice cream cake and not a full slice. I don’t want to deprive myself. I just want to find the balance.
I’m not going to lie though…… I know hitting my goal weight is going to take time. I know it’s going to be harder than I want it to be. I know. I know. I know….. but, but , but ……….I am now one pound less than I weighed in last seen 2019. So that is a win! I am also a little less than 5 pounds away from my first goal weight. Then after that 15 more.
It is going to take time. The weight didn’t go on over night, so I can’t expect it to come off overnight either.
When I started training for the Brooklyn Half, I thought realistically that a 2:45 was not out of range with enough training. My last two prior half marathons have been just under 3 hours. So it was not unreasonable to think with push and training, it could happen. It was a reasonable A goal.
As you know, training had been going well right up until I hit a few speed bumps with my calcium. I missed some runs due to not feeling up to it and then there was the whole fiasco of the calcium crash.
In speaking to my doctor, she was advising on the side of caution. She thought it would be prudent not to run. In talking though, she said if I didn’t push and did a lot of walking that would be for the best.
That was the plan…..
So how did it go……. Here’s the recap
I prepared the night before. Carefully not only laying out my clothes, but also getting all calcium/meds ready to go. Taking extra just in case. I decided to go back to adding powdered calcium to my water. Thinking that I would take plain water at water stops which worked well. On top of that, I took a dose of my calcitriol/calcium at 4:00 am before leaving for city. I also upped my normal calcitirol dose at this time.
The morning of the race started off with alarm not going off leaving me 20 minutes to get ready which is why it is good to have everything ready to go. Nothing was forgotten.
Get into the city to find that the parking that NYRR said was available was not in deed available. That provided some added stress as we were parking at the finish line near Coney Island and then needed to take train to Prospect Park for the Start. We were lucky to find a small lot that actually was very reasonable at $20. Dawn was right when she said, “they could have charged double and we would gladly have paid.”
Then off to the trains to go to Prospect start. Get to the Corral for our 8:20 start time. Before the race started, I took my normal dose of calcium/calcitriol. Then go to start my watch and realize that for some reason my Garmin did NOT charge!!!!!!!
Now I wasn’t running for time. I was planning to listen to my doctor, but I’m still a runner and like my tracking. I also thought it would be good to keep me in check as I do tend to start off too fast in big races. I also run faster than I can maintain or should be, but it was what it was.
I was running all on feel.
It was strange not to have a watch to watch. Although out of habit, I looked at the blank screen several times during the race. I took off at what I felt was a comfortable pace. I was feeling good. Then at the 5k water stop, I saw the 2:45 pace group and realized thats not where I should be.
I had to remind myself that my goal this race what not so much a time, but to keep my levels in the zone. I also realized that the conditions were very similar to the day I had the big crash. It was HOT. It was HUMID. The heat is not my friend. I was sweating.
With exercise everyone burns through calcium, but their bodies usually replenish by taking from bones. No worries though because this is a normal process and is actually good for bone health. For those of us with Hypoparathyroidism, this does not happen. There is no calcium regulation. So as our body burns up the calcium through sweat and heavy exercise, it must be manual added with our supplements and meds. Downside is that we just have to make educated guesses when to add.
Yesterday I hit it right – with the added meds and I do think the added calcium in the water. My doctor said it takes about 20 minutes for the meds to hit which is why it is important to add before feeling low. So thats what I did.
So I ran by feel. I walked a lot. I reminded myself that I did a lot of walking in training. When I walked, I power walked. When I ran, I ran by feel.
As you can see I did start off too fast. I adjusted. There were times that I thought I could/should run and push myself. I reminded myself that I needed to finish a smart race. A race that was more about being smart. I had no idea what time I was going to finish, but honestly this was my B goal.
It was a good day. A day to prove that I can do hard things.
As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I started Weight Watchers. I will admit that I have always said that I was not one to count points and it wasn’t for me…….
I was wrong.
Maybe back in the day when you had to do all the counting and calculating. That is no more. It couldn’t be any easier to use. There is a recipe calculator. You can scan bar codes. A “what to eat” tab with featured recipes and lists of all the zero point foods.
Honestly with all the zero point foods, you can eat and eat and not feel deprived. It does require a little planning, but we all know it is the mindless grabbing of food that is the problem for many of us as is processed foods. The one consideration is that it definitely more costly to eat fresh, but that is not weight watchers fault. It is sad commentary that a bag of potato chips is cheaper than a container of strawberries……. But I digress.
Anywho….
I’ve been consistently tracking. I’ve been managing my points. One thing that I do like is that besides daily points, you get what they call weekly points to use anyway you want during your week. These points also increase as does your activity. I didn’t understand that at first, but now use them.
I also am not depriving myself. This week was teacher appreciation week that brought goodies and I also went into NYC for a Hypopara study visit (more on that in separate post later). I ate what I wanted to eat, but maybe pregaming pizza lunch with a zero point salad. Then having only one slice of pizza instead of two. It is about thinking about the food you eat.
This was all only 2 points and that was for the feta cheese.
One thing that tracking made me think about is the number of calories that I drink. While I by no means will be giving up my coffee, I realized that for some reason using agave in my coffee was more points than regular sugar. I then realized switching to monk fruit sweetener was even better. Also had to rethink my morning smoothie which while always healthy needed to be adjusted.
So I will continue to do weekly updates with the good and the bad as I did sign up for the next several months. My first goal is 15 pounds. Ultimately I would like to loose a total of 30 pounds. Time will tell.
Currently I am heading in the right direction. Down 4.2 pounds. This feels like not so much a diet as a reset and shift in eating habits. It is about being the healthiest version of myself which the added weight has not been helping.
I am overweight. Thanks to many factors, I might be adding instead of subtracting pounds. Based on charts, I would be considered obese. I am out of shape. When I run I have been known to huff and puff. I am not as strong as I used to be. I am not as flexible as I used to be. I’m definitely not as young as I used to be! Sometimes I look at pictures and think…. Damn, what happened.
To be honest though while it does cross my mind on occasion, most of the time I just don’t give a shit. Does my weight determine how I live my life? Not a chance. Does my weight determine if I head out the door to run or exercise? Nope. Does it keep me from living my life and doing the things I want to do? Never. Does my weight effect the way I fit in my jeans? Yup. Does the size of my jeans affect my overall life happiness? Hell no!
All my life, I’ve been beating the odds. I’ve been the one who was picked last for gym class. I’ve been the one who is looked past and over. I say this not for a pity party because who needs that. I say this because at this point in my life, I don’t care and if you didn’t pick me to be on your team I wouldn’t want to play with you anyway. If you look past me, no worries because I’m probably have a plan of where I need to be anyway.
I say these things because they are true. I say these things because they are what made me who I am today. They made me stronger. I had to find my own self worth. I had to find what made me who I am today. I define who I am. I define what I am and what I will do.
Now please don’t take that to mean that I don’t need others and others opinions aren’t important. I’m just saying that although it is nice when others build a person up that you must learn to build yourself up first or it means nothing. If you spend your life looking for validation from others, you will never truly be satisfied or know your worth.
So while I know that some might look at me at shake their heads wondering how I consider myself a runner and an athlete, I do. I know that I don’t have the speed of some. I don’t have the agility or endurance of some. I don’t have a lot, but what I have is enough.
I have the will. I have the desire. I push myself when it’s hard. I push myself to be more than I was. I strive to be better, stronger, faster than I thought I could be. I also know that what I have to offer is enough. That while I could always be better and improve myself, that who and what I am today is enough.
And while all of that is true, we all know that I have talked about trying to get the number down on the scale. At my last doctor visit, I had gained an additional 10 pounds which was always the number I said I couldn’t hit. My doctor said something that stuck with me, “Don’t let this be your new normal” after I said that to her.
Since that visit in December, I have tried on my own a few different ways. None of them stuck while the weight did. I very much like to have a plan. I think I’ve found one that I’ve been doing for a few days now. I like it. It makes sense to me and it is easy to follow.
So with that I will say that I signed up for Weight Watchers. I signed up for a 10 month plan as I have 30 pounds as my goal.
Today’s Facebook memories from 9 years ago were filled with NYC Half Marathon.
A sub 2 half…. Right under the wire at 1:58:59
This was a race that I worked with amazing coach to achieve. This was a race I trained hard for.
It was hard.
It wasn’t easy.
I wasn’t sure that I would be able to do it.
Yet, I did.
Now mind you this was 9 years ago…. 8 months before my thyroid surgery that left me Hypopara.
Here’s the thing though….. I know due to getting older, the whole Hypopara thing, and the extra pounds that I am no longer chasing the sub w half.
I get that. I really do, but what was hard and impossible then became reachable and possible. That doesn’t mean that I can’t still do hard things. It’s just that I think I forgot it.
This was a good reminder. Not just for my running and fitness, but for life in general.
Some might say that I have been doing this for a long time without reaching some of my goals.
Maybe that’s true.
Maybe it’s not.
My goals have changed along the way. My thoughts of what is necessary has changed. What and where I want to be has changed. I know my body has changed and what it can do too. Always moving forward though. Maybe no longer reaching for that golden ring, but happy with the consolation prize. Bobbing and weaving, even when the finish line keeps moving.
So maybe it’s not about reaching the goal, but continuing to reach for it without giving up.
Tomorrow starts my 16 week training plan for the Brooklyn Half. As of now I do not have a goal for the race other than to run it well. To me that will mean to go into this event trained by following my training plan. To continue with the cross training to hopefully also go into this race injury free.
At the 8 week mark, I will access where I am with my training and adjust training for the goal.
So here we go……
Last time I ran Brooklyn in 2015, I ran it in 2:14:47. That’s not happening or anything even close to that. That being said, my last half was 2:59:18. So, honestly, I am starting my training with 3 hours in mind.
Never giving up…. Never baking down…. Still moving….
Yesterday was National Quitter’s Day. The day most of us quit our New Year’s resolutions. Since I didn’t make any resolutions and started on December 30th, I’m still going strong. As said previously, it is all about progress not perfection. It is all about being healthier.
It’s funny too because I’ve actually been enjoying eating healthier. It has been making me think about my food choices which has been more satisfying than just grabbing things without thought. I’ve been taking salads for most of my lunches and they have been so good.
Love this container too!
For snacks, I’ve forgotten how much I enjoy cottage cheese with fresh fruit. I’ve also had to rethink drinking my calories. More water even though that was usually my drink of choice. It also helps that for Christmas that I got a Nutribullet.
I think I mentioned the app Reverse Health. I have now completed 11 days of my 30 day challenge. I am starting from the beginning which is where I am at. While I can go out and run pretty much any day, my overall fitness has not been tended to. So back to basics.
So far so good.
I’ve already noticed changes. My lower back pain has improved as have my flexibility in my hips which were very tight. These are the things that I need to work on. I am also working on my running. Today I ran three miles doing some fartleks. No particular speed, just to test and see how I would feel.
On top of that I have lost almost 3 pounds which is also part of the agenda. But slow and steady is the goal.
Progress not perfection.
On top of this, I also through the lottery got into the NYC Brooklyn Half which is in May. So all that I’m doing now is the pre-training for the Half.
The Accidentally Running Mama 