Will the real Risha please step forward

I've been posting about my training and weight loss for a while now and I've certainly been able to share my results with everyone.  It's a good feeling to get stronger, leaner, build more muscle mass, and watch the scale go down. 

I think for many of my friends they would say that I don't need to lose any more weight.  Which, is very sweet and perhaps true.  How much weight do I need to lose?!  Honestly, I don't need to lose at all.  I want to.

I want to get back to what my average weight was: 125-127 lbs.  I'm only 5"2 so it really isn't an extremely low number.  I just think people have been so used to seeing me at my heaviest that my average might seem too far in the other direction. 

I have promised myself that I will not beat myself up over the numbers on the scale.  I'm working to be healthier and lose the spare tire that seemed to have claimed residency the past 5 years.  I don't know if I'll get to the "target" goal and it really is alright if I don't.  I just want to let everyone know that I'm really not crazy or obsessed.  I just want the inside me to match the outside me.   =)

Plateau

Plateaus are a thing of beauty...if you're looking at a naturally formed rock structure.  Not so much when you're looking at the numbers on the scale.  I knew I would hit it; it was inevitable.  I really can't complain because I got stuck at 136 lbs for 3 weeks and not months.  However, with the scale showing results pretty quickly it was a little frustrating seeing the number looking back at me in all it's green LCD glory. 

I looked up several articles about weight loss plateaus and how to step off of them.  Most recommended changing up your workout routine.  Ummmm...I really can't change it up more than what I'm doing right now.  Here was the shocker and what put a HUGE smile on my face.  It said that your body gets used to the amount of calories you consume.  So even if you've limited your calorie intake your body will get used to that amount and level off in the weight loss department. 

I consume an average of 1200-1400 calories a day and I burn between 800-1500 calories each workout.  I've been pretty religious in both areas.  What the articles suggested were to consume more calories, than normal, one day and on a different day consume less.  It tricks the body out of auto pilot and gets it back on track.  I can do this!  I think I like the days that I get to consume a few more calories! 

I took advantage of this and finally I lost one more pound.  Hello 135.  I like you, but I don't like you THAT much.  If you decide to make room for one of your smaller cousins I'd be happy to say Aloha! 

Brick surprise

Two weeks ago I did my first brick workout which consisted of biking and then running.  I've been doing back-to-back workouts for months now, but not this particular one. 

I had fully anticipated that my run pace would suffer at least 30 seconds slower after the bike ride.  Riding 12-13 miles will surely take a toll on your legs and endurance, right?  So I hopped up on my bike and did a 13 mile ride which consisted of two hills.  (I really need to work on hills, ugh.) I transitioned from the bike to the run in a somewhat timely manner and took off down the road.

Everyone warns you about how your legs will feel after being on the bike.  All the warning in the world doesn't compare to actually having your legs moving under you and feeling like you have no control over them.  I was certain that if a video camera had been pointed in my direction I would have won $10,000 on America's Funniest Videos.  My legs were moving quickly, yet it seemed like I was going nowhere.

Then I looked at my Garmin.  I was running an 8:30 minute mile.  WHAT?!  I couldn't slow my legs down the first quarter to half a mile.  After that I felt like I finally had some control over my body.  However, I was still running faster that I had anticipated.  A LOT faster. 

I ended up running my fastest 5K ever!  27:11.  I haven't even done that in one of my road races.  I haven't done that particular brick workout since.  I'll be doing it again this week.  Let's see if it was just a fluke or a sign of things to come.  I'm hoping for the later.

It's all in your head.

Today was the first day I did the "king" of asanas (yoga positions), the headstand.  I should say it was the first time I attempted it in the middle of the studio floor and not up against the wall. 

It wasn't perfect.  My legs were piked forward, slightly, but I got up and balanced without assistance.  Woo-hoo!

Then...I stayed up for what seemed like a world record breaking headstand.  It was probably only a couple of minutes, but when you're balancing on your head time goes by slower.    I've just started attempting this pose so I can't say if I've benefited from all the wonderful things they're supposed to do: of course help blow flow to the head and brain, help circulation, relieve lower back stress, bring a sense of calm. 

I can say that once the terror of falling over onto the person next to you subsides, it really is calming.  And any kind of calming for me is close to a miracle.  (Picture below is from yoga-made-ez.com)

Maui 1/2 Marathon

I am SO happy I decided to sign up, travel to Maui, and run a 1/2 marathon there!  It was such a wonderful and amazing experience.  You really could not ask for a better course, a more beautiful setting, or a more organized event.  It was a pleasure to be a part of. 

You'll have to excuse me while I still bask in my euphoria from the run.  I'll try to recap the best I can.

When I stepped outside of the Hyatt's lobby at 4:45 am the heaviness of the air hit me.  "Uh-oh" was all I could think.  Get that kind of thinking out of your mind, fast!  It's kind of hard to talk yourself out of how hot you feel when it seems as if a wet blanket of air is sitting on your shoulders.  I also saw a toad hop away, on the beachwalk, as I was walking toward the starting line.  I'd like to remind you how terrified I am of toads and frogs.  I believe half of Ka'anapali  heard me scream.  It was all good though.  Once the race started and we ran onto the main road the breeze picked up and the excitement took over. 

It was just one of those runs that I kept reminding myself to stay in the moment.  Actually enjoy it and remember it!  I probably looked like a crazy woman because I kept waving and smiling at everyone on the side of the road.  Trust me, there were a lot of people on the side of the road.  It was so nice to see people clapping and cheering you on as you run by.  I'm going to use the word "see" loosely, seeing I'm legally blind without my glasses; and seeing that I don't wear them when I run.  I'm almost in need of a seeing eye dog during races.  Haha! 

This slight impairment can be an asset though.  It can almost be like running while you're drunk.  Everything is blurry and has a hazy dreamlike quality.  Perhaps it helps to think I'm really just dreaming when I'm running and that I'll wake up any moment.  It also helps, the lack of vision, when you're running and you can't really make out the huge squished bullfrogs on the highway as you run past.  At least that is what I kept telling myself when I almost stepped on a dried corpse of an unfortunate amphibian.  Gag! 

The long/short of it is...I beat last year's 1/2 marathon time by 16 minutes!  I completed this race in 2:13:20 and stayed under my pace goal.  Now those evil thoughts are creeping into my head, "Maybe I can do another one under 2 hours?"  Yup, I just might be hooked. 

1/2 the distance, twice the fun!

1/2 marathon in Maui in just over a week!  The race was in the back of my mind the whole time I was doing my triathlon training.  Knowing that I would have to start increasing my 6 mile runs every week weighed a little heavy on my mind.  I really wasn't giving myself a lot of time to fully prepare for the race. 

I did my first 1/2 last year and followed a much more structured training plan. I had more miles on my legs by this point in my training.  My hope is that for this one, even though I haven't been running as many miles each week, with the cross training my legs are stronger.  So far this theory is holding up. 

The first jump in mileage went up to 8 miles.  In the past 8 miles has been kind to me.  I liked that distance and my body responded well to it.  Not this 8 miles.  This 8 miles was tough; shockingly tough.  All I could think was "I'm in trouble".  The next week I needed to do 10 miles.  This time I got up extra early and was out the door by 6:00 am.  What a world of difference.  I ended up running almost 11 miles and could have kept going.  Phew!  Yesterday I did 12 miles and it was another tough one.  However, I didn't get out and running until after 8:30.  The late start and the heat really takes a toll on how effective a run you have.  At least that's what I believe.  I completed my run, but I had to dig down deep at mile 9 to keep running 3 more miles. 

So, the rest of the time I get to scale back.  Perhaps another 8 mile run and a couple 4 mile ones thrown in.  Don't tell anyone that I've been bad and haven't done any hill work.  I specifically picked the Maui race for its flat course and because it travels along the coast line.  If you have to be running for at least 2 hours straight you might as well have something pretty to look at.

Waiting, and waiting, and waiting.

Sorry I haven't updated you regarding the race.  I'll start with the bad and end with the good.  I tend to think that it's the best way to do things. 

1. It was the worst organized event I have ever been a part of.  The right hand definitely did NOT know what the left hand was doing.
2. Nothing was computerized.  Not even the registrations to differentiate who did the 5K run and who did the 10K run.
3. We did not have timing chips.  So we have no idea what our official time was in either the swim, run, and both combined.
4. They started giving out awards to the overall winner of the race.  Ummm...duh.  There can't be an overall winner because if you ran a 5K of course you will finish before the person that did the 10K.
5. The 10K wasn't even measured out properly and was short by an entire mile!  Also, what was supposed to be a road race course was changed to cross-country.
6. They did rock, paper, scissors for prizes instead of just picking out bib numbers
7. They still do not have final results! 

Here are my reason why I LOVED the race.

1. The swim!  Even though the directions were horrible and the tide was ultra low, it was so exciting to be a part of.
2. I was the third overall woman out of the water!  At this point things were not screwed up so I really WAS the third woman out.  As you can tell I'm pretty pumped about this.
3. I beat Jake (The Bachelor) in the swim.  Oh, and even though he's supposed to be a douche he was pretty hot.
4. I loved the combination of events and challenging yourself.
5. I came in first in my age group for the 10K run.  However, I think I was the ONLY female in my age group to do the 10K run.  Hahaha!!!!!
6. I can not wait for my first real triathlon.

So, there you have it.  I've been so late in writing this because I had hoped to have some official results.  I don't believe that I will ever see them.  Completely lame seeing I paid $100 for the race and couldn't get any of my money back because it was a charity event.  Sorry homeless children.  If the organizers had their act together I'd be willing to donate my money and time next year.  Just isn't going to happen.