12-Week Sprint to the Finish: Week 4
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![12-Week Sprint 2[10]](https://weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/12-Week-Sprint-210-248x300.jpg)
It’s time to begin the fourth week of the Sprint to the Finish. Are you staying strong? Maybe you’re just joining us.
If you’re new to the challenge, basically, it’s purpose is to keep us focused on spending the (usually) less structured, less hectic days of summer to make a push to reach some new milestones.
For me, it’s a push to finish this weight-loss journey and reach my goal weight. For you, it might be pushing to the finish or reaching your first milestone or a mid-point goal.
Whatever the 12-Week Sprint to the Finish means to you, make it work. Keep moving and finish strong!
This week the physical part of my goal included a huge milestone for me – I ran my first 10K! I ran 6.2 miles without stopping! That’s amazing to me because back in March I wasn’t sure I’d even be able to finish a 5K. I did finish it, but not without walking part of it, so to run an entire 10K felt very good.
![IMG_3362[3]](https://weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/IMG_33623.jpg)
Not only did I finish, but I made the time goal I had set for myself – 1 hour, 12 minutes. Yes, some people finished the 10K with a faster time than I can finish a 5K, but I don’t care. I know where I’ve come from and I’m proud of where I am.
![IMG_3368[3]](https://weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/IMG_33683.jpg)
I also got in all my running workouts, for a total of nearly 14.5 miles for the week and I did my strength training every day.
In the mental goals department, I’ve still been struggling to find time to read, but I’ve finished the other book I was reading for a review, so I should have more time for Reshaping It All this week.
I’ve struggled a bit nutritionally this week, too. Thanks to My Fitness Pal, though, at least I know why. It looks like I still need to shave more calories off my lunches. While I love my pita chips and hummus, they’re costing me too many calories to be more than an occasional treat – especially since I’m not willing to give up my sweet tea.
Also, we wound up eating out on three different occasions this week! Ouch! Twice was at Chick-Fil-A and I always order the same thing there, so I knew what I was getting. I think I’d have been okay there if I’d had a lower calorie lunch.
What really killed me was Saturday. Brian and I went to Jason’s Deli (yum!) and I had a salad bar. I know salads can be really bad, so I thought I was being careful to choose healthy options with just a couple of treats. That salad, coupled with the sweet tea that we had at McDonald’s afterwards, was right at 1,000 calories! Ugh! I told Brian we’d have been better off eating at Chick-Fil-A again. So discouraging.
I know I had one decent day last week and one really good day where I was under my calories, so I’m trying to pull out a good week by being very aware of my calorie consumption and burn yesterday and today.
My goals for next week are:
Physical. It’s a recovery week on my half-marathon training plan, with four 3-mile easy runs. One of them won’t be too easy since I have a 5K on Saturday (that I’ll be trying really hard to PR if it’s not too hot), but the rest of the week I’ll stick to the easy runs.
Mental. Read Reshaping It All.
I’ll start on Weeks 5-8 of the Fitblogger weight-training plan. And, um, I’ll try to get back to working on learning to do a pull-up, since I pretty much let that slide this week.
Nutritional. This week, I’ll be paying more attention to my lunches and trying to shave a few more calories off there while continuing to track my food at My Fitness Pal. A few of you have asked how to find me at MFP. My user name is Kris_RunnerMom. Look me up, if you’d like.
For those who are interested, here’s my food log for last week:
6/13/11
Breakfast: Fiber Plus barLunch: Salad w/grilled chicken, black olives, pepperoncini, reduced-fat Feta, red peppers, and 1 Tbsp. Kraft Classic Caesar dressing. (Yum! Excellent, low-calorie lunch.) Sweet tea
Dinner: Hamburger made w/grass-fed beef on wheat bun w/light mayo, ketchup, and mustard; Biggest Loser sweet potato fries, Gina’s baked onion rings, Gina’s Tzatziki, sweet tea.
Snack: Fruit salad w/yogurt and granola
6/14/11
Breakfast: Flax cereal w/granola, blueberries and milk
Lunch: same as Monday (Told you it was good!)
Dinner: Homemade chili w/cheddar cheese (2% milk), light sour cream, and sweet tea
Snack: Baskin Robbin’s kids scoop butter pecan on sugar cone (Yep, this was the day I was UNDER my calories)
6/15/11
Breakfast: Flax cereal w/granola, blueberries and milk
Lunch: Turkey, ham, roast, Swiss on wheat bread w/pita chips, hummus, and sweet tea
Dinner: Chick-Fil-A grilled sandwich w/side salad, 1/2 package sunflower kernels, 1/2 package tortilla strips, 1/2 package ranch dressing (1 Tbsp.), sweet tea
6/16/11
Breakfast: oatmeal w/blueberries and 1 oz. walnuts)
Lunch: same as Wednesday
Dinner: 2 slices pizza w/side salad, Coke
Snack: pudding cake
6/17/11
Breakfast: Fruit salad
Lunch: Same as Wednesday
Dinner: Chick-Fil-A…again
Snack: Nothing! In a small personal victory, I did not allow myself to eat any leftover cake!
6/18/11
Breakfast: Flax cereal w/granola, blueberries and milk
Post-run snack: banana
Lunch: The disastrous salad mentioned earlier w/sweet tea
Dinner: Grilled pork chops w/Gina’s green beans, brown rice and grilled pineapple/onion/bell peppers, crunchy Asian salad (made w/my light Italian dressing)
6/19/11
Breakfast: Fruit salad
Lunch: ham/turkey/roast/Swiss on whole wheat w/black beans, sweet tea
Dinner: Chicken stir-fry w/brown rice, sweet tea
Snack: orange, peanut butter on whole wheat toast
So, that’s my week, in all it’s imperfections. How did you do on your goals for last week? Perhaps more importantly, how will you do this week?
Do or do not. There is no try.
Kris Bales is a newly-retired homeschool mom and the quirky, Christ-following, painfully honest founder (and former owner) of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. She has a pretty serious addiction to sweet tea and Words with Friends. Kris and her husband of over 30 years are parents to three amazing homeschool grads. They share their home with three dogs, two cats, a ball python, a bearded dragon, and seven birds.
Congratulations on your 10K! That's really amazing! Such a great achievement.
Ready to tackle week 4 here after a rough weekend. The week went pretty well but this weekend was busy and stressful with a dance recital (complete with 2 rehearsals), a swim meet, in-laws visiting, celebratory/fun food for those events, and brunch on Father's Day. Hopped on that elliptical this morning and did 30 minutes which whooped me good and now gearing up to eat well today and not get into any of the junk left in the house from the weekend. Goals pretty much the same as usual: log food every day on MFP (want to try to get my sugar intake on there lower or at least be aware of what I'm eating that makes it go over so much), exercise daily (going to try a MWF elliptical workout, with a T/Th strength and cardio combo from exercise videos), keep up with blogs that are inspirational and motivating. Thanks for the motivation first thing this week!
Way to go running your 10K! I'm so impressed.
I logged food in MFP all week. Did well for the most part. I've been scale stalking for curiosity's sake this week and I'm looking good to be a pound or so down by Wednesday. I'm going to NOT scale stalk next week, though. Bad habit.
Still trying to figure out the exercise thing. I got one run/walk in. I'm actually leaving in just a few minutes to go scope out the Y and see if we want to join. We need pool access for the family, and some good classes/equipment for me wouldn't hurt.
I really want to do some strength training, but I'm a little intimidated by the weights area of gyms and we only have a few sets of hand weights here (3s, 5s, maybe 8s?). Maybe that's enough to get started. I should look at that blog you mentioned.
My boys (ages 3 and 4) have totally taken off on their little training wheeled bikes the last few weeks. I am having to jog at times to keep up with them going around the block. That's got to be good for something!!
See you Wednesday.
You're doing exactly what you should be doing — getting right back on track after a rough weekend. Sometimes it's hard not to let life get in the way of our fitness goals, but the bumps don't have to totally derail you. I like that you're mixing up your workout routine this week and adding in some strength training. Your body needs that variety or it gets too efficient. I think you've encouraged me — I might pull out a workout DVD today. I haven't done one in forever.
Thanks, I really enjoyed my 10K. I know what you mean about stalking the scale. Some weeks I am worse about that than others.
I bet you'd love the Y. We were members for awhile, until it got too hectic to get over there regularly enough to make it worth it. Don't be intimidated by the machine, if you join. Most Y location will offer you a few introductory sessions with a trainer. You can get him or her to show you how to use the equipment. I loved some of that stuff. The leg press has always been my favorite.
You're right, there is quite a bit you can do with those hand weights — bicep curls, hammer curls, tricep kickbacks, side raises, squats…lots of things. Use them to your advantage. And definitely keep chasing those boys on their bikes! 😉
kris!! that's fantastic! this blog post was so fun to read. i'm incredibly inspired by the fact that you ran/walked your first 5K in march, and now you ran a full 10K in the goal-time you set for yourself. reading this before my morning run today was such a gift..i added an extra lap to my training schedule. so, thank you for sharing! ~liz
Thanks, Liz! What an encouraging comment!
I am so excited for you, Kim!!! 10K! That is awesome. And you look great in your pictures. Great work!
Thanks, Sarah. It's Kris, btw. 😉 Lots of people make that mistake.
Congratulations on your 10K! What an accomplishment! (What is PR? Personal record, perhaps?)
My week started off well, then took a huge nosedive on Thursday. I'm regrouping.
Congrats on your first 10K!! I find it difficult to get everything right in 1 week, either it's a good week fitness wise or it's great for nutrition. I am working towards getting it all right 😉
https://createcorner.blogspot.com/2011/06/week-2-12-week-spring.html
Disqus generic email templateYes, PR = Personal record. Sometimes, all you can do is regroup. I had to do a little of that myself this week. As long as you regroup, though, rather than quit, you're making progress!
Disqus generic email templateThat's really true about it being hard to get everything going well in a single week. You've gotta love those weeks when that happens, though. Those are the weeks when we make amazing progress! It's a process, though, and everything you learn, every good choice you make is a step in the right direction.