Fit with Ruthie

Yesterday was amazing.  IT WAS HALF MARATHON DAY HERE! I was able to see one of the runners before the organized race across town but had to leave to head back to campus for our Cool Runnings half. It's what I call a "solitude half". No time chips, no race numbers, no official start and end time. You come, you run or walk, you go the distance and you conquer 13.1 miles. I am sad I didnt get to see the other part of the gang that raced across town and wished I could have been in two places at once. I hope to get photos from all the half marathoners and create a video this week but for how here are a few shots from yesterday. when I grow up I want to be a trainer and help folks do marathons :) What a blessed day. What a joy! Loved every minute of it!  Now that my long run meets ups on Saturdays will be over I plan on focusing the next 2 months on training for a full marathon. My goal is to do 26.2 before Dec 31st. With my long term goal of doing atleast one full ma...

I have had a sensitive tummy for years. For most of those years I just thought that was the way life was suppose to be. There are some things a lady just shouldnt talk about.. but suffice it to say that my stomach and its demands have left me frustrated, sleepless, and driving too fast down the road to find a restroom QUICK. My tummy issues got MUCH better when i started cutting out junk food. When I started body for life way of eating (eating healthy during the week  - where i ate lower amounts of breads, no cereals, cakes cookies etc-- and having a freeday on the weekend) I noticed a HUGE reaction to how I felt. During the week I felt so much better.. on the weekend.. after i would eat however I wanted, I would end up spending a LOT of time in my least favorite room of the house LOL. The tummy trouble continued on the weekends until finally had no desire to eat really bad... I stopped going "whole hog" most of the time so I could avoid the tummy problems. Then I beg...

want some??? its yummy! :) 1 whole sweet potato roasted in oven, mixed frozen veggies, and organic brown rice :) I am off to lift weights :) then clean the kitchen. 6pm: well... I cleaned the garage, then the kitchen, the cleaned the garage so more, THEN worked out LOL chest flies, tri extensions, bi curls 12 reps in each set one exercise right after the other then rested for 1 min and did it again 4 times. increasing in weight going up to 20lbs (only 15 on extensions) then abwork, incline situps lots and lots then 10 pushups (mens) and 5 one legged pushups with each leg.. then leg raises and hip ups all in one. It was a quick workout but I am all icky and stinky and even my abs feel like jello ... good right? today's eats were great. feeling good no bread today, havent missed it. so happy my stomach feels so good. amazing what water, hot tea,  fruits, lots of veggies and nuts, oatmeal and brown rice will do for you! I took my vits today too! GO ME! I REMEMBERE...

In the beginning going for  a walk, eating right... just the basics of moving more and eating less was HARD. It was such a struggle. I hated it.  I  have been thinking about how this blog all got started and how its kept me on the road to progress. Tonight on my run (logged about 5 miles tonight) I remembered how hard it use to be. It wasnt ever easy in the beginning. I thought it was but it wasnt. It was hard and then it was HARDER. The cool thing i have learned with the "starting over" concept is that we all are always starting over. But everytime we start over it DOES get easier and easier. It like this big circular escalator. It goes like this: step 1: you want to workout and eat right because you feel fat and lazy and are determined to change. You pull yourself up by your bootstraps and no matter how difficult it is, no matter how hard... you START. step 2: you keep going despite how hard it is. despite how many people will run past you on the trail and desp...

I made it until Tuesday! woowhoo! I wasnt perfect but if I have learned anything over the past 4 years is that I cannot do this and be perfect. Yesterday I had 2 slices of bread with my hot tea as a snack. So my goal of going three full days with no slice bread didnt workout BUT I did do much better than I thought I would. The biggest surprise is that I haven't craved the bread! I have been really surprised how much i havent missed it. THIS coming from a gal who, when doing Body for Life, once ate a whole loaf of garlic bread all by myself on my free day! I also haven't missed the meat. Its just soooo nice to have a stomach that is happy with me all the time! I wonder, after years of misuse if my body has reached it's tolerance level  for harsh heavy low energy foods. After feeling so wonderful the past 3 days I have decided to stick with my no meat, no bread transition. I know some of you think this is extreme... I will continue to eat a bit of fish, eggs, beans and ...

It feels like summer in Colorado this morning! The windows are open and the cool crisp clean air is flowing in! Our Tree (to the left.. is starting to loose its leaves :( .... Winter is on its way I know... I have to get ready. I had a great run this morning.... SPRINTS.. yikes. Nothing like a beautiful sunrise and a nauseating sprint workout to make you day start off fantastic!did abwork when I came home and will do pushups after I eat my breakfast :) I am happy to report my stomach is feeling GREAT! I had oatmeal for supper last night and a bit of a protein shake before bed. It is amazing to me the difference I feel when I eat right! When I eat the way I know I should. Which is radical compared to the rest of society!! ... When I eat small amounts, very very little meat, lots of veggies/fruit and whole grains and nuts.......I feel fantastic! Breakfast this morning was whole grain old fashioned oatmeal cooked with water and added a tad of milk after cooking, honey, sprinkly of ...

my stomach is soooo happy. I havent been perfect but have been determined.  Heres the latest supper last night Salad and half a slice of pizza (not much cheese just the bread part) Shake bfore bed This morning woke up too late for breakfast... had hot tea, a very large honey crisp apple and almonds in bible class while everyone else had donuts. Sunday lunch- tortillia soup and cornbread (i use to make my cornbread with an extra 1/4 cup of sugar added to the recipe... not today. and oh my goodness it tastes sweet!.... ) snack: blueberries and almonds with tad of readiwhip (need to get off the redi whip.. i am working on it!!! and it actually didnt taste good to me today) snack: frozen pinapple I am happy with how I have done. I have energy, My stomach hasnt hurt once and i just feel durn good! I like the fact I eat until I am not hungry anymore. I have energy when i am done... and my tumtum is happppy! more later!

It all started last Saturday night. Toy Story 3's fault LOL. We took the family and a few friends to the dollar movie theater. Its OLD style... like what I grew up with. You know... pre-stadium seating, Pre-surround sound, .......I love going to this theater even though some seats are ripped and it desperately needs to be refurbished. I would LOVE to have the money to buy that place and bring it back to its original glory. .... ANYWAY yeah.. so it alllll started there. You see.... this theater has the BEST popcorn in town! I mean the BEST. not to buttery, not too salty, not too hot, not too cold... just right.  I grew up eating lots and lots and lots of popcorn. I dont eat so much now. I have it in the house but never eat it. But when I go to the movies... I like the treat.  Last Saturday I treated myself to lots and lots and lots of popcorn :) it tasted sooooo good. And, although I had sworn off cokes I had a coke too. I mean.. what is popcorn without the coke. right? ...

The number 1 reason I became so over weight and out of shape wasnt because I had a genetic issue, it wasnt because I was made that way, it wasnt because I didnt know better. I was over weight and out of shape because of the choices I had made. In our hurry up "get it done" society we have come to want instant gratification and quick fixes. One major disatvantage to being American is our inability to be patient... to wait. We are drivin by the hurry up mentality. We go on vacation to "slow down and get away", we go shopping and spend before we have the $ (using credit cards), and.......we want weight loss to be quick and easy. Why do so many Americans give up on weight-loss an fitness? Why are so many Americans successful in their careers but not at weight loss or fitness? Men and women in this country, well educated,  driving fancy cars, living in amazing homes, traveling the country and the world, looking so successful but so many are people who are heart at...

7:51pm OK.. so... I felt spunkless allll day. low energy, blah blah blah... negative thoughts... stressed. went to track practice.......and decided I MUST go run afterwards. so I did. Guess what? WOOOOOWHOOOO! I feel so much better! AND. AND. AND. NO ITband pain! NONE ... zilch .... I had the BEST 4.25 miler ever!!! and ran it in under 32 mins! & 7:52 per mile average! WOOOOWHOOOOOOOOO!!!! Now, i must go stretch :) and shower.. and eat.... and watch smallville with my hubby :)

One of the many things I love about running is it unpredictability. It's close metaphor for life. I set out for my 15 miler this morning and had to stop. Had a great first three miles. Mile four my ITband started to bother me. (in my hip) I knew I had two choices. To keep going or to stop so I stopped. Frustrated but content at the same time. You see, I have been at this long enough to know that this whole running thing is about running for a lifetime... I set goals and expectations but have to be flexible and know when to say when. I want to be running when i am 65, not the typical pill popping aches and pains grandma.... Knowing when to say when is key to being a runner for life. I might not continue on the thanksgiving marathon plan... and that is ok too... I know i will do more marathons someday. I might need to regroup and hit the reset button and figure out what my short terms goals will be... but for now.... I will stretch and stretch and keep running nice and ea...

This is Su. Su LOVES to run with me.... Su usually pulls on the leash a LOT because she is soooo happy to go run. But today. oh today she did GREAT! No pulling.... just running right there by me like the good puppy she is! :) Su says thank you and even shared her chewy with me when we got home. Su is so happy!  We did 2.5 miles with a stop off at the lake for some good dog sniffing.. then headed back home. I did "ab dancing", leg lifts, crunches and hip ups. My abs are jello. yikes Its AMAZING HERE! weather in the high 50s and no wind! LOVE IT! ok.. I am off to drink my hot tea, relax and eat a bit before heading off to track practice at 10am. 15 miler tomorrow.  hummmmmmmmmm

 had 15 mins before track...... i worked my bis tris, shoulders and chest......I did sets of 12 on each 4 times......my highest weight on bis was 20lbs 12 times......planning on pushups while at track practice ..... I no want Grandma flappy arms....... I want to wave goodbye like a 20 year old LOL Thats it for Wrestler Pose Thursday..  Now YOUR turn!

  Loving me some Twinnings English Breakfast Tea in my super big superman mug.... also decided to grow my nails out! They are stronger than they have ever been in my life! Could it be another side effect of my better diet????? hum 2 mile warm up +1.5 miles of sprinting and pausing.. sprinting and pausing.... +3 hill runs up and down = throw up tummy feeling Its been 4 days since my last loner run (a run while not at track practice)... and boy did I need that run. and BOY could i tell its been a while since I have pushed myself :) my legs are jello my brain is clear my tummer is great (now) and i am destressed and ready for the day! I have been doing great on the no table sugar or hfcs for a while. Last week was great. Saturday I felt low after our track meet and had a coke when we went to get a burger with some of the team .... Since then.. nothing. So.. day 4 with no sugar or hfcs. I have found a few things via the web you might find interesting. the first is t...

What about sexy.  oooooooooh... I said SEXY Growing up in a conservative christian background I lived in a world where sexy wasnt really ok. Pretty was ok. There was a balancing act between pretty, not too pretty and oh no.. NO to sexy.  Now, when I say sexy i am not saying trashy. I am not saying letting it all hang out. Please understand i am coming from a background where tank tops were not allowed. A place where top buttons needed to be buttoned and skirts way below the knee.  I was the youngest (still am) haha.. but I was also a rebel. I fought the system. I wanted to feel pretty, wanted to wear a durn tank top cause it was HOT OUTSIDE! and I firmly believed trashy sexy was in how you acted no matter what you wore. I was not out there to draw attention, to flirt or whatever. I wanted to feel good in the clothes I wore. I wanted freedom to choose.  A gal who grows up the way I did is meant to have self esteem issues when it comes to body image. On one ha...

Do you hear that? hum It use to be I heard it just once in a while... then... over time the ringing got louder and louder. I was scared to answer it. What if it wasnt for me? What if I didnt have the right things to say? What if I made a fool of myself? What if they all thought I was crazy???? What if...... Its a wrong number? Wrong call? Lately the ringing is louder and louder and louder. I keep thinking I am answering and the more I answer.. the more it rings. Who's calling me? It's my Father. Today it rang again, I am in the process of answering. Today he said "Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act" I love how my Father is so patient with me, but so determined to get me to act. He knows I have doubts about myself and wonder what in the world I have to offer anyone. He knows I am weak and have a spirit of perfection that needs to be cleansed with his spirit. He knows I think all things need to be in ...

SUGAR SUCKS! There. I said it. Sugar sucks. Oops.. I said it again. So, wanna get upset with me? Go ahead. I am officially 3 sugar free (again) [with the exception of 5 m&ms and one mentos). The durn hypoglycemia I have to deal with got my head screwed up to think thank a tad of table sugar would be ok. So, over the past 2 weeks I have dabbled in the white stuff. Just a few teaspoons a day, nothing like the pounds and pounds a week i use to eat :) When I would start to feel low I would make a tortillia with butter put a bit of sugar and cinn on it and feel oh so much better about 10 secs after it hit my mouth. I relate my "need for the white stuff" almost like cleaning up a mess a 2 year old made instead of preventing it from happening. Here is what I mean. My LOWS in blood sugar shouldnt happen. If I am eating correctly and healthy then a low shouldnt take place. So.. instead of be annal (as I call it) about my food (carb vs  protien vs fat vs salt) intake .. I wa...

I am not sure what I should concider myself in regards to the biggest loser. I am not a fan but I am not NOT a fan either. I watched the first episode on Hulu this weekend and like most episodes I fast forward through quite a bit of it. I watch it for a variety of reasons. In some ways its inspiring, in other ways its depressing. I like the idea of people being motivated to loose weight.. but hate the idea of it all being about the weight. I like the idea of people becoming more active but hate the idea of trainers screaming and yelling at the participants as much as they do. I like the idea of getting whole cities involved but feel sorry for those left behind. Mostly it makes me more aware of how real the problem is in our country. Biggest  Loser makes me sad more than anything. It makes me hurt for those people who are overweight and out of shape. It brings back memories of when going just 1 mile was grueling and seemed impossible. It brings to reality what we all know.....o...