Some things you never say

In this day and age, I think we can all agree that there is an incredible amount of pressure on women to look a certain way.

You skin should be effortlessly flawless.
You waist should be small, your curves should be ample (and perky!).
Your legs should be long and lean, and there should most certainly be a gap between your thighs.
Your hair should glisten.
You should never smell bad. Or sweat.

The list goes on and on.

It's not easy to be woman when ever actress, model, and "reality tv" star, seems to role out of bed runway ready. But what kills me, is how the average woman interacts and treats other women.

Yesterday at work I had the pleasure of helping a guest who was shopping for a friend. A friend I quickly learned had just had a baby. Fitted clothing were not an option because she didn't want her friend to feel self conscious about her new, post-baby, body. She reiterated to me that her friend had just had a baby, only this time she said:

"She just had a baby...so she looks like you, you know?"

No actually, I don't know. But I was too stunned to do much more than smile and nod. And then I proceeded to try on the clothing she had chosen so that she could see what the clothing would like like on a post-baby body.

Lest there be any confusion, no, I have not recently (or ever) had a baby. I have no delusions of being thin. I'm curvy, I always have been. Given the day, I might even have a bit lot of the dreaded muffin top peeking out of my waistband.

Yes, I know I could stand to lose a few pounds. Yes, I know I could stand to clean up my diet a bit. Yes, I know I so far from society's ideal woman we might not even be from the same society. But I work out (a lot). And I work every day at making better food choices.  And I do my damnedest to thumb my nose at the unrealistic expectations of society.

But what kills me, is why one woman would say something like that to another woman. Shouldn't we all be on the same team, working to build one another up, not tear one another down? Do we not realize the impact of our words and the hurt that they can cause? Why do we not work on building one another up rather than take any chance to tear each other down.

I challenge all the ladies out there to  say something sincere and kind to another woman tomorrow. And the day after that. And every day after that. Take a moment to compliment their amazing shoes, their great shirt, the sparkle of the ring, their hard work at the gym/studio/box, their "Madonna arms." As a society we need to work on building each other up.

Be kind to one another, because society and media is hard enough for all of us.

  

And if this is what a post-baby body looks like, what's the big deal?!

All Things Running #FTW

Over the past week or so I have taken some major strides in the active world.

I have been running consistently, and consistently well, for the past 3 weeks. It's still not far, and certainly not fast, but it is feeling better and better. I definitely think I am making progress on my form and strike, I am running at a faster pace, and my recovery time is shorter. Last night's run was a major break through with 20minutes run at a 6.1-6.5mph pace. And even after pushing the pace for 20mins I still had enough left in the tank to finish 3 4x1 intervals. Huzzah!

I've also acquired a few new pieces of running gear. Remember that unfortunate near-camel toe incident a few weeks back? Yeah, well rather than taking any more chances with different brands and styles i have decided to stick to the tried and true gear of Sugoi.

Those Canadians know how to make some serious running gear.

I have always love LOVE loved, and sworn by, their compression socks. They give my calves a nice little hug without breaking the bank, which is key in my world. From flying and roadtrips, to expos and events, to post smashfest recovery, they just do the job. I have always been a little skeptical of the calf sleeves tho. I mean, won't they make my feet swell up? Seeing as my budget, and sock drawer, only allow for so many pairs of socks I took a chance with the sleeves, and they are awesome. Two thumbs WAY up! I also splurged on a few new pairs of capris. I did a pair of Piston 200 Compression Capris, which are magical, and a pair of the Hatha Capris which are just about as comfy as it gets. And functional.

Let's review.

Sugoi = comfy + support + cute + NO CAMEL TOE = Happy Katie :)

OH! And last week @jenn_if_er from "From Stilettos 2 Sneakers" made like a jillion of these super cute running headbands and sent them out to her Twitter running buddies. How sweet is that? It keeps my rogue bangs out of my eyes, stays in place, which is like a friggin Christmas miracle in my world, and is adorable. So cute I am in fact guilty of wearing it not only to run in, but to work as well. I can only imagine the funk my sweaty headband is accumulating, but I suppose that's the price you pay for fashion. If you can get past the awkward phone/mirror picture, and the streaking dirty mirror, AND the Smurf blue walls of our bathroom, which I thought was an excellent idea at the time, you'll notice I am sporting a super cute zebra print headband with my Threadless "Don't CareBears" shirt.

Thanks Jenn!!

I keep trying to think of a way to pay it forward, but seem to lacking some serious creativity these days. Cute, functional, running related, DIY...? Any ideas?!?

Hard to top a good week of running, new running gear, and Jenn's headband? Abso-friggin-lutely. But being one of the newest member of Team HoneyMilk comes darn close!! That's right, I found out earlier this week that HoneyMilk has decided to add me to their roster of grassroot athletes. So not only will my bio be on their page, with the likes of Crowie and Chris McDonald, but I'll get to help spread the word on a super product.

With all this excitement it's hard to imagine that I'm going to successfully pour myself into bed now, but I am. I've got PT in the morning and a running eval...where hopefully I'll get the green light for RAGNAR and all my other running and tri plans....

Oh wait, and the BESTEST news of all????? I've managed to knock off 7lbs in the last 3 weeks!!! You have to love when hardwork, exercise and small changes start to add up to big accomplishments. It's only like another 15lbs or so til I'm back to pre-surgery race weight, but whatevs. I'm going to bask in my accomplishment for the moment and keep trucking along.

from Fat to Fit

I am currently typing this from the comfort of my own home, while enjoying a much needed day off! After surviving the trade show from hell, and doing it with an epic cold, a day away from the corporate grind was a must.

So yeah, I'm still a fatty. It's true. And this week did nothing to help that.

Looooong days on your feet and being sick does not exactly inspire you to get in an extra workout. In fact, all it really inspires is food on the run (and usually not good food) and sleep. It's all about creature comforts.

And this weekend is wifezilla's reception. Aaaawesome. Super stoked. The redeeming qualities of this weekend? I'm not working (woot woot), we're headed to the Great Taste before the reception AND my BFF is my copilot all weekend (heck yeah!!).

So needless to say, I don't expect there to be much exercise or healthiness this weekend. I just don't. And I'm full of excuses.

I am happy to report that biking is becoming less painful and I can go farther before feeling it in my foot or getting tired. So I consider than a little step in the right direction. And, I am excited to announce, ChaLEAN starts Sunday!

Speaking of goals for this fall/winter, the PT has put the kibosh on a winter marathon. Sad face. She thinks, and probably rightfully so, that early December could be a bit much too soon. We are still on track to start running in a month's time, which is a hug win....albeit 15 months later, but building quite that much mileage in time for Vegas will be push.

So instead I am shooting for the Tyrenena 1/6th barrel beer run in early November and a January 1/2 marathon somewhere warm (details to be announced at a later date).

Goals for next week:

Full week of ChaLEAN

No fried food (which means no french fries.....)

Bike commute everywhere non-work related

Wish me luck!!

Blah.

Yep that pretty much describes my day. I have a headache. I should be sent home in case it's contagious...

Where have I been? Besides on Twitter, duh.

Well, between Restaurant Week and work and a mini-break to Chicago I kind of fell off the blogging-bandwagon last week...and this week AND next week is certainly not going to be any week. Blech.

I certainly had a better attitude and things I am thankful for last week. I even mentally wrote my post while biking home from dinner on Thursday. It was going to the be Late Night/3 Cocktail addition. But then I got home and fell asleep pretty much immediately. Oops.

Oh! And Fat to Fit was a giant FAIL last week. I mean, I am walking way more and biking places more than I have in months, but there was a 1# gain last week. I blame PMS. And junk food, let's be honest. Tomorrow I meet with the PT for the first time and on Thursday I see the doc again, so I am optimistic that between the two I will get the green light to transition to running by September. Cross your fingers (and toes) because this girl wants to go to Vegas!

Let's not poo-poo my Chicago mini-break either. That deserves a post all its own. Maybe I'll be able to squeak that out while watching The Bachelorette season finale tonight (go Chris!). But let me tide you over with tidbits like lost in the ghetto, Transformers 3, and Blue Man group. Yeah, it was a swell time.

My lunch has come to an end...and as I would rather stay on the boss-man's good side I better scoot.Publish Post

TTFN!

From Fat to Fit

Week 1 is in the books.

I was asked, why Friday? Well it's for selfish reasons. Mondays are bad enough as they are without a scale. And there has never been a Monday morning in my world that has been kind to the scale. Even when racing and having long training weekends, Monday's numbers have never been great. I blame the weekend. And now, with weekends being spent lounging and living the luxurious life of the tubby, Mondays are not going to be any better. So there you have it, weigh in before the weekend and the problem is solved.

Anywho.

Well the numbers are holding steady this week. No changes, which to be honest, is amazing. I feel a bloated hot mess, but the numbers aren't worse for the wear so I'll take it!

Last Friday I went for my first bike ride since pre-op. Possibly since last fall to tell you the truth. I made it 2 miles to the restaurant and 2 miles home. And it hurt! We're talking a slow going flat bike path ride, and it hurt. Every time I pressed down on the pedal it twinged and seared. Not what I was hoping for. So after that spin I decided to put pedaling on the back burner for the week. I do plan to attempt it again this weekend tho.

Saturday morning marked the first time in months that I have been able to walk the entire farmer's market! Sure, I made it all the way around at Art Fair on the Square (no to mention Art Fair Off the Square and the mini-market), but I had to stop and rest. Not because I am that out of shape. It hurt. And it was like hades hot that weekend. But this weekend I made it all the way around in one fell swoop.

Sunday we took the doggies to Devil's Lake to go swimming. There was a little bit of haul from the parking lot the the dog beach, but I made it. In flip flops none the less (shhhh, don't tell the doctor). We spent some time in the water with the dogs. Neither dog is wild about the water, even in their puppy PFDs, but they stuck it out. It was hilarious.

Monday I tried some pilates, but anything that required pushing off of my foot or balancing on it was a no-go. I guess it turned more into stretching than anything else.

Tuesday was a bust. I was tired and sore.

Wednesday I ran around like a chicken with it's head cut off. So many errands, so little time. Do you think errands count as exercise?

Thursday was a bust as we took wifezilla and her hubby out to dinner.

I realize that I am going to need to step it up if I want to get back to where I was. And, good gracious, do I want to be fit and fabulous again. I also don't want to end up injured and on the bench again. It's become a balancing act of knowing how hard to push and when to rest. I can't wait to have something to log on Daily Mile.

So all in all, week 1 isn't anything to write home about but at least it's a start.

Friday: From Fat to Fit

In all fairness to myself, this series should really be called 'From Fit to Fat and Back' but that was getting wordy.

Summer 2009 I was in the best shape I had been in in years. I could swim, bike, and run with the best of the MOP'ers. I would wear short skirts, swimsuits, and just generally cute summer clothes with very little hesitation. Now don't get me wrong, I was FAR from skinny. I was certainly no size 2, but I never have been. The scale never dipped near 100lbs, but there again, I don't think I ever weighed 100lbs. I was healthy and I was comfortable with my body.

But them I went and broke my foot and proceeded to spend the next year on the inactive list. At first I embraced the inactivity. It gave me a chance to do things I would have otherwise passed on last summer. But that lasted like, um, 2 weeks before I was over it. Completely.

So here I've sat for the last, oh, year being moody and getting fat. Maybe not full on elastic waist moo-moo fat, but certainly far from fit. My skinny clothes, well I don't look so skinny wearing them any more. And really I much prefer my muffin tops on my muffin bottoms and NOT peaking out the top of my jeans. Not hot. Not fit. Not healthy.

The only other time I have found myself in this conundrum, and by conundrum I mean frumpy and out of shape, was a handful of years ago when I spent some quality time at UW Hospital and went through a really rough break up, but I came out that situation a fitter, healthier, happier person. I'm looking to channel that same go-getter attitude this time around too.

I am definitely way too much of a girl and am not comfortable giving you my numbers (weight, measurements, etc). There are some things you just don't ask a lady! And I may or may not have coworkers, etc who peruse this and would judge the SH*T out of me.

So here's the nitty gritty of it.

My Goals:

realistic: last summer's weight/shape

unrealistic: my HS weight/shape (which is really only 10lbs less than last summer, so it's not that unrealistic...)

My Numbers:

Last mandated dr weigh in (early May?): 23lbs over last summers weight

(but you know, I was fully dressed, wearing jeans, had a big lunch, feeling bloated, excuses, excuses, excuses)

7/8 home weigh in: 16.4lbs over last summer

7/15 home weigh in: 18.4lbs over last summer

So let's put the numbers and goals together here. To get to my realistic goal of last summer's shape/weight I need to lose, we'll say, 20lbs. If I shoot for my unrealistic goal I would need to lose an additional 10lbs. Woah, that's a lot.

I'd be a liar if I didn't acknowledge I've had thoughts of diet pills, eating disorder, crash diets, and more. Anything to make this easier! I just need to jumpstart the process, right? Wrong. Those thoughts were fleeting, I promise you that. I want to eat the things I like and have the energy and fitness to do the things I love.

I think that once I can get running again things will head in the right direction pretty quickly. Heck, once I am able to take the dogs for long walks (without being in pain) and start actually riding my bike again, I think things will be headed in the right direction. Beyond that, I am starting to formulate a plan of attack. It may or may not include ChaLean, which comes highly recommended. There will probably be some swimming, especially now as that's all I'm allowed to do. We'll see, we'll see.

My ultimate goal is to next year be able to run at least 2 marathon, a myriad of other runs and races, and compete in a few tri's of varying distances, like the good ole days. And of course look HAWT in a bikini. And reclaim my skirts and strappy tanks and dresses....ooo, and my skinny jeans. Ok, so really my goals are as superficial as they are fitness and health related. Whatev.

I'm hoping that there will be people along the way who will not judge me and my numbers and goals, but I know there will be. But maybe, just maybe, I will find that kindred spirit, either local or thru the interweb, who will support me and my goals. Kick my a$$ when it needs to be kicked, cheer me on when I need motivation, and hold my hand when I need help.

It's official. This is my last Friday as a FATTY!

Friday: From Fat to Fit starts now.