One Hour Runner Program

I officially graduated the Couch to 5K Program and found a new training plan to keep me going and increase my endurance. It is the OHR Plan. On snowy or rainy days I know I am going to have to do this on the treadmill but I figure if I can stand to be on there that long the same amount of time will fly by outside.
I received my Pearl Izumi Booties today to keep my feet warm while cycling. I still have to get some knobby tires and full finger gloves but then I am ready for some winter riding. I probably won't go out when it is icy or slushy because the drivers around here are pretty careless but the temps won't stop me at all.

Here is the new running plan :o)

The key component of this program is the one long run per week. It builds up endurance and lays the foundation for further progress.

Weeks 1 - 3: Right now you are running 30 minutes a day, 3 days a week. Your weekly commitment of time is 90 minutes. Continue doing this for three weeks.

Week 4: Run 30 minutes, 29 minutes, 35 minutes. Weekly total: 94 minutes

Week 5: Run 30 minutes, 32 minutes, 38 minutes Weekly total: 100 minutes

Week 6: Run 30 minutes, 33 minutes, 41 minutes Weekly total: 104 minutes

Week 7: Run 30 minutes, 34 minutes, 45 minutes Weekly total: 109 minutes

Week 8: Run 30 minutes, 36 minutes , 49 minute Weekly total: 115 minutes

Week 9: Run 30 minutes, 38 minutes, 54 minutes Weekly total: 122 minutes

Week 10: Run 30 minutes, 40 minutes, 60 minutes Weekly total: 130 minutes

A personal note from author: When you are trying to increase your distance, some days feel good and others feel awful. Listen to your body. Be willing to back off. There is no hurry. These schedules are designed for the best possible circumstances, and sometimes you just need more time to adapt. Never move on to the next higher distance until you feel totally comfortable with the one you did today. I can remember once doing the same mileage for three weeks before I felt I had the strength to add a bit more.

A Yummy Fall Treat....2pts.

Cran-Banana Fiber Muffins


Think of these delicious muffins as spicy mini banana breads with tart cranberries.


Prep Time:15 min
Start to Finish:40 min
Makes:12 muffins




1 cup Fiber One® original bran cereal
1 egg
3/4 cup fat-free (skim) milk
3 tbs apple sauce
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium)
1 1/4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries



1. Heat oven to 400°F. Grease bottoms only of 12 regular-size muffin cups with shortening or cooking spray, or use paper baking cups. Place cereal in resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag and crush with rolling pin or meat mallet (or crush in food processor).
2. In medium bowl, beat egg, milk and oil with fork or wire whisk until well mixed; beat in bananas. Stir in cereal; let stand 5 minutes.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients except cranberries until blended. Stir in cranberries. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately remove from pan to cooling rack. Serve warm.

140 Calories/1g fat/ 3g protein/ 3g fiber (2 ww points)

I substituted apple sauce for vegetable oil to reduce the fat...they are so good I had to share.

My Thoughts on the EveryStride 5k

You know when you are watching a scary movie and there is always the person that runs through the woods at full speed without ever looking down or missing a beat? Well, I call bullshit :o) It had been raining here all week and we received an email with promise of moving the race to the road. They didn't. We were told several times that there would be split time clocks on the course, there wasn't. But so far the most annoying aspect to me was the man at the last turn that sent us out and around the trees that we had already been around. Now the course was a muddy, hilly, mushy wet mess that I will have to admit I was not ready for. I expected my time to be slower than the road but not as slow as it was. I can walk 3 miles faster than I ran the course. I expected to be slow since I just started running 9 weeks ago, I was prepared to be last but finish running. I did that. I finished and ran the whole thing except 2 hills I had to slow to a walk on. At first I was bummed about my time but then I realized I ran for 47 minutes...I ran the whole time slow or not so obviously my endurance is doing great. We all ran the same course so I wasn't at a disadvantage compared to anyone else but I will not run on grass again. My road times have been averaging 38 minutes with my best ever time being 34 minutes. I was beating myself up until some of the Nike+ people starting speaking up. The pods were registering anywhere from 3.4 to 3.6 miles for the 5k.
But I RAN 47 minutes, that is the highlight of my day ;o) The longest I have run without a warm up walk is 30 minutes. This is amazing to me and I a so proud of myself for running that long. I knew I needed to build endurance before I could build speed. So all I can do is improve from here. Jeramy's time was around 2-3 minutes off from what we know he can run it in but he was the fastest from Greenville and was in the top 50 of 1000 runners. So wet cold rainy muddy slick....yucky slow. Next year I am doing the 10K not only to push myself but because that one is on the road.

Sidenote: As runners were coming back from the 10K they were discussing how the distances weren't matching their Nike+ either. Many of them did a personal best for the race but their pods were showing less than a 10k. After traveling over to Nike's website today it looks as if Belding wasn't posted for the Nike+ Human Race 10K Results. I am hoping for everyone that put the effort in that this gets fixed but am starting to wonder if the results haven't been posted because the mandatory distance wasn't covered? I hope that isn't the case because those people ran their ass's off in some really crappy weather.

Brrrrrrrr....

It's getting chilly here in Michigan. Fall isn't providing the cool air that it usually does. It is just cold. We ave been cycling and running in this weather which has required a great deal of extra layering. You wouldn't believe how excited I got over finding a New Balance fitted running jacket and matching custom length pants. Layered with Under Armour and an ear warmer and I am ready to go. Yesterday we hit a quick 16 miles on our bikes. My toes were numb so I need to contact Defeet about some wool socks.
I am really dreading the snow but the owner of The Runnery turned me on to snow shoe treads for your running shoes. You see the problem is that I really dislike the treadmill. I was struggling to run and breath on the treadmill and I admit the first 2 runs outside made my legs scream but now I don't want to go back to the belt. I know there are going to be days that I have to but I am going to hold out as long as possible outside.
I have a whole list of events next year that I plan on doing so I need to keep moving. The major ones will be the Riverbank Run, Freemont Triathlon, DALMAC ride to Mackinac and Great Pumpkin Duathlon.
I am so happy to be able to do these. When I started to lose weight I said it wasn't about vanity but about being healthy and fit. Along the way I have found out that I just love being active and working out. I love looking better and being able to shop amongst the normal sizes but that isn't what keeps me going. I see so many people lose weight and get into a certain size and then that's it. They are comfortable and it starts to slowly creep back. I am not going to be that person. This is my new life and I love it. I am proud of myself for finding activities that continue to keep me driven. This weekend I will be running the EveryStride 5k Nike Human Race. Cold and rainy is the forecast...should be a good time. They better have some schnapps for my hot cocoa afterwards :o)

A progress picture...

I think I have finally really truly busted through the plateau that has been plaguing my life. In the past 3 weeks I have lost another 8 pounds. My husband says it if from changing my routing into running..he is probably right and I am geared up for a 5k on the 24th. Anyway I just figured it was time for a new picture.