>A runner's Christmas

>

"Runners have the best buns!"

Let's hope I can make this a true statement in 2011.

A Marmot running jacket to keep me a bit warmer!

It's the loveliest shade of green.

 BICbands
"Because I CAN!!!"

And because I believe in saving the best for last...

My hubby was just entirely too good to me this year.

I got a Garmin Forerunner 305. And yes, I am cheesin' big time. I was super happy.

I have used it once since I got it and LOVE it. I can't wait to use it for all my runs.

 

I've been away and haven't blogged much but I did catch up on some blog reading since getting home today. I hope to get more caught up while I am off this week and to get some regular posting going on. I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas. I'm excited for the new year!!!

 

>Three Things Thursday

>1. I want to run a half marathon (my first!) in 2011...March or April. So, I am thinking of either the one in my city or traveling nearby (Georgia possibly) to run one. Hubby thinks I should travel for my first half marathon rather than stay local. I think staying local has more positives but he thinks travel would be more fun. I actually can see his point, too. Traveling would mean a sitter and better post race celebration. LOL I just know that I should register for whichever I decide to do soon because while I am training I have nothing concrete to train for. Does that make sense? I can train for the distance but I want to actually be training for a specific race. It makes sense to me. :) What would you do?

2. I can hardly believe that Christmas is already here (well, in a day or two) and that this year is coming to a close. I feel good about what I have accomplished in 2010 and am really looking forward to meeting more goals in 2011. I have goals. Do you have goals? I am going to share (again) my goals soon.

3. I am officially off work until Jan. 3, 2011. Wow. that is a lot of time off. Yay for vacations at home. I plan to enjoy the time with my family as well as getting in some much needed workouts and runs. Can't wait to see what kind of running stuff Santa has left me under the tree. Hopefully he did bring some running stuff! I've been a good girl! ;) Are you planning to run on Christmas Eve or Christmas day? I have a run planned tomorrow. I'm telling myself the magic number is 5. We shall see.

>The bad run

>First of all let me say that Saturday the hubby and I ran together and it was great. My plan was to run 6 miles but we ended up only running 5.55 in just about an hour, which is pretty good. I am still amazed that I have been able to run longer distances with fewer walk breaks. I tried my best to stop just short of 2 miles and take a walk break but hubby just wouldn't let me. I'm glad to have such great support in him. Saturday's run was a great one but it left my  legs and knees hurting! It probably didn't help later in the evening when we had a wedding to go to and I decided to wear boots with little heels. And the walking we did later that night at the mall (in those same heeled boots) probably added to the leg/foot/knee pain I was already feeling but it didn't take away the fact that we had a great run earlier in the day.

The bad run came tonight when I jumped on the treadmill after work. It just didn't feel right from the beginning. The air was stuffy, my right leg capri tight kept creeping up over my knee and my legs felt like lead. It was just tough and I had to stop to fix my pants leg just at a quarter mile. Boo. I kept going once I got that taken care of but within another quarter mile I could feel how heavy my legs were and knew this run was not going to be my best. So, what did I do? I ran until I hit a mile and stopped. 10:30 min/mile. Not bad but it definitely was not the 4 miles I was hoping to run tonight. :(

Even though I had a not so great run I ended up turning my workout into a good one.
I hopped off the treadmill and jumped on the arc trainer.  Have you used one of those before?

It looks like the one above and I hope one day my buns will look like that chics! haha
Anyway, I set it to about 8-9 on elevation (it goes to 10) and 40 on resistance (goes to 100) and got in 20 more minutes of cardio on that bad boy. If you have never used an arc trainer you should. I swear I burn twice as many calories on that thing. 400+ in tonight's 20 minute workout!! Not bad.

Once I finished with that I walked over to where hubby was and lucky for me he was just finishing up his workout. So, he talked me into doing a few other exercises. I can't remember what all I did but I remember some kettle bell squats and swings and upright rows....oh and there was some ab work that he swears I will feel in the morning. I'm sure I won't be thanking him for that tomorrow.

Anyway, I am happy that I was able to turn my bad run into a great workout. Tomorrow I plan to do BodyPump and then hopefully a quick run (even if it's only 2 miles....I need some miles!).

And because I didn't update my "Maintain Don't Gain" weigh in last week I will say I was only down half a pound. I am happy with that but won't lie because I did want it to be more. Oh well, 'tis the season and so long as I am not gaining I am a happy  mama. :) Now, I just hope I can bring in a different number this Thursday!

>I got a secret!

>Ok, fine, so it isn't a secret really.
Amazon.com is having a sweet deal on one of my fave books.

Run Like a Mother - the book is on sale for $6! Now, let me tell you that I already own the book and have given away one to a reader here earlier this year. For some odd reason I immediately hit order when I saw RLAM share this news on Facebook earlier today. So, guess what?!?!?!

There is a shiney, new, yellow covered RLAM book headed to my house in a couple of days. (I'm sure hubby is going to wonder why I felt the need for another book for which I already own the same of.) Haha

What does all this mean?
Well, it means that if you feel like waiting on a belated Christmas gift then you should hang around this blog a bit longer because I am going to give one away. OR if you feel your luck has run out and you just do not have the patience to wait on my upcoming giveaway then go ahead and order yourself this great book. However, don't wait too long because at that price it's not going to last!

So, yay!!! Stay tuned. I can't wait. :)

>Running right along

>So, I have failed to post since Thursday but I am sure you didn't expect much less from me. haha
Friday was the first time in 15 or so weeks (Thank you, Football season) that I made it to the gym on a Friday night. All of my Friday nights during those 15 or so weeks were spent at the football field watching hubby's team whoop up on their opponents! Fun times.

This past Friday night was different in that I let an Arc Trainer whoop up on me for my scheduled 40 minute crossing training session. Fun times. But not as fun as football. Of course football in frigid temps would have made the Arc Trainer look like a fun time, if perhaps we were comparing the two. Anyway.....

Saturday I had planned to get in 5-6 miles of running but as plans often go with me...
they changed!!! Surprise, right!? No.

I postponed Saturday's scheduled run because we just had a super busy day. We watched the local Christmas parade, I took my Girl Scout troop to sing at an assisted living home and then out for pizza and Christmas celebration (of sorts). And as if that all was not enough to pack  into one day our church Christmas dinner was also that evening. My family (me, hubby, the kids) went to that. By the time that was over my gym was closed. Even though I said I was going to do more outdoor running I draw the line when the temps hit the teens. I just feel there is no way to get or stay warm at that point and sweating just makes the cold worse. Besides that it was dark out. ;)

So, I saved my run for Sunday. I left the house around 4pm for the gym and told myself that I would run 6 miles. And I did.

Now, you all may (or maybe you don't) know that when I run I do take a walk break here or there. I admit it. And I am not ashamed of the walk break at all. If I need it I am going to take it and I know my body will thank me for it. :)

Sunday's run was a bit of a new thing for me. I think I learned that I usually try to go out too fast. I told myself going in on Sunday that I would just go steady. I set the treadmill to 5.7 mph or 10:43 (I think) minute/mile. I was comfortable there. And there I stayed for an entire 2 mile run. I think I could have kept going had I not been in shock that I just ran 2 miles without stopping to take a walk break. I was happy to see 21 mins and some odd seconds on the clock.

I told myself that I only had to do that 2 more times to get in the 6 miles I was shooting for that day. However, once I hit 2 miles in the next set I decided to keep going. I took one teensy little walk break and finished off until the counter on the treadmill read 4.02 or something like that. Then I took a little .08 walk break to cool myself off.

6.1 miles 
65 minutes 54 seconds
10:48 min/mile

I was quite pleased with my little Sunday run on the treadmill. Sure, I would have loved to been faster. I'd have also loved to tell you that I was able to do that outside, but as luck would have it we got snow on Sunday and if I can't brave the teen temps for running you better believe I cannot brave snow on the ground. haha Maybe one day!

I would love to say that I ran yesterday or even today but hubby got sick with a violent case of the icks...stomach bug or something bad he ate so I was on kid duty. LOL And today, well I have no good excuse for not getting up at 5am to start my car and head to the gym before work. Shame me, if you must!! I'm sure I deserve it. I will be kicking it into high gear tomorrow though because tonight's dinner (work Christmas celebration) is at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse... help me! ;) 

>Three Things Thursday

>1. Yesterday I ran outside with the so awesomly, fabulous Terri. I have been lucky enough to have met her via Blogland and even luckier that she lives close to me! We attempted to run together Monday but she was needed by a friend and of course I understood that. What a great friend she is! Anyway, we decided to try and meet to run a quick 3 on Weds. Let me just tell you what a TROOPER Terri is... first, she didn't tell me she had worked out already that morning and second, she told me close to the end of our run that she has an upper respiratory thing going on! And to add to that she's been having back issues! She rocks, y'all. We met yesterday at my gym and ran a little trail nearby. It was roughly 3.02. Neither of us timed it or kept track of our pace, but let me tell you....when I said a quick 3 miler that is exactly what it felt like to me! Her pace the whole time was great and it was the first time for me (running that trail) that I only took a couple of brief walk breaks. I honestly feel like I could have ran the entire thing had I just pushed myself a little harder. And this was only my 2nd cold weather run ever. I've said before about how great Terri is at being positive while running and yesterday was no different, she was cheering me on the whole way. I just love that!  So, again, I wish to say thanks to Terri.

2. Tonight I went to my regular BodyPump class. Last week I already felt like I wasn't getting much out of the class because they were doing some transitioning into new music and moves. They do this so that your body doesn't get to use to the same moves and all of us who work out know how good a change in routine is great for the body. I enoy the class for the most part every time I take it. However, the last 2 times I have taken it I feel very much like I have not gotten enough out of the class even though I am increasing my weight and giving it my all. Tonight I really feel like I just didn't get much at all out of the class. I didn't like the music, the reps were different and there is one teacher that just doesn't get real pumped up. Add to that the fact that I barely was sweating when I left. A friend at the gym noticed when I left that I wasn't sweating and commented on that. I immediately told her that I just didn't get much out of class tonight. Ugh. I'm not sure I will attend class Saturday and I will definitely miss Tuesday's class so if I take it again it will be this time next week. Maybe that is why I am not getting much out of the class. Who knows!? But at this point I feel like I need a new weight routine.

3. I love saving the best for last. I thought about making this a new post all together but why not just do it this way!? Today was my weigh in at the gym for the Maintain Don't Gain challenge. I knew this morning when I stepped on the scale at home that it was going to be a great day to weigh in. :) So, I went first thing this morning to the gym. You may  know from reading previous posts that I had a certain number goal in mind. I DID IT! I hit that magic number today and am now officially in a new set of numbers. I am down a total of 60 lbs and if all goes accordingly I will do more than just maintain over the holidays! Take that!!! Ha. I am down a total of 10 lbs since Nov. 1. I am very excited about this. Next goal- 20lbs.

>-28 and counting

>I was looking back at where I was weight wise this same time last year. So far since Dec. 09 I am down about 28 lbs.
Tomorrow is my half way point weigh in at my gym for the Maintain Don't Gain challenge that is running for 10 weeks through the holidays. I have a goal weight in mind for tomorrow but anything lower than my weight at last week's weigh in is good enough for me. If I don't reach that goal tomorrow then I know I have a little more work to do to meet that goal before January rolls around.

In the running department this time last year I was doing good to finish a 5k in less than 38 minutes and that is with several walk breaks. This week I have ran 3 miles (and yes, I know that is .10 short of a 5k) twice in under 33 minutes with fewer walk breaks than any run to date. I will talk more about my runs this week later on. I've slacked in posting lately! haha

Anyway, I guess this is quite a boastful post but I suppose that is OK. I feel like it is good to take pride in one's self and your own accomplishments. I have a long way to go yet but I do like looking back at where I was and where I am now. I think it keeps me in check and nmotivates me to keep moving forward.

Thank you for following my journey and cheering me on!

>This weekend was a celebratory one for us here in TN. The team my hubby coaches for won their 7th..in a row!!!... State Championship title in 3A football for TN. Fun fun!
Anyway, that meant dinner on the fly and relatively late Friday evening as well as celebratory eating on Saturday. I knew ahead of time that we would be eating at Outback Steakhouse Friday following the game so I did pretty well all day with my eating. Even at dinner I got a steak, fries and salad and shared with the kids. Annabelle had some of my salad and Peanut and I shared the steak and fries. I  know I could have gotten a different side but for once I let my boy pick the side and since he wanted fries I just went with it.

I didn't bother weighing myself like I normally do on Saturday morning because my plan was to get my 5 mile run in on Saturday and deal with the rest of the day's eating as it came. Turns out hubby and I took the kids to Cracker Barrel for breakfast but I managed to talk hubby into sharing a meal with me. We got the cinnamon french toast, eggs and turkey sausage and split it which was a wise choice so neither of us overate for breakfast. Where I went wrong was not hitting the gym for my run or any type of workout after breakfast.

We had a packed day and just let time get away from us. Late that afternoon we had a get together at one of the other coach's house and I knew they would have salad and lasagna. NO big deal, right? Big salad, small portion of lasgna. IF only I had stuck with that plan.

What I really had was a big salad, small portion of lasagna, a couple of PW's jalapeno poppers that hubby made, crackers, cheese, ginger snaps and this totally delicious yummy stuff to dip them in...
Crap, I think I also ate small brownie. Maybe I also had one breadstick..or was it a half?
See....

I lost track of what all I did eat. Yikes! I hate times like that. I went with a plan and totally didn't follow it.
So, that meant not jumping on the scale again today. I knew I'd be doomed if I did and it would set a bad tone or bad attitude for the week. I made up for the guilt of the weekend by going to the gym and running my 5 miler today.

5 miles done in 52:05. Not too shabby!

Now, Monday is a new day and a new week is upon us! I am excited. I love the start of a new week and feeling fresh and ready to take it on. My goal is to get to at least 169 by this time next week. I think I can totally do it. Or at least the hubby has told me I can. :) At least one of us believes....

Anyway, I leave you with this pic just for fun!

>Keeping my eye on the goal

>This week marks 5 weeks of the "Maintain Don't Gain" challenge at my gym.
Last week I did not report official weight results of my weigh in because quite frankly they weren't good! And because the result was not good I chose to ignore it. But the truth is my weight was up a few lbs. This was mostly becuase I had some issues along with my little monthly friend being on the verge of visiting. I also weighed at the end of the day rather than in the morning and honestly I hate end of the day weigh ins. Anyway...

Today was my week 5 weigh in.
My start weight (according to the gym) 5 weeks ago was 179.6
Today's weight (gym scale, again) was 171.1.
Total weight loss in 5 weeks = 8.5 lbs

I could not be happier with my weigh in today. I knew when I got on the scale at home that I was going to be down because on my home scale I saw a great number. I did not expect for the gym scale to register LOWER than my home scale. I weigh at home nakie and of course at the gym I have on clothing. This was a huge surprise and a very much welcomed one! I am 2 lbs away from the next set of numbers and I so badly want to get there.

I am focused now. Today was a great eating day. I stayed on plan. I kept with my training plan and went to BodyPump tonight. It was also great.

For now, I am keeping my eye on the goal because at this point it is not too far off!

>Three Things Thursday

>1. I want to run a race in December. It's probably not going to happen because I can only think of two upcoming races near me that aren't too expensive and they are both 5k's. One is this coming Sunday but it isn't likely I will run that one because we will be gone Friday and possibly Saturday with football shenanigans. And this will likely be the first Sunday in 15 plus weeks that hubby will be home. Hopefully, he will be home. And I am sure that his idea of family time is not running a race in the freezing cold with his crazy wife. The other race is next weekend (I think) and it's for a good cause as well and cheap entry fee ($5) but the drawback is they are just handing out leftovers to everyone. Leftovers meaning tees and such from random races through the years. I don't particularly want to end up with a tee shirt from a race I didn't run. Again, it is for a good cause and basically a social event, but I can't commit to it. I don't even have a reason as to WHY I feel the itch to race in December other than I must be crazy.

2. I told myself I was going to get outside more and run this winter. So far that hasn't happened. But technically it's not even winter yet, just freezing cold out. I am blaming the time change. By the time I get off work at 5 and get the kids checked into the gym around 5:20 I barely have 20 minutes (if even that long) of daylight left to even run in. The trails near my gym are lit but dude it is scary out there all alone in the cold! I also find it hard to motivate myself to get out there in the cold and run. My hope is that since hubby's schedule is going to change a bit once football is over we can run some together (or maybe my new running buddies and I can meet for some Sat. runs...hinthinthintahem).  I know I will get out there, I just have to do it.

3. Thursday is my weigh in day at the gym. Last week I was up due mainly in part to my little monthly friend making a surprise appearance and another issue I was having. Fun times. My hope this week is to see at least the loss from what I was up. There is a prize tomorrow. All those people losing weight for the first 5 weeks of the challenge will get their name in the bucket to win a $50 Visa giftcard. I want that card so bad! LOL BUT I want a loss even more! The truth is though that I haven't worked as hard as I could have to lose, but come on did anyone really "diet" on Thanksgiving? Maybe but not me. I ate that piece of pecan pie and I did eat the mac n cheese. I didn't feel guilty either. Am I now wishing I had done a thing or two differently? Yes, but only because I REALLY really do want the scale to be down when I weigh in. Fingers crossed.

>Looking back and ahead

>I was just looking back on where I was this time last  year.
195.6 lbs was my exact weight. I had just ran a 5k in over 40 minutes.

Wow. What a difference a year can make!

This was roughly the same time last year.

I don't have any pics of me from the 8k race I ran Thanksgiving morning but here is a more recent pic of me.

I'm amazed at how much of a difference there is even though I am only 20-22 lbs lighter than this same time last year.

I can see the change not just in my face but other areas as well. That same black UA shirt I wore last year which I wasn't 100% comfy in at the time is now baggy and loose. Unfortunately that is because I have lost so much up top. BUT at the same time I can tell a huge difference in what the BodyPump classes have done for my chest and shoulders. I like looking in the mirror when I am doing chest exercises in Pump because I can see that I actually have nice shoulders! teehee

I was looking back to later in December of 09 and had set some goals for 2010.

1. to lose 30-35 more pounds

Actually lost 20-22. I can kick another 15 in 2011, right!?

2. to run a 5k race in 35-37 minutes

Current 5k PR is 33:06!

3. run an 8k race

Achieved this goal on Thanksgiving morning!

4. run a 10k race

Gotta move this one to 2011!

5. begin training for a half marathon

Sorta, kinda started this. I'm on week 2 of training and it's going ok.

My goal for the half marathon is to run one in April 2011. I think I can get there but it is going to be hard work.

At the end of December I am going to reevaluate my plan, my workouts and my goals. I will not be setting New Year's Resolutions but again, I will set goals for the new year. I realize they are one in the same but calling them goals (for me) makes them seem more attainable.
 
For now my focus in December is going to continue on the loosing track with weight loss but realize that part of my challenge at the gym is to maintain so if all I do is maintain through December it will be a success. I am still going for a loss even if it is a small one. I also plan to continue running and half marathon training. I would LOVE to get a few training sessions with my favorite trainer (Rachel!!) at my gym because I have heard she's good! But until then I will continue with my classes and other things as strength training.
 
So, what's your December plan? Are you already looking ahead to 2011?

>Post Thanksgiving plan

>So, here we are a few days after Thanksgiving and as if I wasn't feeling the bloat before indulging in turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie I sure am feeling it now! We had 2 Thanksgiving dinners within the weekend and I am more ready than ever to just get over the food coma. While I did indulge in the wonderful pumpkin cake my hubby made and a small slice of pecan pie today I really did not overdo it all weekend with my food choices. However, I haven't exercised (unless you call Black Friday shopping for several hours exercise) since the 8k Thanksgiving morning. I feel quite sluggish.

I plan to be 100% back on my healthy eating plan in the morning. Not that I won't be the rest of the day today but for the sake of making it official for blogging purposes, tomorrow is the magic day. I have already devised my workout schedule for the week.

Monday - run an "easy" 3 miles
Tuesday- Core Challenge class, BodyPump
Wednesday - 2 mile run or crosstrain
Thursday - BodyPump (and maybe Zumba)
Friday - off
Saturday - 30 min crosstrain, BodyPump (this will all be dependent upon what time we get home Fri night/Sat morning from the State playoff game)
Sunday - 4 mile run

I am trying to follow the half marathon training plan by Hal Higdon (novice plan). I have made some modifications to meet my specific needs and what will work into my schedule. Hopefully by April I will be able to run a half marathon. The training plan is a 12 week program but I can tell you from experience it is going to take me much longer than 12 weeks to reach a milage goal of 13.1. But I will get there.

This past week I only made it to the gym 3 days which is not the 4 I committed to for the Maintain Don't Gain challenge, but as long as I have 40 visits in before the 10 week period is up it still counts. I am going to try and find some way (or ask it there is a way) to make my 8k race from Thursday count towards this week. Sounds silly to worry about one day when I am already ahead of the game with my attendance but I want it to count!

My weigh in day at the gym this week will be Thursday and I will post an update on how that is going. I'm hoping to make it through December on the losing side. Can you even believe that we are creeping up on December??Wow!
Hope you all have a great week!!

>My first 8k

>Exciting title, huh!?

Last week I sat down about 23957457 times to write a blog post, but I was having a horrible week as far as eating and workouts (and well basically my entire self esteem/confidence was in the can) so I never completed the post. Actually, I just deleted the 3 I started and decided to put that behind me and give you a little race recap from Thursday morning.

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to come in contact with a new Running Buddy (or two) and they asked if I would be interested in running an upcoming 8k near our town. I was hesitant but as I have said before I like a challenge and am looking to move beyond my same ol' same ol' 5k race routine. So, let's do it! I registered and last week we went on our first group run together. I felt the group run went really well and was excited about the race. I had done well on a 5 miler with these wonderful ladies so I knew the 8k race would be a huge success.

I picked up our race packets and was pretty excited about running the next day with these ladies. It would be the first race I was running without my husband by  my side or even there for support. I tried not to dwell on that though because I knew with his schedule it just wasn't possible but I knew I didn't need to not do it on that account also. Anyway, Wednesday evening was upon me and I didn't have the prerace jitters I normally had. I hadn't really even decided on my race attire or laid anything out to go except our race packets! I typically have everything laid out in proper order well in advance and give a lot of thought to my outfit. Maybe this was a good sign!

Now, you will recall I mentioned having a rough week. My eating wasn't spot on, my weigh in at the gym wasn't great (did you even notice I didn't do an update??) and I just felt horrible about myself most of the week. And yes, I am aware that I said that was behind me. It really is but I do have a point.

I usually do not eat any kind of breakfast before a race because I worry about getting cramps, a side stitch or the food just hitting me wrong. SO, whether this is the right or wrong method I don't know, but what I do is nibble a couple of Gu Chomps and go. At least with that I have a little extra energy and they force me to drink water prior to so I figure it's not all that bad.

Again, I have a point. :)

I met Terri and the gang everyone was chipper and having a great prerace ride to the venue. All was well. I felt good, ready to go. Go as in run.

I'm still getting to the point.

This race was cool because it being Thanksgiving morning they were taking donations for a foodbank for a chance to win a Garmin 110. So, we all unloaded our donations, got our tickets and went about our business to prepare to start the race. All was well.

We chatted it up the start line, paused for the National Anthem and the gun sounded we were off. Our original plan was to use the Galloway method of 6:1...6 minutes of running, 1 minute recovery walk. This worked well on our group run last week and as long as the ladies didn't mind slowing down and going at my pace well you know I was happy. :) However, for me things took a different turn.

We were making a great pace I felt good with my breathing, my legs felt fine...
BUT I had a differerent issue. After the first walk break, Melissa picked up the pace and took off and Terri and I followed not too far behind. Something hit me. HARD. And I had to literally stop to walk within minutes of having just taken back off running. Great these women are going to think I cannot pace or keep up with them. Here I am wussing out within the first mile of the race. Crap.  Crap is exactly what it was. At that point, Terri was a bit ahead of me and kindly came back to check on me. She saw the look on my face and knew something was just not right. It wasn't. I hated even admitting that I was not going to be able to keep up with them but I had issues. She asked if I was ok and of course I couldn't lie. Freaking intestinal issues. Really??!? NOW. I have waited a week for my body to talk to me and it decides to finally make it's move within the first mile of my first 8k race.Convenient, no??

Terri could relate and for that I was thankful but in no way did I want to hold her back. I shooed her on, not in the sense that sounds! But I told her to go on and run her race that I just knew if I went any faster things would not be good for me. She asked again if I was sure and of course I was. Either way I was finishing and I was not going to be last. I gave her a slight smile and said I'd be fine and off she went. To my surprise I managed to hit the 2 mile marker at just a few seconds over 20 minutes. I was surprising myself by actually making decent time at that point.

Between mile 2-3.5 things were pretty tough and I probably had to take a few more walk breaks than I normally would have anticipated but between my intestines and the impact of my feet hitting the concrete if I had not taken it slow that stuff was coming and fast. No way was I going to make a mess of myself at just an 8k race. Perhaps one of these days if the same thing happens at half marathon we might be telling a different story but not for this race! And I am sure Terri and the gang can appreciate me taking it slow so as to prevent an accident becaues they picked me up and might not have been thrilled about taking me home! haha

I was glad to have had my watch and actually enjoyed this race without my music. People (including Terri and the gang) cheering each other on along the way was a huge help and nice change up from my usual race tunes. I was able to hear my breathing and was in tune with my thoughts (which mostly had to do with  my mind telling my guts to simmer down!).

Once I hit mile 4 and saw a familiar face (friend of ours and a track coach the hubby helps) and rah rah Emert I knew I could make the last. 97 even if it was at a slow jog. I knew by the time on my watch that Terri and the gang were done and at least they would be waiting on me when I finished. I didn't have a time goal for this race since it was my first 8k (a race length I had not done before) and once my current tummy troubles reared their ugly head I knew time was thrown out the window. 

I finished in 54:51 which is about an 11 minute (and 3 second) mile pace. A bit slower (30 seconds) than my pace on the treadmill but again given the tummy troubles not too shabby. The gang was there and gave me a big RAH RAH and I am just so thankful for that and them!  I am glad that I was able to take this experience as a positive one even given what I had been through. People could relate to me and what had happened and still know that I had a reason to be proud. I finished.

It was an absolutely beautiful day for a run, too. This time of year is crazy here in E. TN and you might have 20 degrees and frigid wind (like today) or 65 degrees and a breeze (like Thursday). I am thankful that Mr. Weatherman came through and gave us the latter. I am also grateful for my hubby for supporting my running. I am thankful for new running friends who can appreciate the success of finishing even a crappy run.

The best news of the day was Terri's awesome win!!! She knows I have some serious envy!! ;)
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! I know I did. And as much as I wish the race had gone differently for me, I am thankful for even these kinds of experiences.

>Winner, Winner Turkey Dinner (haha)

>Thank you to all of you that entered the BIC bands giveaway here on my blog! There were 16 entries. I used Random.org with numbers 1 through 16 and it chose lucky number 15.  Here is what the 15th comment said....

Terri said...

Just liked them on FB!

November 20, 2010 4:33 PM

 

 

 Again, thank you all that participated! I hope to have more fun Giveaways like this in the coming year. I cannot say enough good things about BICbands. If you didn't win I encourage you to check out the site on Etsy and make a purchase. The proceeds go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma society!  

As for the winner, contact me via email (can be found in my sidebar..I think) and I will direct you on how to go about claiming your prize!! Congrats!!

>Saturday's Fun Run

>Let me start off by warning you that I have sat down more than a few times to write this post and hit delete more times than I can count. The fact is, I AM NOT a writer. I'm not good at it but I enjoy blogging for you as much as I do for me. That being said, if this post is all over the place...forgive me in advance.  ;)

I have talked on here about previous running "friends"  (I put that in quotes because I though these people were friends but have since learned otherwise) and the fact that while I felt they were running with me it turned out they were running against me. Meaning, for them it was a competition. Each race wasn't a personal accomplishment for them unless they beat me/my time. If you've ever been in the same position it can leave a bad taste in your mouth in life as well as running. I for one was bothered more by it in terms of the friendship/life than I was the running. I've said before, I will say it again... I run for ME. I am my own worse competition, every single run.

Moving on....

I was contacted through bloggy land by a new friend. I call her a friend because I think she is even though I only just met her. We hit it off (I think) and anyone that can approach a stranger (albeit the www) is the kind of person I want to be my friend. I am the most shy person you will ever meet, but I am slowly coming out of my shell. My hubby teases me about my phone phobia. I hate talking on the phone for the most part unless I am talking to him or my sister. Ha, I talk to them daily so maybe it is because it is easy. Ok, off track much? lol  I warned you it would happen.

Anyway, it took me until Friday after I got off work to call and confirm plans for meeting my new running friends for our Saturday run. But I was proud I did...oh and extremely happy! I have wanted running buddies for a while and it just so happens that I got me some.. YAY!!! And the non-competitive type of running friends, too! Double score! 

So, we arranged to meet Saturday (they picked me up!! Rock on!) and we headed out to a local trail for a 5 mile run. In the past my 5 miles has been done solo on a local greenway or on the treadmill at the gym. Both extremely tough. My new friends assured me that they were not running for time and were happy to go at a comfortable pace for me. This made me (and still does) very happy!

Saturday's run was one of my most favorite runs to date. A cool fall morning with friends on a nice (but hilly!) trail that I had never run before. We ran the first 1.25 miles before *I* had to stop. I can't even tell you why I had to stop but I did. I told my hubby later that day that I could feel my abs engaged the entire time I was running, perhaps the hills were the reason for that? Either way, I liked that they were right there with me the whole time. This was also my first run with no music but talking. I loved that. These women were great at keeping me motivated the entire run. We took walk breaks when walk breaks were needed. I appreciated that.

And because she is so sweet, towards the end of the run Terri asked if I would like her to snap a pic of me for her blog! YES! Please do! :)

Here Melissa and myself are on our way towards the end of our run. Thank you, ladies for an awesome day, for motivating me, boosting my running confidence and making me believe that I too am a great runner!  My only regret is that I don't have a pic of me and Terri running, but don't fear!! We are running together again on Turkey day and I have a feeling there will be many more group runs in our future!

I hadn't even mentioned that these ladies just completed a half marathon not too many days ago! Wow! They have me thinking seriously about 13.1 myself. I have a training plan printed out ready to go (my second atttempt) and tomorrow will be a 3 mile run as the program calls for.

So, there ya have it... my long post about Saturday's awesome 5 miler and a little blip about new running adventures I'm goin on.

>Giveaways you should check out!

>

My own BICbands Giveaway HERE. Did you know BIC stands for "because I can,?" Awesome, right! My giveaway ends today and a winner will be selected tomorrow so hurry and enter. :)

Lift Your Sole Stocking Stuffer Giveaway by Running Diva Mom HERE. Ends Nov. 30th.

Embrace Each Step Giveaway by Running Diva Mom HERE. Ends Nov. 30th.

Inspired Endurance Giveaway by Running Diva Mom HERE. Ends Nov. 28th.

iPod Touch giveaway over at Setting You Free. Check it out HERE. Winner announced on Thanksgiving day!



Enjoy your Sunday! I will be back later to talk about my awesome run yesterday but for now a load or two (or four!) of laundry is calling my name.

>Really, Mr. Weatherman?

>

Warm and sunny

Not too high

Not too low

 And then....

THEN

Thanksgiving morning 60% chance of rain and breezy.

Thank you, Mr. Weatherman. 

I am not a fan of running in the cool temps but I do run better when it is chillier. But rain? Oy. 

Please, all of you lovely bloggies, do the sunshine dance or the no rain dance for me, will ya?! 

>Maintain Don't Gain - WI #3

>This week marks the start of week 3 of the Maintain Don't Gain challenge at my gym. I skipped weigh in on Monday because it was a crazy morning but thankfully they offer Thursday as another weigh in day. So, I decided to go this morning. That allowed me to work a little harder at the gym and focus more on my eating a couple extra days this week. Not that I wasn't already doing that but it helped keep me focused on what the goal is.

Funny thing happened at my weigh in. I always change into a pair of Under Armour cotton shorts because I typically have on jeans and a belt. I am weird about weighing in clothes to heavy even if they give me a 2lb clothing allowance. So, I change. Anyway, he gets my name and age (which he input as 30 rather than 31 yrs..lol) and had me weigh. There are apparently a couple of different weight loss challenges going on at my gym because he said to me, "Oh you gained this week. Like 4 lbs." No way, not possible. I was down on my home scale and all I had this morning was coffee and I'd peed 2 times since then! lol I just knew he was wrong. I hopped off the scale and walked over to him to look. Haha. He had the wrong book. Whew. Turns out I was actually down 2lbs from last week for a total of 5 lbs down since the challenge started.

I am, of course, very pleased with the progress so far. If you remember me going to the dietitian you may recall that I was bummed she told me only to lose between 8 and 17 lbs over the next 6 months. So, 5lbs down in just a couple of weeks is exciting for me. The goal is to maintain over the holidays but I am determined to prove that I can lose!

>A run, a review and a giveaway!!

>

I've read a lot of your posts and seen your pics where you have these super cute little head bands that are "sure to not slip" or "stay in place."  Since running I have wanted to try one of my own and I gave up trying to win one (haha!) so last week I went to BIC Bands   shop on Etsy and started shopping. I purchased one, the Turkey thin band. I thought it would be the perfect way to top off (get it? haha) my running attire for an upcoming Thanksgiving Day race I am participating in. 

I was stoked when I opened my mail Friday when my BIC band was right there in my mail! Happy happy. I had just ordered it on Tuesday! Super fast shipping. 

Anyway, I had decided then that Saturday morning would be the perfect time to test out this cute little band. I decided to skip my regular Saturday morning BodyPump class and mapped out a long(er) run when I got home from the football game Friday night. See, I was determined. 

Anyway.....

I had my 7 yr old daughter snap a few pics before we left the house. 

Now, I know I am not as cute as some of you other (more serious) runners but just bear with the running outfit. haha It was chilly and I was also going to be testing out the full legnth running tights for the first time. And because I read on RLAM about seams in running tights being split (I go commando in those things!!), I became fearful of what *could* possibly happen. Hence the reason for the shorts over my tights. ;)

please also excuse the messy kitchen in the background

When I got to the gym the first thing the ladies in the childcare room noticed was....

you guessed it! My super cute BIC Band. :) Just knowing someone else thought it was cute and that it looked super cute on me is another reason to love it. But, it still needed to be tested out in a run. Off I went. I had 5 miles scheduled but wasn't sure I'd actually stick to my plan.

This is the trail I was running on. 

It was a beautiful fall day!

And here I am running in my Turkey BIC band. 

Do you know how hard it is to capture a decent picture of yourself with a cell phone while running? Yeah, well it is not easy. At least in this pic though I am sorta trying to smile. 

You will notice my BIC Band is in the same place it was in the picture from home. 

It didn't move! 

The sweat was not in my eyes!

It was comfortable! 

And it's flipping CUTE!

Some other things that are awesome about BIC Bands are:

~ the seams are all made well.

~it is washable (hand washable, but washable).

~ inexpensive

~they're fun. with many styles to choose from you could find one to match every running outfit you have!

~super fast shipping time (for me anyway...from Cali to TN - 3 days!)

and here is what really made me decide to purchase my BIC band....

~ proceeds from your purchase go to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

The kind owner of BIC bands has offered to give one of my awesome readers a BIC band of their own. I will run this giveaway through Sunday, November 21st and pick a winner on Monday, November 22nd. Once the winner contacts me with their info I will forward that on so that your prize will be mailed to you!

 Here is how you get entered to win.

1. Like BICBands on Facebook
2. Follow my blog

3. Go to BICbands (Etsy shop) and tell me what your favorite is.

 4. Blog about this giveaway!

Please leave me a comment for each entry! Now, hurry on and add these to your Christmas wish list!

*Disclaimer - I wzs NOT sent this product to review. It was purchased with my own money and I just reviewed it on my own. The kind owner of the BICBand Etsy shop threw the giveaway in out of generosity. :)

>Three Things Thursday

>1.I have hopped on the computer more times than I care to count to in order to write a post here. I would type a few words and decide to come back because I felt nothing I had typed had much substance. I still feel that way. ;)

2. I went to BodyPump and Zumba tonight. I love how I feel after 2 hours at the gym. Funny how 50+ pounds ago I didn't even love how I felt after 2 minutes at the gym.

3. I am totally excited about new running adventures that are ahead of me. I may dive more into the details on that later but for now I'm just excited with what is to come.

>Bootcamp = Tight calves

>Monday afternoon I left work early to head to the gym. I had made my mind up that I was going to try the bootcamp class at my gym. I had never taken it before and was doubting I would survive when the class description was followed by "advanced." But I went anyway.

The class was great. We started with a 2 mile warm up jog around the building (outside). I jogged along side a friendly girl in class who chatted with me the whole way. Fun. Then we ran up the stairs once we were inside and headed back to the room. The class consisted of different intervals of jumping rope, shuffle running, jump squats and push ups. Once those intervals were done we did a few upper body exercises. I felt great being able to keep up with the hard body group that was taking it despite the fact that I was the fat girl in the class. I didn't let that intimidate me too bad! ha

After the class some of the ladies that run asked if I want to go run the loop around the pond with them. I very hesitantly said yes and that I knew they would blow me away. They assured me I would be fine. And I was. I felt (and still feel) really good about the class and the run following it. I've come a long way in the last year and it has taken me a while to finally realize that I am capable of great things.

The only bad thing is that my calves are tight! Tight. Very tight. I'm pretty sure it is from all the jumping rope (which I actually liked!) during bootcamp. I am planning a trail run tonight but am worried about the tightness causing me problems. Part of me thinks they will losen up once I get going but the other part of me is afraid they won't. I started having some cramps in my right calf during my last 5k race (10-30) but ran through that as best I could with no real issues other than it showing up here and there during some of my recent runs. We will see how today's run goes. I'm not shooting for time or distance but just getting out and enjoying my run and the beauty around me!

I leave you with this quote that was shared by Active.com on Facebook today.

"Being your best is not so much about overcoming the barriers other people place in front of you as it is about overcoming the barriers we place in front of ourselves." -Kieren Perkins

>Maintain Don't Gain

>A challenge.

Beginning November 1st I have been participating in a challenge at my gym. It will run for 10 weeks.  The concept is to make it through the holidays within 3 lbs (+/-) of your starting weight. Tips given for this were to get plenty of sleep, exercise (at least 150 minutes a week), drink plenty of water and of course a sensible diet. They will check our weight once a week and keep track of our attendance based on how many times our card is swiped at the front desk. Easy enough, right!?

Having been at this weight loss thing a while and recently meeting with a dietitian to fine tune some things my goal with the challenge was to continue with my weight loss and work on my fitness during the holidays. I of course want to be able to lose weight during the holidays but even just maintaining is a huge success.

Our first weigh in was this week and I stuck with going on Monday mornings. I figured keeping a Monday weigh in would hold me more accountable on the weekends which is when I tend to get a little off track with my eating. So far my plan has worked and I have made it through the weekends just fine and without any gorging on unnecessary foods. I also committed to making it to the gym 4 days a week. I didn't want to say 5 and then have a week where something might come up with the kids or myself getting sick or anything else with our schedule being off. 4 feels like a safe number! And I can certainly get 150 minutes of exercise in 4 days especially since I usually run 3 days a week for over 30 minutes. You do the math. ;)

The water drinking I have down no problem at all. I carry a Camelbak water bottle with me every where I go. I rarely ever go a day without drinking 80 or more ounces of water. The only other beverage I drink on a daily basis is my morning coffee (an my smoothie, but that's breakfast. lol). I had given up diet soda completely but about once a week I have one can or less which is much much MUCH better than the 2 cans a day I was drinking.

With the tools I have from all my years at this weight loss thing, the info from the dietitian and just the fun of this challenge I do believe I can reach my goals during the holidays. So, all that being said here are some stats. I like to keep in mind that 1. my monthly friend decided to pay me an early visit the day before my first weigh in and 2. my gym scale is slightly off from my home scale.

Nov. 1 - (gym scale start weight) 179.3
Nov. 8 - (gs) 176.3
total loss week 1 - 3 lbs!

I was very excited to see a loss and a significant loss at that. I knew at home the scale read 177 the day of my weigh in when I started and that this weekend it read 174. I knew I was down according to my home scale so my only hope was to at least see that I had indeed maintained when I weighed in at the gym. But to have seen a loss was a big boost for me! Now my goal is to keep the momentum going and to lose a bit more before Thanksgiving. I already have a Thanksgiving day plan which includes a Turkey day race (8k...my longest race yet) and an eating strategy to keep me on track! Look for more details about both in the days/weeks to come.

My question for you is...
What are you doing to make it through the holidays to keep from gaining?

>If You Give a Mom Some Free Time

>You never know what she will want to get into.
The possibilities are endless.
~ shopping
 ~mani/pedi
~ a warm tub and a closed bathroom door
~ read a good book
~ a nap

And the list could go on and on.

Today after church my hubby went to a football meeting and the kids went with Mamaw and Papaw. What does that mean??? Free time for mom! Woohoo!
I was just going to grab something quick to eat and head to the gym (since I thought ahead and packed my bag!). But hubby felt bad about me "eating alone," so I called a friend and we had a great lunch. Then I drove home to put away my leftovers and change clothes. Minutes later I was back out the door and off to the gym. I had a nice little Sunday run.

5 miles in 50:56

I could have easily came home and napped or played on the computer a while. Heck, I should have been home doing laundry and dishes and preparing a grocery list for the week. But I must say it was nice being able to have a little time alone and I am proud to have used it to go for a run.

>My Last Shameless Plea...

>As you know (because I have only posted it here a bajiliionzillion times), I ran the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on October 30th (I set a new PR, by the way). This cause is very dear to me as I lost my grandmother to breast cancer and know so many others battling this disease. I don't know the specific statistics but I'd venture to say breast cancer affects all of us in some way whether it be a family member or friend. I set up a fundraising page this year and my goal is to raise $250. I am at $215. $35 away from that goal. If you'd like to help by even donating $5 I would be forever grateful. :)


Please visit my page  HERE!! But do so before midnight tonight as that is when time runs out!!! Thanks!!

>Call me crazy, but..

>I like to say I am determined!

On Tuesdays my gym offers some great classes beginning at 5:00 p.m.
They have what is called Core Challenge. It is described as a 25 minute boot camp that challenges all the core muscles from shoulder girdle to hip and everything in between. A great lead into cycling, bodypump or to stand alone with your exisiting cardio workout.
BodyPump begins at 5:30 and if you have read here before you know that I LOVE me some BodyPump. You can read more about it here and even find a location near you that offers these classes! Check it out.
Following BodyPump is Zumba. I know you have heard of it. It's a funky cardio dance class that is designed for anyone! The first time I took the class I did it alone as my only workout for the day and believe it or not I broke a pretty darn good sweat.

This past Tuesday I woke up determined to make the day's workout count. And I did. I took all three of those classes (back to back!). I even increased my weights a bit in BodyPump. Here it is Thursday and I am still feeling it all over my body. And no I was not trying work off a gorge fest of Halloween candy. I am happy to say that I ate one snack size pack of Peanutbutter MMs while we were Trick or Treating. I think I burned those with all the walking that night, but just in case I was determined they got burned at the gym. haha

As part of a holiday "Maintain Don't Gain" challenge at my gym I had to commit to so many days of attendance at the gym. I committe to 4 days a week. They handed us a whole sheet of ideas to burn calories and also suggested a minimum of 150 minutes of exercise per week. Hello? I surpassed that suggested minimum this week already! Woohoo! So, my friends, I am determined to reach my goal of not gaining over the holidays. The challenge runs for 10 weeks. I am pretty sure I can make it to the gym a total of 40 times.

I'm not crazy (as a couple of friends have said!) but you better believe I am determined!!!

>Then and Now...

>a look back.

I told you yesterday that I finished the Race for the Cure about 6 minutes faster this year than I did last year. I always like to reflect on how I did now compared to then but the thing I like to see the most is the difference in how I look in pictures. I've come a long way and forgive me while I boast and explode with pride.

These were pictures from last year. Same time, same rice. 

But there is a difference.

I don't know the exact amount of weight I have lost since this time last year but I plan to read back through my blog to see. I just know that I look like a completely different person from the front and the back! My hard work is definitely paying off and I could not be more proud than I am right now. I have a lot of work left to do and thank goodness I still have the drive, determination and motivation that will get me there! 

Oh and official results were posted last night....

ME - 33:06

Hubby - 30:40

We kicked that 5k's tail and I am ready for the next finish line!!

>Racing for a Cure

>This weekend was our local Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5k. The hubby and I ran this together (even if he finished just before me). Everything went great again this year; although I am bummed that I still have not reached my fundraising goal. I think there is still time if you feel inclined to donate (even as little as $5 helps, I promise!!). And let's face it, we all have boobs that could potentially need the help of the Susan G. Komen foundation. So, if you wish... CLICK HERE! I am only $60 away from my goal which is $200 less than last year's goal. Boo.

Anyway, for the race recap....
The forecast scared me all week long. High's in the 60s but the lows... 34 for that morning. Brr.
I worried about getting my race outfit and gear just right for the temps especially since last year I overdressed. And as you know (if you read beforehand) that I was going to be sporting the awesome PINK Travel Skirt from Team Sparkle (check there often for my story!). I felt amazing in that pink sparkly skirt and do believe I am going to add one to my Christmas wish list. It had magic in it, ya know! And I of course turned lots of heads, had lots of fingers pointed my way... "Cute tutu!" and "Look at her cute skirt!" Who wouldn't feel amazing?! I mean... LOOK at me!

My hubby and I left the house around 6am or so. We  I like to get there early to get good parking and check out all the pre race things going on. However, it was so cold that it took us a while to want to get out of the car.  After we snapped pics, bundled up, and chatted with some friends we headed to the event site. We got our back signs all ready to go and walked around. We decided not to pick up any pre-race goodies due to the lines and I really didn't want to have to lug stuff back to the car and risk being "too late" getting to the start line. I'm sure we would have made it just fine, but my nerves are always giving me fits before a race.

 

 Pre race photos! It was still dark and very early, but we are smiling. And my hubby wore a pink shirt for the first time in the 12 years we have been together! :)

 I ran in memory of my Nana. 

Hubby and I had a little pre-race warm up. We both felt really great. I really thought the cold air would bother my lungs espeically since I had not done as much outdoor running (in the cold) as I had planned to prior to the race. But I was surprised that I felt great, minus a bit of jittery nerves!

 Here I am just before the start.

I suppose I could have smiled but I didn't want to look obvious. haha 

At exactly 8:30am the horn sounded and we were off. 

I felt really good. I didn't start off too terribly fast since there were so many people. My only real problem was the SLOW people in front of me and trying to dodge my way through/around them. Hubby and I were side by side for the start and I had hoped to stay that way at least for the first mile, but there were these two women in front of me moving much slower than I was. I couldn't go around either of them because of the people beside me. I tried my best to go through them, edging closer to them, trying to squeeze through (I had room!) and even saying excuse me, but the closer I got the closer they squeezed together. I finally just say, "Geez!!!" and ran around them quickly only to almost be stopped by a couple of WALKERS! That was the only negative part of the first mile. I ran the entire first mile and when I looked at my watch I saw 8:47 and thought to myself that I would most definitely make the first mile marker at under 10 minutes. However, once I rounded the corner and came to the end of the hill where the marker was my watch had already reached 10:20, which was still a good pace for me. I kept going telling myself that I would make it a point to hit mile two at 20 minutes (wishful thinking). 

At mile marker 2 I was at 21 minutes, which was still right on pace for where I wanted to be. I grabbed a cup of water at the first water station but really only stuck my tongue in the cup because I didn't want to stop or slow down to drink it. So, I tossed it in the trash and kept moving along. I don't really know what my thought process was through mile two other than I felt a cramp in my right calf. I walked about 10 seconds but picked right back up to running. 

There was a "friend" (who ran this race with me last year) there as well. She started behind me but by mile 2 was closer to me. My goal was to not let the fact that in my last race she sort of made me feel as though she was hoping to beat me and/or compete against me. This began to mess with my head as the night before she text me questioning about the race. First of all, I run for ME! Any competing I do with my running is AGAINST MYSELF. I don't like feeling as though a "friend" is hoping to beat my time or compete against me. I felt as though she was thinking that since I have continued running for months and she hadn't it was her goal to prove her running was better than mine and finishing before me would make her feel better. I don't know. I didn't like. 

At any rate, she approached me at some point during mile 2 and I of course, smiled. She made conversation that her inhaler didn't work or she didn't have it. I noted that my right calf was crampy and that (I really need to go deal with a tummy issue but by golly I was meeting my goal!). And with that she slowed and I sped up. A hill of bricks was ahead of me and I was determined to not walk it like I had last year. And I didn't. I kept trucking along as bystanders were yelling, "You go girl! You are almost there! Don't stop!" And soon enough I rounded the corner to the downhill finish.

As I looked at my watch, I knew that hubby had to be done as 31 minutes had past. I came under a bridge where a group of acapella singers were singing to finishers and I knew from last year's race I didn't have far at all to go and that a PR was mine! I booked it only to see my "friend" pass me but because there were so many runners finishing at the same time it was hard to speed up much as the path narrowed and there just wasn't much room to move sideways. So, I kept my swift pace and tried desperately to get a good view of the finishing clock, but the sun.. oh the sun! It was bright and even though I had my sunglasses on I couldn't see it until I was actually crossing the line.

33:32

I set a personal record! 

6 minutes faster than last year!!! 

I wanted to cry, I wanted to find my hubby and hug him so big. 

I love that he snapped this picture of me at the end even if I do look weird.

This is one of my proudest post race moments. I accomplished something I had not done before.

I said over and over on the way to the car, "I am so proud of myself. I did what I came to do." 

And looking back on where I was this time last year, I realize I accomplished a whole lot more than just a pr. But there will be more on that later.

Here are a couple of more post race pics. I love that my hubby runs *with* me. I always  say with me and then add, even though he finishes before me. He's so silly that he reminds me each time that I am catching up with him. He finished in 31:06. I am so proud of him, too. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have by my side when I start a race. One of these days I am going to finish right beside him, too. Wait and see, I have goals for my little huge running legs!!!

>Weekend ramblings

>We have had a busy few days and this week we are NOT slowing down a whole lot!

Saturday I went to GA for my sister's surprise 30th. I could have very easily (after our late night Friday) stayed in bed Saturday morning and just hung around the house until time to leave BUT I got up and hit my BodyPump class. I am so glad I did. That set a positive vibe for my day and gave me the motivation and determination I needed to stay on track (as much as possible) for a busy weekend.

I was dreading the food situation for Saturday. I didn't have time to make my regular morning smoothie before heading to the gym and really was afraid of drinking it before such an intense class because it has the tendancy to make things move (tmi... lol) so I skipped it. After the gym I let the kids choose breakfast since I made them wait so long to eat. They picked McDs. I am not a huge fan of that (with the exception of the coffee!) so I didn't get anything and just "picked" at what the kids had...a bite of a hashbrown, 2 bites of a biscuit, a small piece of egg. Not awful. I decided since I wasn't sure what dinner would be I would just make my smoothie for lunch on the road (I knew hubby would stop for him something to eat and probably lunch for the kids..I was right). I ate ONE chic sand of the mini variety from another fast food joint (hey, some days are just like that) and a couple fries. Again, not awful considering. Once we got to the party I was relieved to see Subway, chicken salad croissants, and tons of fresh fruit and raw veggies!  I had one chick salad croissant and loaded up on the raw veggies. And if you have been reading here long enough you know I love me some bday cake. BUT I was a good girl and had only a small slither and let me tell you..... it was delish.

Why am I typing all this?
Well, I told my hubby that I was determined to see the same number on the scale Sunday and Monday morning as I did Friday morning. Usually we go overboard eating on the weekends and that leads to a sodium, nasty food induglence gain on Sunday/Monday. I am proud to say that did not happen this weekend! So, I feel like the weekend's eating choices proved to be a success of sorts.

I hope your weekend was a good one and that this week will be great!

>RLAM The Book - Winner announcement

>I want to thank you all for entering my give away. I wish I had a book for each and everyone of you. I also want to welcome my new followers!! Thanks for being here to read about my journey. You know I appreciate the comment love, too.

I used Random.org this morning when I got up. I still haven't mastered how to post the little box on my blog. You old followers already know I am technologically challenged. haha

The winner is.



#31

 Kim said...



I'm a new follower.


Thank you everyone! And Kim, please email me your information (name, address) to kimert@comcast.net. I will have your book in the mail on Monday!

>Today is your last chance!

>To get in on my giveaway!!

Go HERE!! You have until midnight! I will choose a winner in the morning!

I hope you all have had a great day! Good day here so far.
No change in the scale this morning though. But staying the same is MUCH better than even being up an ounce or two. :) I had hoped to run today but I have two wild kids and no child care, which means no run for mama! But we had a pretty good night.
Good luck with my giveaway!!!

>Three Things Thursday

>1. Things with my "new" plan are going well. I did have to call the dietitian today though because while things are good I have been a bit confused at times. lol And today's eating, while spot on, left me feeling a bit shaking. I think I am missing something. The hubby said protein but when I looked at what I had eaten my protein count was relatively high. I hate numbers! Anyway, this whole thing is a big balancing act some days. The good news is that the scale hasn't gone up which makes me love numbers! haha I'm hoping tomorrow (Friday's will be weekly weigh in days!) will read a down number. Fingers crossed.

2. I am super duper awfully excited. I am not sure how many of you are familiar with Team Sparkle but they have what they call Traveling Skirts and a while back I filled out the little questionaire on their site thinking it's worth a shot but they won't pick me since I am only running a 5k but not long after I recieved an email back saying they would contact me with more info about when I should expect the pink traveling skirt to be sent my way! I was stoked then. A week or so ago I was looking at their calendar and my race was on their schedule. I was stoked, again. I told hubby how cool it would be if I was wearing one of those way cute sparkly skirts to run my race. He said, "are you sure that's YOU on their calendar?" Well, no but yes, but no, maybe? Anyway, Monday I got another email saying that the pink traveling skirt was on it's way to me and good luck with my race! You guessed it, STOKED again! :) And will you believe what arrived in MY mailbox today?  Right! The Awesome Pink Traveling Skirt!!!!  And wait for it......
I WAS SOOO FLIPPIN" STOKED! ;) I bet you cannot guess how I will feel on my race day  if I PR. I will wait for after my race to tell you. I'm just so excited about being a part of  Team Sparkle . And if you haven't cheked them out, you should. You should also read about why the traveling skirts are so special.  * I was not paid by Team Sparkle to wear their skirt or even be so happy giddy excited about it, heck this isn't even a review...just a runner mom who is wildly excited about a kick butt opportunity! What can I say? I don't get out much. LOL 

3. Did you know I am hosting my first giveaway on this here blog?? If you didn't, you do now! You should enter if 1. you like to run, 2. you're a mom, 3. you enjoy a good book or 4. any of the above or a combo of the 3! You should GO HERE  to read all about it and get yourself entered! Even if you don't fit into the categories above this would make a great gift for the awesome mom, girlfriend, sister, aunt, etc in your life (even if she doesn't run!).


 

>The dietitan said...

>I posted last week that I was meeting with the dietitian at my gym. I did that Friday morning.
I journaled everything I ate all last week so that I could show her exactly what my week is like in that department. I also wrote down my workouts so she could compare that to the calories I am eating. At first glance she said it appears I am not eating enough. I'm missing a bit of fat and carbs as well as a bit shy of my caloric goal for the day. So, this could be why the halt in my weight loss.

So, in the hour I was there what did we discuss?
~ my goals
~ my "new" (improved) eating plan
~ how to change up my workout

When I first got there she had me get on what is called the InBody 320 Body Composition Analysis. This was the first time I had ever had one done (and I know some people do not belive this to be an accurate measurement) and was impressed, not just with the machine but the numbers. I won't go completely into detail of the numbers but my weight was the same range I have been seeing on my home scale (home scale that morning was 176!). So, I was happy for that! And even more happy because I am more lean muscle mass than I am fat! Happy Dance! :)

Now, the machine had my goal weight at 134.7 BUT I told the H that I would be happy to just lose 30 lbs. She agreed that was a good place so we decided for now my goal would be to lose 30 lbs in the course of another year (or longer if it takes).  For now the goal is to lose between 8 and 17 lbs over the next 6 months. At first when she told me this I looked at her and said, "But..but...." I mean really I want to get below where I currently am much fast than that rate (I am too lazy and mathematically challenged to do the exact math! haha) but H reminded me that slow weight loss is the best weight loss because you can keep it off. AND she also reminded me that the holidays are upon on and she wants me to focus more on maintaining through the holidays rather than trying to lose and missing out on the things I love about the holidays. But she did say that (obviously) there is no reason to completely gorge out on the things I love and gain through the holidays. So, I accepted the "challenge" of losing between 8-17 lbs between now and April (which also happens to be the month I want to run a half marathon...hmmm).

So, what changed as far as my eating goes?
Not a whole lot. She hates the word "diet" as much as the rest of us and reminded me that "dieting" is not the way to look at this but it is (what I have know it is) a healthy way of eating/living. She says I have quite a handle on things so we are just going to tweek it. She gave me a book that is given to diabetic patients (no I am not diabetic or even prediabetic). It's just a basic rule of thumb for healthy eating which can aide in weight loss. I'm game. However, last night when I was sitting down to make my meal plans and journal I was confused! haha Imagaine that?! I *think* I finally got things going well enough to make it through today and each day will get easier. I really didn't have a whole lot to change other than making sure the numbers all line up. Since she compared my journal with the book and made me some sample meal plans that will make this all the more easy for me. Again, it is nothing I didn't already know but I am glad to have talked with her to see just where I might be falling short. I will go back to see H in 3 months. Hopefully I will see results of some kind.

The workouts.
I did mention to her that I am running (3-4 days a week) and recently added the BodyPump classes 2-3 times a week. This is good but really it is not good enough. Those are my words not hers. She did say I could add another class of a different type. She also said adding more weight training days would be good and of course even adding a couple of sessions with a personal trainer might be beneficial. I am still undecided on the PT option because I feel like the hubby can write me up a few good kettlebell routines to get me headed in the right direction. We shall see.

The most exciting part of Friday for me was seeing 176 on my home scales and knowing that (sans clothes) the InBody would have had the same reading. My goal for this week is to journal journal journal and get more familiar with the book she gave me, add some more weights and run! My RACE FOR THE CURE is now less than 2 weeks away! 
Ok, this post was long so if you stuck it out..thanks for reading!! And don't forget to enter my  Run Like a Mother - the book Giveaway!!

>Tuesday Randoms

>~ I have missed the last 2 classes of BodyPump. Saturday I have no excuse for other than I slept in and didn't want to rush around to get the kids out the door to go. That wasn't a wash though because I DID make it to the gym. Today I missed because I had a Girl Scout meeting (I am troop leader) and I could not get out of it. However, I didn't work out at all today. NO excuses at all for that. I should have at the very least come home and done some sort of workout. I can tell you I am looking forward to the gym tomorrow!

~ The dietician from my gym called me back today. I went over with her that I have lost 50 lbs on my own over the course of the last year and she said that was great. And I agree, it is. But I also told her that for the first time ever I feel like I can get my body to a real healthy weight range. I intend to do just that no matter how much work it is going to take. I've been journaling my food this week just in case if/when I meet with her she needed the record. Come to find out, she does. She briefly went over a few things they would be able to do and what would be discussed in the meeting should I choose to schedule one. I told her I know that I have the tools to continue successfuly but that I just need the assurance or a boost to get me the rest of the way. So, I will be seeing her at 9:00 am Friday!

~ I got the bright idea (after reading a blog post elsewhere) to stop my diet soda addiction once and for all....yesterday. I'm 2 days down and doing good! Yesterday it was almost 9 pm before I even realized I hadn't had my daily Diet Coke. Today I thought about it a few times but never went for one. It is only now (at 9:30pm) that I have a headache but really I don't think for one minute that it is from caffeine withdrawal because I did have my coffee this morning. I think my eating was just off today and that may be the reason for the headache or sinus junk. At any rate, I am remembering the quote "It takes 21 days to make or break a habit."  I will break this one.

~ I have had a box of FunFetti Halloween cake mix and frosting on my counter for almost a week. Funfetti is a huge favorite treat of mine. I haven't mixed that box to make a cake and/or cupcakes yet. I haven't cracked open the shiny silver cover on that orange frosting  yet either. I want to real bad. But there are a few things keeping me from doing it though. 1. My daughter is begging me to make them and she needs them as much as I do (shame on me!). 2. I hate being in the kitchen (read: Cleaning SUCKS!). 3. Cake or cupcakes? Hmm. I can't decide. LOL So, my hope is to make it through another weekend with two unopened Funfetti items on my counter. I can survive.

~ I complained about losing followers and now I am going to give a shout out to my regulars and a HOWDY HO to my new followers!!! Thank you so much for coming along for my ride! And keep telling others about my give away. I promise the winner of that fab book will not be disappointed. And you can even tell your guy friends....it would make a nice gift wrapped and under a tree in the upcoming holiday season. You still have a good bit of time to enter my giveaway if you haven't!