Sugar Detox....

The first item on my agenda for 2011? A sugar detox.

All day today and off & on throughout the last several days I've been feeling really achy in my back and legs. I attributed it to my lack of working out and the small limp I've developed. I figured I'd thrown my alignment off a bit and was feeling it in my hips.

No doubt that those are contributing factors but this evening another reason hit me like a ton of bricks. Inflamation. I have completely OD'd on sugary, white flour, processed foods for the last week and I can literally feel the inflamation in my body.

OUCH! I can't believe I didn't realize sooner what was causing this. And I can't believe I didn't notice that my diet is likely directly resulting in a slower recovery from my injury.

Tomorrow ~ it's detox time. I am throwing away the remaining candy. I'm chucking the cheesecake and I have every intention of inhaling several green smoothies tomorrow.

I cannot wait to get back to whole foods again. Feeling like shit is no way to ring in the New Year.

Cheers!

2011 Race & Running Goals

Running: I intend to run 600 miles in 2011 (or more)

I have been thinking about my 2011 race goals for quite some time. I had visions of a long list of events that I planned to race, but the truth is: my life just isn't that neat and tidy right now. Life happens and you have to be flexible. It's a lesson I'm constantly reminding myself.

So, I'm going with a more generalized version of race goals.

I plan to run an event of some sort every month. Most months, I'm sure, will be a random 5K or 10K that I stumble upon. I do, however, have a few specific events in mind:

June 5 ~ North Olympic Discovery Half Marathon
*June 25 ~ Rock 'N Roll Seattle Half Marathon
July 16 ~ Warrior Dash, North Bend
July 30 ~ Federal Escape Sprint Triathlon
Aug 14 ~ Seattle Danskin Women's Triathlon
Nov 27 ~ Seattle Marathon (or the Half)

It's a lofty list of goals and I have every intention of completing all of them. Life happens and things change, but this is my starting point. I cannot wait for 2011. Great things are waiting for me. I just know it!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to my bloggy friends!

I have to admit, 2010 was a challenge for me. The latter part of 2009 and into the beginnings of 2010 I honestly felt like my life was spinning out of control. I was obese. In more ways than one. My house was full of clutter; I was drowning in it. My body was full of fat and my mind was full of jumbled, nonsensical thoughts.

I started to take an interest in my health and began making small changes a little bit at a time. I started with green smoothies. I was astounded by the changes I noticed and began looking for other changes to make. I then switched my family to raw milk and grassfed beef. I started to cut way back on processed foods, I removed almost all traces of HFCS from our house and then, THEN, I cut out sodas and artificial sweeteners. I started drinking water exlusively and in July I made the biggest change of all: I joined a gym.

Around that same time I started this blog and I have been positively blown away by the support and friendships I've found out here in bloggy world.

I am ending 2010 more than 10 lbs lighter than I started it. The highest weight I saw this year staring back at me from the scale was 227 and some change and although I haven't done an official weigh in for a few weeks, I'm holding steady right at 214.something.

I've dealt with injuries this year, come back and run 5Ks. I've been tossed back onto the injured list, but I'm not losing sight of my goals. I have many and I'm only just getting started.

I don't do resolutions, I make goals and boy do I have big ones for 2011. Bring it on!!

I will be back to regularly scheduled blogging....

.....SOON! I promise.

The holidays (and this stupid injury) have kicked my ass. My life is slowly returning to normal and I even went to the gym yesterday (the first time in FIVE WEEKS!!)

I'm on my way back, kids. Watch Out!!

I'm working on my 2011 goals (I don't do resolutions, more on that later) ~ so get yours ready and we'll have a goal party. Or something. Or maybe not.

Holding Steady....

I'm sorry. I googled Santa images on google and I found this. I laughed so hard ~ I couldn't NOT use it!!! No worries though, everyone in our house has been saintly this year, I think we are safe from Santa poo!! LOL!!

I'm still doing my physical therapy for my ankle and it seems to be helping. I'm having more and more pain free days each week. That's good, right? I'm still not allowed to do any weight bearing exercises, but sshhh, don't tell. I've been doing squats. I'm not using weights, just my own body mass, but I have to do something, my legs feel like they are turning into lead logs.

I've decided to find the silver lining in this injury ~ so here it is: if you have to be injured, pick the most busy time of the year because then you don't have to feel guilty for not making time to go to the gym. See? I told you I'm a glass is half full kind of girl ;)

My weight is hovering right around 214ish. I'm ok with that. If I can get through the next week and maintain that I'll be happy and call this season a success. I'll be starting 2011 more than 10 lbs lighter than I started 2010 and that can't be considered a bad thing.

Today is actually not Christmas Eve in our house ~ that's tomorrow. We even had the kids start their Advent calendars a day late. My husband is working this weekend and won't get home until after dinner on the 25th ~ so we're calling that Christmas Eve and Santa will come that night so daddy will be here Sunday morning to watch the kids open their gifts. Santa is very flexible with families that have workers with unpredictable schedules. The kids haven't questioned it so far.......not sure how many more years we can pull this off, though.

Instead, tomorrow we'll be having lunch and a playdate with a friend who's husband is deployed. I can't think of a better way to spend my Christmas weekend.

Have a very merry Happy Christmas, blogland! Hug your loved ones and remember what this sesason is all about. Be safe, be happy and most of all be HEALTHY!!

Cheers!

Jessica

Bullet Points

...are pretty much all I have time for today.

• Been to the physical therapist ~ foot is messed up, but should be an easy fix
• haven't been to the gym in three weeks ~ getting crabby
• got the go ahead to go to said gym ~ haven't found made the time
• house is finally getting purged and clean
• current weight is 215.2 lbs. Exactly 10 lbs gone. I have no intention of gaining any more than this.
• "to do" list is getting longer. Days on calendar are getting shorter. Giving me a tight feeling in my chest!!

Merry Christmas peeps!! I promise, back to more regular posting after the first of the year!!

Cue the Violins....

So, I went back to the doctor today and came home with one of these (google images photo because I'm simply too lazy right now to take a pic of my own foot).

My official diagnosis is Achilles Tendonits. Joy.

It's completely f*cking with my brain and that has me really really frustrated. I've pretty much thrown everything I've worked for out the window. Ice cream? Sure, I'll have a bowl. Go ahead, throw another scoop on it. Pizza? Why not, extra cheese, please. Oh what the hell, I'd love another piece of garlic bread, thanks!

I'm up about 2.5 lbs (ish) since my last official weigh in and I'm pissed, but I feel like what's the use? I know that's not what I feel and believe in my heart but right now I'm just so pissed.

God only knows when I'm going to be allowed to work out again. I go see the PT on Thurs and I guess I'll know more then, but for now I'm just going to sit here and feel sorry for myself. It's totally foreign to me ~ feeling like this. Usually I'm a "glass is half full, so let's take what we've got and make a plan to work around it" kind of gal. Not this time, though. I feel totally defeated. I know I'll snap out of it, but right now I'm just not sure what to do with myself......blah.

Oh. My. God

Oh. My. God. I have been so busy and so tired lately. I'm still not working out. I have been slamming the ibuprophen the last few days and taking the time to ice and my foot and guess what ~ it works! Who knew? Today I didn't do either and by 8:00 tonight I could hardly walk. I'm hoping that a few more days of ice/ibuprophen will keep the inflamation down enough for it to heal itself. Otherwise I guess it's time I go back to the doctor. Because, this time of year I have nothing better to do than nurse an injury, right?

Just a few things.....

So tonight as I was watching The Biggest Loser, I enjoyed a big ole bowl of ice cream (seriously, does everyone do that?). I noticed a few things:

• A "big ole bowl" of ice cream is very different now than it was just a few months ago ~ it's now about 1 full cup of ice cream instead of 2+ cups.
• I don't mind walking away from the last few bites of ice cream in the bowl if my sweet tooth has been satisfied ~ unheard of previously.
• I don't like the way I feel after I've eaten ice cream ~ I can feel my heart start to race after that sugar overload.
• I don't eat ice cream that much when I'm working out ~ I've been out of commission for a week now and my ice cream consumption has exponentially increased.

I've felt like a complete slug this week. My foot is still in excrutiating pain. It's not as constant as it was a week ago, but when it flares up it can bring tears to my eyes. I'm not sure where to go from here. I'm terrified to go back to the doctor (went last week ~ he told me it was retrocalcaneal bursitis) because I'm so afraid it may be a major injury and I don't think I could handle him telling me I can't work out anymore. Of course, I'm not working out right now, but if a doctor actually tells me, out loud, that I'm injured and can't work out. Wow, that could be ugly.

So, for now I'm continuting to tell myself that if I just keep resting it, it'll be ok in just a few days. Of course, when you are a SAHM, "rest" is a relative term. By resting, I mean I haven't been to the gym or gone for a run. It doesn't mean I'm actually off of my foot all day. I do try to take periodic breaks and sit down with my feet up, but you know as soon as I do that my kids have some type of crisis that requires my immediate attention. You know, something like the Wii remote needs new batteries, or something as equally urgent.

Anyway, pray for me. I'm going stir crazy and I really really really, no, like REALLY REALLY want to get moving again. But I know the longer I sit sedentary, the harder it will be to get started again. Hubby gets home tomorrow ~ I'm hoping to hit the pool. I don't think that will hurt me.....I hope.

Out of Commission

Remember when I posted that I did the Thanksgiving step class? Well, what I didn't mention was that I fell in class. It wasnt' a big deal. I missed the step and then fell on my ass in total slow motion. I hopped right back up and finished out the class. No harm, no foul. Or so I thought.

My foot has been a little tender this week, but with the issues I've had, it seems it's always a little tender from time to time. I kept up with my workouts and didn't give it much thought.

I signed up for a challenge on The Daily Mile that I would run 50 miles in Dec, so after my strength class today I headed down to the treadmill to run for a bit. I lasted one mile.

My foot has been throbbing ever since. At first I thought it was plantar faciitis, but I've dealt wiht that enough to recognize that this is something more. It hurts all. the. time. Enough to almost make me cry. I've had to hobble around the house all afternoon. I can't walk.

My toes are a little numb and I can feel some numbness and burning up the back of my calf. I really really hope that I didn't do anything serious.

I'm so bummed out, but I have to listen to my body and take it easy over the next little bit. I'm hoping with some rest and ice this will heal itself quickly.

Statistics

So it's time for my statistics. I'm also doing another midweek weigh in now that I've kicked TOM to the curb. So, are you ready? I'm officially changing my last declaration and stating, that YES, in fact, I HAVE lost weight during the week of Thanksgiving! WooHoo!

My weight in this morning was 212.0 That's a .6 lb loss since last Wed. I'll take it!!

Now, on to the statistics :)

• Starting Weight: 225.2/212.0
• Height: 5'5"/5'5"
• Starting BMI: 37.5 (Obese)/35.3
• Bust measurement: 48"/47"
• Waist measurement: 48"/40"
• Hips measurement: 51.5"/47.5"
• Biceps measurement: 12.5"/12"
• Thighs measurement: 23.5"/22.5"
• Body Fat Percentage: 53%/48.8%

That's a total of 14.5 inches lost. 14. 5 inches of me that no longer exist!! Check out my waist and hips! WooHoo!

Carb Overload!

You know you've overloaded on crappy carbs when you finally haul your butt to the gym for a workout and the absolutely ONLY thing you can think about is getting home and drinking a green smoothie!

Weekly Weigh In

Well, it's the moment of truth. How did you do over the holiday weekend? I didn't do too bad as far as calories go ~ I only went over twice. Friday I went over majorly. I figured out the calories in my homemade stuffing only after having eaten a metric ton of it. Not a good idea. The, stuffing was made with cheap white bread, so you can imagine the cravings that triggered! I couldn't say no to the apple pie so I had a second slice again on Friday. However, on Saturday morning, in a moment of strength I pour some soured milk all over the pie and mangled it and then trew it in the trash. Thank God for small victories, right?

Then, as if Friday weren't bad enough TOM decided to stop by for a visit on Saturday. Lovely. I did ok with calories on Saturday, but I can't say I made the most nutritous choices. Then on Sunday I went over my calories by 59 and we had pizza for dinner.

So, all of this probably explains my weigh in results. Unfortunately this is not the year that I get to say I lost weight over Thanksgiving. However, I like to look at the big picture and I will not be a statistic this year. I will keep going and I will take off this weight ~ all of it. A little at a time.

Here we go: Today's weigh in results were 214.4. That's a total of 1.8 lbs gain from Wednesday and a gain of 1.2 from my last official weigh in.

I will be taking my measurements on Wed and I'll probably post my weight again. Hopefully TOM will decide to take a hike early and I'll be back on track so I can trust it'll be more of a true respresentation of what my weight really is.

Peace Out, peeps. I'm headed to the gym!

Success!

Sorry I didn't make it back here last night. I literally passed out less than 10 minutes after we tucked the boys in for the night.

I did a 75 minute intense step class yesterday, burning just over 1000 calories (according to livestrong.) I stayed within my allowed calories yesterday and ate everything I wanted. The thing was, evidently I didn't want as much as I thought I did. For the first time in my entire life I got up and walked away from the Thanksgiving table and not only did I not go back for seconds, I didn't even finish what I originally put on my plate! There was gravy left!!!! GRAVY!! Can I tell you how horrible I felt about wasting gravy?!? LOL!!

My legs are really sore today, but I'll be heading out in a bit to yoga class and I'll try to get back here again to do a real post :)

Also, according to the scale this morning, I've only gained about a pound in the last 24 hours and that's very common for me after a big workout day. I'm confident that I will be able to say "I lost weight the week of Thanksgiving" come Monday's weigh in.

How did you do yesterday?

Midweek Weigh In

I'm only on here for a bit, I'll try to post some more later today. But I wanted to check in with you all to see how you are doing with your challenge. We had a few more joiners, so I'll update the list this afternoon.

I decided to weigh myself this morning just to see and are you ready for this? 212.6. Dun Dun Dun Duuuuuuunnn......WooHoo! That's over half a pound since Monday.

Ok, I'm heading to the gym (can't do the Turkey Trot I was planning because our area is covered in a solid sheet of ice!!). One hour step class here I come!!!

Happy Thanksgiving blogland!!

Weekly Weigh In

Holy Hell, it's Monday again?! How does this keep happening?

So, how has your week been? Have you kept up on your commitment for the "Double Up on Healthy Seconds Challenge"? Kris over at Eclipsed is celebrating her 1 year anniversary today for her weightloss journey and she wrote an amazing post on commitment and consistency. It really touched me and you should click on over and read it.

So, for this week's results:

Today's weigh in results were 213.2 That's a 2 lb loss over last week. And a total weight loss of 12 lbs.

Double Up on Healthy Seconds Challenge

Ok, so it's a mouthful but I think it's appropriate, don't you? Instead of going back for seconds at the dinner table, let's go back for seconds at the gym (on the trail, treadmill, etc...) Thanks for the suggestion Mae Flowers!

Now, I'd love to have a cute little button for you guys to add to your blogs, but I'm just not that tech savvy. Sorry.

The other day, I told you I intend to count every calorie, drink 128 oz of water per day and to burn 2500 workout calories. The calories have been counted, the water has been consumed and I burned 681 calories in my first ever spin class. I'm off to a great start! How are you doing?

• Truly will exercise daily for 30 minutes or more, document all of her food (including Turkey Day) and drink 8 glasses of water each day.
• Maggie pledges to go to the gym twice a day, count every single calorie and drink 8 glasses of water.
• Mae Flowers has decided to work extra hard to get her workouts in (she's also hosting a virtual Turkey Trot 5K on her blog ~ go check it out!)
• jennifer has committed to drinking two green smoothies a day, drink lots of water and run 10 miles total before Turkey Day

You guys are SOOOO awesome! If you want to play along, it's not too late! Just leave me a comment and I'll add you to the list. Feel free to blog about it and invite your friends, too. The more the merrier, right?!

Ok, let's start cheering each other on!

Diet and ADHD....

*I wrote this blog post for another blog back in June of this year*

Many years ago I used to coach a Jr. select volleyball team. I remember one girl being a very talented player, when she wanted to be. She would show up to practice some days with her “game face” on and yet other days it would be all I could do simply to get her to pay attention long enough for me to explain the next drill. One day while sitting and eating between games during an all day tournament her mother mentioned to me that this little girl couldn’t tolerate red food dye. Having suffered from food allergies myself I assumed she meant she had a physical reaction to an allergen. No. To quote her mother “Kristen goes all ADD on me if she even has the tiniest bit of red food dye.” I’m quite certain my confusion was plastered on my face.

At this point in my young life (I was in my early twenties) I had not heard anything about food dyes effecting behavior. I was still a firm believer in the Standard American Diet and was fad dieting with the best of ‘em. I took this mother’s word for it and began to watch Kristen a little more closely. Having been diagnosed with ADD in college and gone on Ritalin (and subsequently asked, frequently, “are you medicated today?”), I was careful not to point out to Kristen when she was not her usual focused self, but I did take note.

I haven’t thought about Kristen in a long time. In my nutrition research lately, I’ve stumbled upon several articles detailing the belief that food additives, preservatives and the lack of omega 3 fats can significantly alter the behavior of our children. I found it interesting but still, never gave it much thought.

Fast forward to this weekend. My littlest guy took a tumble Saturday afternoon & ended up breaking his arm. He’s fine, but it was quite a stressful weekend for Mommy. Even as it was happening, I recognized my regression immediately. I reached for the junk food. I knew what was happening and I was still powerless over my old habits. On the way home from the ER we stopped at a major box store so my little guy could pick out a few new videos. Pulling into our driveway, we had not only new videos but a box of ice cream treats and a bag of Doritoes as well. We’d called to order pizza on the way home and the kids and I basically buried ourselves in the S.A.D for the weekend. I kept up with my smoothies, but it didn’t really help my tummy (or my cloudy brain) feel any better. I kept telling myself I was too stressed out to cook. The kitchen was a mess and I didn’t want to take any snuggle time away from the boys in order to tidy it up enough to fix a proper meal. I had all kinds of excuses, but the truth was I didn’t really need them. I didn’t even believe them. I knew what was happening. While the habits are still strong, I can happily report that they aren’t nearly as strong as they once were. I may have bought all of that junk food, but we didn’t even put a dent in most of it, at least not to the extent that we would have last year at this time. It’s the little successes that add up, ya know?

By Sunday afternoon I began to notice that my oldest son was extra fidgety, his focus was off and he was an emotional wreck. Some of this can be attributed to his sensitive nature and he was truly, from the bottom of his heart, worried about his little brother. But I know. I know it’s the S.A.D diet he ate this weekend (S.A.D is such an appropriate acronym, isn’t it?). I could see it in his eyes. I saw the look of frustration when I had to correct his behavior for the umpteenth time. I could feel the desperation in his heart when he was trying, oh so very hard, to control his emotions when he didn’t get to play the Wii game of his choice. I could see the hurt on his face when I lost my patience with him (also attributed to the SAD diet).

I remembered Kristen and how she struggled some days and how everything seemed to flow so effortlessly on others. It made me wonder, with the state of school lunches these days, how many children are walking around with inaccurate labels, misdiagnosis, & needless medications? If we offered our children whole foods instead of the processed edible (?) “food like” substances we’re trying to pass off as food, would a lot of these behavioral problems disappear?

How many children out there came out of the womb, were placed on (processed) formula, graduated to (processed) jarred baby food and then eagerly started on (processed) canned veggies & boxed pasta meals? These kids don't stand a chance. We're setting them up for failure even before they take their first bite. I'm raising one. This diet describes my oldest son. Up until several months ago he ate nearly all processed foods. I can see the difference in him. I'll fight my battles. I'll fix my child. I never want to see that look again. That look that says "I know I'm being bad Mommy, but I don't know why and I can't stop."

I need a new name

I was all set to come here and start a new challenge. Until I discoverd that the name I had chosen for the challenge shares the same name with that THING from KFC. Can't do it....sorry. ....so now I need a name.

....and some participants. Who's in?

Let's all commit to doubling our efforts for the next week. Let's tackle Turkey Day ahead of the game!

Leave me a comment if you want to join in (and feel free to suggest a name!) and let me know your plan for the next week. If you have a blog, leave the link. Tomorrow I will list everyone participating (and a link to your blog) so we can all cheer each other on and get a little blog love in the process.

I mentioned the other day that I plan to count every calorie and I plan to drink 128 oz of water per day. I've been doing well with those and so I'm going to up the ante a bit. Between now and (including) Turkey Day, I intend to burn 2500 workout calories.

So let's do this. Let's double....up? Just doesn't have the same ring, does it?

Why is it?

Every once in a while, after swim practice is over, and if my hubby is out of town, I'll take the kids to get a slice of pizza at our local market before doing a little grocery shopping.

Tonight we showed up at the market and the soup bar was already closed down (my preferred dinner at the market). So I headed over to the pizza station with the boys.

I ordered three slices of pizza and a snack sized bag of chips for us to share. I ate my slice of pizza and a small handful of chips and completely satisfied. Maybe even a little full.

Why is it then, that when we used to order pizza into my home (can't remember the last time we did that) I could easily eat two or three slices? How come I used to be able to sit down and eat a half a bag of chips in one sitting?

Leaving food sitting there is something that I never used to be able to do. If it was in front of me, I ate it. I couldn't help it. I still struggle with it from time to time, but it is so much easier now for me to walk away from food.

What's the difference? Did I suddenly develop a will power of steel this time? Nope. This time is different because I no longer consider any foods "bad" or "off limits" Yes, there are some foods that will probably never chose to consume again ~ but I know that if I really really want it, I can have it. Nothing is forbidden.

It is no longer about "good" foods and "bad" foods. It's no longer about indulging myself only to feel guilty for doing so.

This time it's all about how my body feels. I don't like feeling like shit. No food in the world tastes good enough to be worth feeling like crap. Yes, I still indulge, but now I can trust myself (most of the time) to stop when I'm satisified. I dont' have to gorge myself in fear of never having this "treat" (whatever it is) again.

I know that if I'm really, truly craving something I can simply get in the car and go get some. Having that freedom has caused a lot of those "forbidden" foods to really lose their appeal.

Take pizza for instance, I've never loved pizza like some people do. Sure, it's good and I enjoy a slice here and again, but I don't crave it. If you told me pizza suddenly didn't exist anymore I'd be a little bummed, but it wouldn't be the end of my world.

Under my old mind set we ate pizza quite often. It was the rebelious spirit in me. It was a "bad" food and we always want that which we cannot have, right? So I wanted pizza. I needed pizza. No, not really. I needed to be "bad". I wanted to "show myself" that I could eat the bad stuff. Oh yea? Take THAT, self! See, I ate something bad. What you gonna do about it?

I'm gonna gain like 100 lbs, that's what. But now that I no longer see pizza as "bad" any more, it's totally lost it's fun. I eat because I need fuel to survive. I enjoy my food, but it no longer has the ability to play emotional mind games with me. I don't use food against myself anymore.

The freedom is bliss.

It Starts NOW....

Well, actually it started yesterday, but who's counting right?

All this week, I've seen several bloggers mention that it's time to double down. Let's get serious. Quit slackin'. Let's do it. Funny, that's the same thing I've been telling myself for oh....three weeks now?

So, I took all of these blog posts as a sign that wow, maybe it's time I actually DID IT!! So, I commented on Kris' blog yesterday and gave her my comittment and told her my goals. And she emailed me back and said "ok, now you have to be accountable." Oh shit!!

So what did I tell her? I told her that for the next week (until Thanksgiving, taking things one week at a time right now) that I would count every single calorie that went into my body. I started yesterday. I went over by 37 calories, but I counted 'em. All of 'em.

I also told her that I intend to fill up my 32 oz nalgene water bottle (and drink it) four times per day. I was one short yesterday. Holy crap, that's a lot of water!!

Today, I'm still counting calories and realize that I'm running low, so I plan to run to the gym for a while after I drop Boy 1 at swim practice. That should give me just enough time to get in a good workout and still get Boy 2 to his lessons on time.

I've had 1 1/2 bottles of water so far. Gotta get on that. I'll be pee'ing all night!

So how 'bout it? Anyone care to double down with us heading into this holiday season? Let's show this turkey who's boss!!

Weekly Weigh In....

In the past week I:

• have worked out a total of one time
• have bought and returned a new pair of running shoes (but have not actually run)
• have spent more time in bed than out of it
• have been puked on more times than I can count
• indulged in a birthday dinner from which I still haven't fully recovered
• have used my inhaler more than I have in the last year
• have consumed more canned "condensed" soup than I have in probably my lifetime

So, it's no wonder that today's weigh in was 215.2. That's a 1.8 lb gain over last week and makes a 10 lb total loss overall.

Considering the week I've had, I'll take it. I'm relieved that I haven't crossed back over the 10 lb milestone. I plan to start the work outs back up today with a nice easy jog around my neighborhood.

Oh, and today started the official holiday meal planning. Oiy.

It's just not in the cards

I haven't been to the gym (or on a run) since Monday. That's a full week. The kids were invited to a birthday party today, so I made arrangements with the mom (a running friend of mine) to drop them off a wee bit early so I could run to the gym for a bit and still be back in time for cake (I mean, I do have my priorities, right?!)

I'm feeling tremendously better than I was yesterday. I still have a scratchy throat, but I forced myself out of bed and had a day full of green smoothies and a metric ton of water. Afterwhich, I felt human again.

On my way to the gym, baby. Except Little Dude #2 crawled into bed with me at 2 am and puked all over me. Fun. It's become a pattern that you can set your watch by. He has thrown up every hour since 2 am. He is miserable and I feel so bad for him.

No cake for him, no gym for me.......

Blargh....

I haven't broken a sweat since Monday. One of the little dudes and I have been coughing and wheezing all week. Last night I popped up with a scratchy throat. I've had zero energy all week and have been perfectly content to lay in bed and watch reruns of Law & Order SVU on netflix. I feel like crap ~ but I'm not sure if I'm sick or if it's the lack of exercise and nutrition. Kinda like the chicken and the egg, I guess......

Monday's not gonna be pretty but at this point I don't really care. I'm going back to bed......

Heaven......

THIS:

+

THIS
= Mmmmm......

Shoes...

Remember a while back, when I told you about how I gave up my fancy running shoes and went bought a cheap, generic pair of Saucony's at Big 5? My totally neutral shoes that I fell in love with? You don't? Ok, well go back and read that post. It's ok....I'll wait

*

*

*

*
You're back? Great! That's some good readin' isn't it? Ok, so it's been several months and like all good running shoes, mine have started to break down a bit and it's time for new ones. No biggie, Big 5 runs sales all of the time and I know I can find mine fairly cheap again. End of story, right? WRONG!

My husband has recently picked up the book Born To Run. He keeps spitting all of these facts out to me and he's told me on more than one occasion that I ought to read the book. "You'll really enjoy it" he says. Great. He bought the book ~ so I can read it when he's done, right? WRONG! He bought it for his Kindle. I, on the other hand, do not own a Kindle. Oh, he hints that I'll own one around Christmas time, but for now I'm screwed. I've got the Kindle app on my iPhone. It'll be a miracle if I don't go blind trying to read on that thing. Between the size and fact that it's backlit (Kindle is not, it's got "e-ink") my eyes feel like they are crossing after just five minutes.

So, anyway...as you know from the way I eat, I'm pretty much a naturalist anyway, right? So, I guess it's no surprise to me that my feet did not like the fancy smancy shoes and wanted a more neutral shoe, right? So, then does it shock anyone that now I'm looking to take it a step further? I went and tried on the Nike Free shoes today. They were comfy, but I didn't love them. After talking to the sales rep (who is also an avid runner and an aquaintence of mine), she suggested that the Nike Frees may not be the right shoes for me. She watched me run and said I'm not a heel striker (big no no for anyone, terrible for someone with my knee issues) anyway, and that I have a very healthy mid foot strike so she recommended I go one step further and try.......these:

Unfortunately her store was out of them (like most of Western Washington) and no one will be getting them back in until February. I'll just be getting ready to start training for my half at that time, so I dont' want to start changing shoe types then. I made some calls and there happens to be ONE pair of these in my size in my whole county. I'm heading there tomorrow to try them on. Aren't they flippin' AWESOME?!

Oh, I'll also be picking up another pair of my comfy neutral shoes as the Vibrams won't work for long distances until after my feet get adjusted to them. Nearly everything I've read about them online indicates that almost everyone uses these for shorter distance runs to perfect their foot strike, but uses a neutral running shoe for longer distances for the cushioning. I'm just getting ready to start increasing my distance beyond 3 miles, so I plan to do exactly the same thing.

Oh, and these supposedly kick ass for weight lifting shoes. Can't wait to see the looks I get at the gym! I sure hope they fit tomorrow!

Did I just not realize it?

*google image*

Since my husband was working last week on my actual birthday, we went out to dinner tonight with the kids for a belated celebration. We headed to a local steak house and I ordered a sirlion with grilled shrimp. It was really good and knowing I worked out (hard) today, I didn't feel guilty about eating it. Afterwards, we headed to a local creamery for some scrumptious locally made ice cream. YUM! I ordered a molten lava cake and a scoop of vanilla. I only ate half because I was so stuffed I thought I was going to throw up.

After getting home and changing into elastic "comfy" pants I nearly passed out on the living room floor while playing Go Fish with the family before bed time. I could hardly keep my eyes open. I recognized it was because my body was working so diligently to digest all of the food I just stuffed into my tummy. It was awful. I don't like feeling like that. My body isn't used to all of that heavy food, all at one time. (a small amount of raw green smoothie helped get that brick feeling out of my stomach, btw).

Looking back, I relized there was a time, not so long ago, when I would have eaten the entire plate of steak and shrimp and still eaten the entire lava cake and ice cream. Even though I would have been uncomfortable, I simply couldn't leave food on the table. I didn't know how.

I didn't even think twice about it tonight and I consider this a (not so) small victory. But then another thought occurred to me ~ have I lived the better part of my adult life feeling like shit pretty much all of the time? Did I not even realize how horribly I felt? Sadly, I think the answer is yes.

How many people walk around feeling bloated, stuffed and uncomfortable and not even realize it? How many peole out there know this feeling only as "normal"?

I know this will probably not the be the last time in my life that I overeat, but I'm grateful that I now have a new normal and that feeling like this is the exception as opposed to the rule.

P.S. I'm pretty sure the scale will not say 213 point anything in the morning. But I also know that it's not fat I gained, but water from so much sodium. I'll be stepping up the workouts for the rest of the week to balance this out. Balance. Life is all about balance.

Let's Talk about Boobs....

Boobs. They are the elephant in the room. Well, not all boobs are. Mine are. I'm aware of this. I'm ok with this. I'm used to this. My boobs are enormous. It's ok ~ you can say it. There is no denying it.

**you can see pictures of what I mean here**

I've been asked on more than one occasion, "how do you run with such a large chest?" It's a legitimate question. It is.



I've had these bad boys (girls?) since 4th grade. I went to Catholic School and we all know how see through those uniform blouses can be. I was mortified because EVERYONE could see that I was wearing a bra. I think I wore my navy blue sweater all of the way into June until school let out for the summer. I don't remember how I handled 5th grade....maybe I've blocked it out?



In highschool I went into total denial and refused to believe I needed anything other than the cute Victoria Secret bras that all of my friends were wearing. I wore the generic cotton sports bras that you could buy at Kmart and I was happy. My boobs weren't.



Then I grew up, got married and had babies. When I found out I was pregnant, the first thing my mom did was haul my behind to a bra store (I didn't even know those existed!) to be properly fitted. I was 8 weeks pregnant and fitted for an H cup. I'd been wearing DD's my whole life. OOPS!



After I had the baby and began nursing I increased to a J cup. Holy Shit!!!



They haven't gotten much smaller since giving birth. I'm currently wearing a FF cup. Yes, my boobs are big. It's the elephant in the room. Unless you are my brother. He has no problem pointing them out.



So, back to running. We were talking about running, weren't we? I can't remember. Anyway ~ how in the hell do I run with these monsters on my body? Very carefully. I used to wear two bras at once. Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy....didn't work and it was terribly uncomfortable. I'm currently wearing the Enell. There is still a little bounce, but it's the best I've found so far. They aren't technically sized for someone as big as me, but there are no sports bras that are.




I really want to try the Moving Comfort Juno bra. It's on my wish list.

Weekly Weigh In

So, it's Monday again. These weeks just keep on ticking by, don't they? How the hell did it get to be November already? Seriously?

Well, I don't have much to say so I guess I'll just get to the numbers. I know that's why you're all here anyway, right? HA!

This week's weight is 213.4 lbs. That's a .8 lb loss over last week and a total of 11.8 lbs lost. I'll take it. And I'll smile and I'll be happy with it :)

That's it folks. I ain't got much to say right now (but I'm sure I will later!) Happy Monday!

The Daily Mile?

Are you on The Daily Mile? It's like Facebook for workouts. It's an awesome community with ssoo much support. If you are over there come find me and be my friend.

I just joined a challenge: 50 Miles in December. That's a lot of miles, but I know I can do it.

Speaking of Facebook ~ I've been thinking of starting a page to supplement this blog. Would any of you follow me if I did?

Becoming a runner....

Ok, so five seconds after that last post, I actually remembered what I wanted to blog about. *blush*

I read about running looooong before I ever laced up my own running shoes. I remember reading about people doing an "easy three miles" or running tempo runs. I read about long runs and how they should be a few minutes slower than your race pace.

Hello, it was all Greek to me. Once I started running I got even more confused. In my world, you ran. You ran your slow, gut wretching, tear inducing, cry for Mommy pace. It was the only pace there was. I just couldn't fathom changing speeds based on what "type" of run you were going for. WTF? Just go run. In my world, I ran my heart out every single time. I ran until my legs simply said "F#ck You" and wouldn't go another step. I thought that was the way everyone did it.

This past Thursday I wanted to be able to run the full distance and not take any walk breaks. I thought about it and came up with the plan that if I wanted to do that, I needed to take it slow and not tire my legs out very quickly.

Whoa...hold the phone peeps. What did I just say to myself? I'm starting to talk like a real runner. When the hell did that happen? I wrote it off as a fluke and went along my merry way.

Today, the sun was shining (in November, in the Northwest) and my husband was actually home on a weekend. I took this as a sign from the gods and quickly laced up my running shoes.

I set out for a run, but wanted to push myself a little bit. I decided a few walk breaks would be ok in order to push myself harder. Wait....I'm sounding like a runner again. WTF?

**side note here, I wasn't sure if I wanted to run 2 miles or 3 miles. I was doing an out and back from my house and I figured I'd get to the 1 mile mark and then decide if I wanted to keep going and or turn around and go home. I got there (ran the whole way, thankyouverymuch, and started to walk a bit as I was trying to talk myself into turning around and going home. Then that song came on again and I realized the gods were truly speaking to me and subtlty wasn't their speciality. I went the whole 3 miles in about 41 minutes and hardly walked at all**

So anyway, after these last two runs I think I'm finally starting to get it. I'm making enough progress to have more than one pace. I'm finally "a runner"

Memory fails me....

I always come up with wonderful blog post ideas when I'm working out. When I later sit down to the computer it's like my brain has evaporated.....

If they come back to me, I'll be back here tonight.

My workouts

I haven't talked about my workouts much. Hell, I haven't done much around here except post my weigh ins. I apologize. I started this blog as journal for myself. I've don't much journaling. I'm not sure if my journal inspires anyone else. I hope it does, but it inspires me and that's what it's here for. I realized that I wasn't getting much inspiration out of my own blog lately and it's time to change that!

I've sort of settled into a routine with my workouts and they seem to be working well for me. Unfortunately I'm going to have to make some changes due to a new class that my boys are taking.

Remember that class that totally freaked me out when I first started going to the gym? Spring Conditioning. It's turned into my absolute favorite class at the gym. It's only offered one time per week and wouldn't you know, it's the exact same time as my boys' new class ~ in the next town over. Bummer.

So, I have a new workout schedule:

• Monday: Ultimate Strength (weight lifting class)
• Tuesday: Some form of cardio (running, step class, aquafit, etc) or Rest Day (depending on what my body needs)
• Wednesday: Utlimate Strength
• Thursay: Run (while boys are in class)
• Friday: Yoga
• Saturday: Aquafit
• Sunday: rest
  

Statistics

Evidently, I not only spaced on November 1st, but on October 1st as well. You guys can't let me forget to post my statistics! Get on me ~ push me!

So, let's get down to business. I've been really frustrated with my numbers lately becuase the scale and the tape measure haven't moving as quickly as I wanted them to (I'm an instant gratification kind of girl, ya know.). But my dear husband tells me every single day that my body shape is changing and to just be patient, the numbers will move.

In my mind I know he's right, but in my heart I can't help but feel disappointed. I know it will happen.

Guess what ~ it's happening! I was flabbergasted with my tape measure this morning. I may have actually hugged it. I may have done a little dance with it. May have. So here we go:

• Starting Weight: 225.2/214.2
• Height: 5'5"/5'5"
• Starting BMI: 37.5 (Obese)/35.6
• Bust measurement: 48"/47"
• Waist measurement: 48"/42"
• Hips measurement: 51.5"/49"
• Biceps measurement: 12.5"/12"
• Thighs measurement: 23.5"/21
• Body Fat Percentage: 53%/49.8%

That's a total of 11.5 inches lost. 11. 5 inches of me that no longer exist!! Do you see that waist measurment?!? I've lost 6" off my waist!! It's no wonder my pants are getting loose!

So there we have it. I'm four months into my journey and things are really starting to happen for me. I'm ok with slow and steady. It teaches me patience. :D

Happy Birthday....

Next year at this time:

• I will have run 13.1 miles
• I will be comfortable calling myself a "runner"
• I will be a triathlete
• I will no longer be wearing plus sized clothes
• I will have gone through 136 lbs of spinach in smoothies, alone

36 is going to be a great year!

OOPS!

Holy Crap! I missed the 1st! I posted my weight, but I totally forgot to post my stats. My bad! I'll do it in the morning. Cheers!

Weekly Weigh In

Holy weigh in, Batman! It's Monday already? Say it isn't so!! How has been a week and I haven't posted at all?!
Not only was this weekend Halloween, but it was also the first swim meet hosted by my son's swim program. That made for a very busy weekend for the swim parents. My son only swam on Sunday, but I was up at the meet working all day on Saturday.
I've been totally exhausted for the last two weeks. At first I blamed it on TOM, but then he left and I was still exhausted. Looking back, and talking to my husband, I've pretty much decided it's my diet.
I've been out of control with the Halloween candy, pumpkin cookies and other goodies that have found their way into my home. I've been working out, but I haven't been counting calories, nor have I been making the wisest choices. It's time to buckle down again and focus on my next goal. Thankfully, this week my life settles back down and we have nothing on the schedule other than our ordinary weekly events (and trust me, that's ENOUGH!)
Unfortunately, this is also the last week of my grocery budget (our months go from the 8th to the 8th) and I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel trying to get by without dipping into our "general fund". So, as much as I'd love to stock up on lots of wholesome, organic, yummy goodness I'm going to have to prioritize and make some comprosmises this week. Hrmph....
Ok, so having said aalllllll of that, let's move on to the weigh in.
I completely expected to step on the scale this morning and see a number upwards of 217 or so....but to my surprise, my weight this morning was 214.2. That's a 2.6 lb loss from last week and a total weightloss of 11 lbs. I have no idea how I pulled that off, but as my husband says "Don't question it, just step off the scale and run with it." That's exactly what I'm going to do. Except it's raining again....and I still haven't gone shopping! Blargh....

Weekly Weigh In...

....and some progress pictures. So, it's Monday and I haven't posted an actualy Weekly Weigh In in several weeks. *sigh*

Today's weight was 216.8. That is a 2 lb gain from my last official weigh in. For a total loss of 8.4 lbs.

I seem to keep losing and gaining the same two pounds. And now I know why. I set a goal to lose 10 lbs. I got my picture in my head, I said my affirmations. I was all set. And then I lost 10 lbs. My reality finally matched the picture in my head and my brain was happy.

Lou Tice taught me that my brain will stop when the goal is met; when reality matches the picture. In order to keep going, I must goal set through my initial goal. Breaking larger goals down into smaller, more comfortable goals is a fabulous habit, however, I must remember to sent new goals as I approach my current ones. Someone forgot to do that.....Hhhmmm....I wonder who that was? I became so focused on reaching that 10 lb milestone that I totally forgot. Next goal? 10 more lbs. 205 lbs.

Here I am in July 2010 (can't remember exact date and too lazy to look it up right now). At that time, 20 minutes on a recumbent bike was the best workout I could manage. Over three months later and here I am now:

Post workout this morning. I'm not sure there is much of a difference, as far as I can see. But I can feel a difference. This morning I spent two hours at the gym. I ran two miles on the treadmill, then went upstairs to a strength class and increased my weights this week for the first time since starting this class.

And here is my go to snack to keep with me while we're running errands.....

It's Raining....

I live in the Pac Northwest. It's raining. Shocking, I know. It's the end of October, I should not be surprised. The rain in our area of the country is beautiful. In fact, as I sit at the kitchen table typing this, I can see the sun breaking through the clouds turning each raindrop into it's own prism crystal. It's breath taking. I've spent most of the day curled up by the fire playing Wii with the little ones.

I haven't run in seven days and today would be a glorious day for a run in the rain. Here's the kicker ~ I don't own any running rain gear. I know right! You'd think I was new to this area, I'm not. I just haven't gotten off my tush to pick up any rain gear yet. So, for now I'll make myself another cup of tea and just watch the rain come down. Maybe tomorrow I'll go shopping....

Phew....

In the last three weeks we celebrated one birthday, had out of town guests for five days, and I went out of town for four days. It's been a whirlwind to say the least. While visiting my hometown was amazing, I have to admit, I ate way too much of this:

don't try to understand it ~ unless you were born and raised in the Greater Cincinnati area you just won't get it :)

But to be fair, I also did a good amount of this:

But then I also drank a whole lot of this:

I had fun drinking and eating (and running) my way through Northern Kentucky, but I was a bit afraid of the scale when I got home. Turns out my running paid off ~ my official weigh in since coming back home is : 215.4 lbs. Not too shabby and I'll gladly take it.

I've been back for several days now and I've hit the gym twice and I feel fantastic! I have so many great posts I want to share with you, but I'm having a hard time finding the time to sit down and write them. I'll get to them, I promise!

Travelling

On Thursday I'm gettin' on a jet plane (alone!!) and flying back to my hometown. I'm going back to watch my nephew play football. He's a senior in college and this is one of the last chances I'll get to see him play. (BTW, that cute football player at the top of the athletics page? It's him. I'm proud auntie, I am.)

So, I'll be gone for four days without my kiddos and my husband. I'll be surrounded by some of the awesomest hometown food ~ the stuff I grew up on. The stuff I have every intention of stuffing in my pie hole. The stuff I can't get out here on the West Coast.

Yes, I plan to indulge a bit while I'm back east, but I have no intention of stopping my workouts. My mom is a member of a gym and I've already made arrangements to get a two day guest pass, I was planning to run a 5K while there but the times aren't working out so instead a friend of mine from highschool and I are going to run our own unofficial 5K ~ just the two of us. I may have another running date set up and my mom and I love to go for long walks together.

Travelling used to send me into a tizzy. So much guilt about all of the food I'd eat, and how tight my pants would be when we returned. This time there will be no guilt. I'll eat what I want, I'll workout like I do here and I'll come home happy and relaxed and ready to take on the world (dramatic much?)

It's Chili Time!

I love autumn. It's one of my favorite seasons for a whole list of reasons, but one of the top reasons is CHILI!! I love all kinds of chili: vegetarian chili, Tex Mex chili, Cincinnati Style Chili (Mmmm, going there next week!!), white chili, chicken chili....you name it and if it has "chili" in the name, I'll probably love it.

Because of my husband's crazy schedule, I like to have lots of quick and easy "meals for one" in the freezer. What food is better freezer food than chili?! This time of year I usually make up several different kinds and freeze them in individual portions to enjoy throughout the colder months. This weekend I kicked off my chili fest with this simple, delicious and nutritious show stopper:

Mexican Two Bean Chili:

Per Livestrong's calorie counter 1 cup = 144 calores

1 med zucchini - chopped
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed
1 15 oz can pinto beans, rinsed
1 8.75 oz can corn, drained
1 16 oz jar salsa
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
3 c cubed or shredded chicken
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin

Combine all ingedients and freeze. Thaw completely, place in large soup pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes.
*You can skip the freeze step, if you'd like and just go ahead and simmer away. You can also freeze the leftovers.

YUM!

Have you met Ben?

Ben is amazing. Just watch. I dare you to do it without a tear or two.....

What gets you motivated?

Do you have a mantra? I certain routine before each workout? A specific song that really gets you moving? When I first started the C25K program I have to admit, some of those runs were a little tough. It was weird. Everytime I wanted to give up or everytime I thought about walking, one particular song would come on my iphone. Each and every time. It started to creep me out. I even mentioned it to my husband. More than once.

I haven't heard that song in quite a long time. In fact, I even went digging through my playlist to make sure my husband hadn't deleted it (he didn't). I usually have my iphone on "shuffle" and I could always count on hearing this song at least once per run. It's really weird that it hasn't come up for the last few weeks. Hhhmm. I guess I haven't needed it?

Well, even though I'm not feeling like giving up right now, in fact I'm more motivated than ever, but I miss this song. So I thought I'd play it for you. What gets keeps you moving?

My Cross to Bear.....

**my apologies for the sacrilegious picture, it just seemed so fitting**

So, Monday nights at our house are a little hectic. The boys have aikido from 4:30-5:30 and then Chess Club from 6:30-8:00. There is not enough time to go home and eat dinner and make it to Chess Club on time. In the past I've packed dinner in the cooler and we eat in the mall food court (which is where Chess Club is held). Tonight wasn't one of those nights. Chess Club has only been back up and running for three weeks and well, I just don't have my "school year" act together quite yet. Our mall food court sucks and there isn't anything there my children will eat. I've been reduced to the golden arches drive thru for two weeks in a row now. Bleh... Tonight I swore I was not going to order anything for myself. I was going to wait until we got to the mall and get a Subway Sandwich. To be perfectly honest, the calorie counts are not that much different and I knew I'd feel like shit after each option, but it was the best I had available. I had plenty of calories to use because I did an hour long step class this morning followed by some time on the treadmill. I was hungry. Too hungry and I caved. I cannot say no to McD's for some reason. I can drive past it every single day and be fine, but if I'm there I simply can't walk away from the food. I do not blame McD's as so many people today like to do. It's my choice and it's my cross to bear. I simply need to change the picture in my mind and realize that yes, I can walk away. I can say no.

But for now, I am going to bed because I have a stomach ache. Bleh....

P.S. Even with that disgusting dinner, I still have over 500 calories left in my "bank" for tonight. I just feel like shit, that's all.

Am I really the only one???

I posted this question on Facebook and was led to believe I'm a freak. I can't be the only one, right?

Like every other morning in my life, I started the day off by cruising around blogland. Since it's a Monday there are lots of race reports from the weekend. My question is this ~ am I the only one that sometimes get choked up when reading the race reports? The inspiration, the excitement, the pride....sometimes it all gets to me. I will not apologize!! :)

Weekly Weigh In

Well Happy Monday everyone! Things have been awfully quiet around here and I have to admit, I let the bloggy break transfer into a break from working out, eating well and making good healthy choices. It wasn't too bad, but ever since we went camping in Aug I seemed to have a hard time getting back onto the calorie counting wagon.

Well, I'm BACK! I'm a regular at the gym again and I'm logging everything into Livestrong and well, it's paying off ~ to say the least!

Are you ready for this? This morning's weight was 214.8. WooHoo! That's a 2.2 lb loss over my last official weigh in. That brings me to a total loss of 10.4 lbs. I FINALLY hit the 10 lb mark. WooHoo!!

Oh yea, I'm back. I'm so very back!!

Freedom 5K Recap

On Saturday, Sept 25, my husband and I ran a 5K race. My first "official" 5K. I completed two 5K's last year, but I'm not counting them. I did very little training for them, even less running during them and I landed my ass in physical therapy because of them. I called a do over. So, this year I trained, I stressed, and then I trained some more. Then I ran a 5K!


My mother and my inlaws took the boys to breakfast and then my husband and me at the starting line to watch the race. Here I am pre race. Don't let the sun fool you. We do live in the northwest, afterall. It was a chilly morning!

Hubby and I. He is truly my best friend and we do pretty much everything together ~ except run! I would love to run with him, but my man is a solo runner. It's nothing personal, he just can't stand to run "with" people. He offered to slow his pace and run the race with me, but I knew he'd be miserable so I told him from the get go that I look forward to doing lots of races with him, but I'll never ask him to run them "with" me. That's when he told me his goal was to beat me by 20 minutes. I love that man. No really, I do.

Ok, about the race. It was HILLY!! Holy Hell!! I knew there would be a fair amout of hills simply because of the area we were in, but Jeez La-weez!! The first mile was essentially straight up hill. I walked most of it. Once we crested that first hill I was good to go (or so I thought). I picked up the pace a bit and my legs felt great. Oh wait...another hill. That's ok, I was up for a scheduled walk break anyway. Another hill down, time to run. About eight mintues later another hill ~ holy crap! Walk break time. Ok, now it looks like we're going to have some regular old flat terrain. Praise henry, baby! I settled into a comfortable pace (read: slow) and was ready to cruise along. What is that? I whole gaggle of runners just standing there? There were no aid station on this race, so what the hell is going on? I reached the back up and it turns out the traffic marshallers were afraid to stop traffic. Wha?!? She said "well, we tried to stop the cars earlier, but they wouldn't stop, so we're making the runners stop until all of the cars go by." Another woman and I looked at each other and said "Screw this" and we ran out into the street. Guess what ~ the cars STOPPED! I know, right? Ya know what else happened? I ended up in front of that whole big pack of runners ~ SCORE! HA!

The rest of the race was fairly uneventful. A few ups and downs with the hills, but they managed to all fit nicely into my walk/run schedule.

The husband did finish quite a bit before me, but it wasn't 20 minutes! Here I am coming down the final stretch. The man by the bushes in the black is my Father in Law. The boy in the stripped shirt and jeans is boy #1, the blond in the black holding the back pack is my mom, the boy in the navy t shirt and jeans is boy #2 and that green arm near the bottom left corner of the picture is my Mother in Law. Hubby is behind the camera. I had my own little cheering section : )

There was one woman who pretty much power walked the whole race with a few short jogging jaunts. She was just a little behind me the whole race, but on one last killer uphill she did manage to pass me. She was literally only a few steps in front of me and I knew I would be able to pass her before the final downhill, then we turned the corner and saw my family. They started jumping up and down and cheering and it was awesome, but they also managed to super charge power walking woman and she took off!! Wham, she was suddenly about 15 yards ahead of me and we only had a tiny bit of the race left!!

Here I am right after the rockets lit under power walker woman. I never did catch her. She ended up finishing literally three steps in front of me. Ggrrr.....

Here I am at an all out sprint trying to catch up with that woman. Bummer. Oh well, at least I finished strong, right?

With my boys. I had made a joke the night before that my only goal was to not be last. Boy #2 ran right up to me and said "Mommy, Mommy, you weren't last!!!! Yay!!!" Love that kid.

My unofficial time (because they didn't post results and I had to go by my watch) was 41:37. The course was just shy of a full 5K ~ approx 3.069 miles. I was hoping for under 45 mins and I'm ecstatic with my performance!

I'm running another 5K on Oct 16 while I'm back in KY visiting family. The first mile is flat and the last two are all down hill. THAT's my kind of race!! LOL!

Catching Up....

Phew... I didn't mean to abandon you! It's been quite a whirlwind around here and I have a lot of catching up to do. I owe you a race recap, some scale numbers and some new fitness class reviews...

Ok, we'll start with the numbers. I posted that after my mom left I wasn't going to weigh myself because I didn't even want to know. Well, you know me better than that, right? Yea, that resolve didn't last long. I stepped on the scale the next morning and WOW. I don't remember the exact number, but it wasn't pretty. I knew I couldn't have put on that much body fat in just a few days, and after a few days of eating well again the numbers settled out as I knew they would. So, I'm going with 216.0 as my official weight as of Friday, Oct 1. I really really really wanted to hit 10 lbs lost by tomorrow's weigh in, but I knew it would be tough. I attended my very first yoga class on Friday (more on that later) and I got the boys up early to hit the gym Saturday morning. Sundays are my rest day and as long I don't go around and eat everything in sight today I'm pretty sure I'm going to reach that goal. (how do I know? Because I stepped on the scale this morning, a day early, duh!!)

So, for the first time in several weeks, I'm actually REALLY excited about tomorrow's weigh in. Stay tuned!

I survived....barely

I survived the out of town guests, the birthday parties, the restaurant food, the wine ~ oh the WINE!! But I've pretty much felt like this the whole time.

It's detox time! I'll be drinking lots of green smoothies and eating a high raw (more on this later) diet for the next few days and hopefully I'll be back to my chipper self shortly! Oh and the weigh in on Monday? I didn't even bother. TOM showed up and after allt hat birthday cake, I didn't even want to know!!

Oh, and stay tuned for a race report! My first (official) 5K is complete!

Stupid, Stupid, Stupid....

I love these shoes. From the moment I saw them I knew I had to have them. I rarely wear heels, but these shoes begged to come home with me. I've had them for about a year and I've worn them a total of two times. Today was one of them.

I wore them with a beautiful sweater and my skinny jeans. I was hot. I looked good.

*I do not feel good*

Just ignore the velociraptor toe nails I have going on (I'm in desperate need of a pedicure). Do you see that blister?!?! What the hell was I thinking?! Two days before a race? I need to have my head examined!

So, for you running veterans out there ~ should I pop it tonight is it has a chance to heal before the race (Sat morning)? Or do I leave it alone and hope for the best?

Now, I'm off to kick myself ~ in the ass!!!! AAAarrrrgggg!!!!

Blogging Break

I didn't post yesterday's weigh in because, well, it just wasn't worth talking about. All this week my weight has been up and down. I'm hovering right around 216.5 or so. It's been as high as 217 and as low as 215.8.

I was going to say I'm considering this a plautea, but it's not. It's me being lazy. I haven't counted calories, I've hardly worked out (although that's a function of my schedule, not laziness). I'm just not working as hard at this as I was in the beginning.

My mom is in town this week and while I know there will be temptations all around me (out to dinner, birthday cake, alcohol, etc...) I will make the best choices that I can.

I'm still running and completed Week 6 Day 2 yesterday. From here on out on the program there are no more walking breaks. I have three 25 minute runs, then three 28 minute runs and then the full 30 minute runs.

The Hubs and I are doing a 5K this weekend. I can't wait to tell you all about it!

So, while the blog may be quiet while I'm hanging out with my mom, know that I am still on track and I'll be back sometime next week!

Enjoy, peeps!!

Why No Soy?

Many people have asked me "you eat such a healthy and natural diet, why don't you drink soy milk or eat other soy products?"

The answer is, I used to. I used to drink soy milk every day in my chai tea. I used to eat veggie burgers for lunch several times a week. I fell for the ruse that these foods were "healthy". No more.

I avoid soy products as much as possible (which is difficult if you eat processed foods). This is why:

Here is the article that accompanies this video.

Obstacles....

I've had several conversations over past week with people that all start something like this:

"I'm going to start my diet next week because my Mom's in town this weekend." or "I really want to start a new running program, but the weather is getting ready to turn nasty, so I guess I have to wait until the Spring." or "I don't know how you do it, I don't have a single extra second in my day, much less an hour to spend at the gym everyday." "There is too much going on right now for me to even think about losing weight. But I'm going to start as soon as life settles down."

Do those sound familiar? Have you ever said something like that? I have. For years and years I thought I didn't have time, money, support, opportunity. You name it and I've used it as an excuse.

You know the truth, though? The truth was I didn't want to. That's right. I didn't want it badly enough. I said I did and I truly believed I did, but when it came right down to it, I didn't want it enough to make it a priority.

Life happens. Every single day. And it will continue to happen every day until we're six feet under. Just as there is "no right time to have a baby." There is no right time to start a new healthy life style. If you wait for that perfect time, you're gonna be waitin' an awfully looooonng time.

So, let me ask you this ~ if your mother is coming into town and you want to start next week what will you do the next time she comes into town? Will you throw your new lifestyle out the window and start all over again when she leaves? If you start running in the Spring are you going to quit again next Fall when the rain sets in?

I'm going to give you some highlights from my calendar over the next few months:

• Husband travels for work non stop. You already knew that. That's just part of my life, I feel silly even mentioning it.
• I homeschool = busy busy mama with no child free hours in her day (24/7 ~ see above fact).
• Sept 23-28 My mom is in town
• Oct 14-18 I'm back in my hometown visiting family
• Oct 20-24 Hubby is on a hunting trip with his friends
• Mondays ~ Aikido training (boys) 4:30-5:30, Chess Club 6:30-8:00
• Tuesdays & Thursday Boy #1 swim practice 4:30-6:30, Boy #2 swim lessons 6:00-6:30
• Saturdays ~ Aikido training 10:45-11:45
• Sundays ~ no child care at gym, can't go

This is normal. This is life. I can't wait for it to slow down because it doesn't. My time is NOW. I'm finished with throwing up obstacles.

So I'm going to challenge you all ~ if you are waiting for that perfect moment to make a change in your life ~ take three days and write down everything you do in your day. From the moment your feet hit the floor until your head hits the pillow, write it all down. Be honest here, I'm not going to ask to see your list! :)

These are the things you are allowing to trump your health. Eating ~ yea, that needs to take priority. Feeding/bathing/caring for the children ~ yup, that's up there too. An hour on Facebook ~ hhhmmm....?? Watching a movie after the kids go to sleep? I don't know. Maybe these things are more important to you than making changes. If they are, that's ok. Only you can decide your priorities. No one is judging you for them.

But I'm willing to guess you've never actually sat down and thought about them. I know I hadn't.