Felt Good

5K accomplished and it was this morning! :) YAY! 

Last night I set my alarm for 5:30 AM - I know right?! The weather said there was a 30-40% chance of rain so I looked at the radar when it went off and ya they were wrong they should have said 100% chance. Anyway I laid back down and thought to myself, I HAVE to run today will I have time at lunch - NO. Okay will I have time after work - NO. Okay then the ONLY time you have Meghan to work out is this morning. You can't run outside nor swim in the ocean so get your ass out of bed and go to the YMCA and get on a treadmill do 2 miles or something and then hop into the pool for like a 500-800 real quick. Wow that was quick to write but it wasn't a quick convo/battle in my head this morning. I probably argued with myself for a good 5 minutes or so. 

I finally go up and put 2 pieces of toast in the toaster, got clothes on and found burnt toast. 2 more pieces and I finished getting my stuff for work and found 2 good pieces of toast, butter a little sugar free jam and out the door I went. I got to the Y and hopped onto a treadmill in front of the window, turned on the news channel I like (when did I get old and choose the news?!) cranked my music on my iPhone strapped to my arm, set the treadmill and closed the panel that showed the time and mileage and got lost in my music while watching the rain. I felt good. I set it at 5.1 and ran a mile, then bumped it to 5.2 till 1.5 miles when I bumped it to 5.4 and kept it there until 2.75 miles (I know right I said I was only going to do 2 miles) when I bumped it to 6.0 at 3 miles I bumped it again to 6.8 and brought it home for a 5K! I felt great I warmed up with a quarter mile before I even started the 5K so I did almost 3.5 miles when I only set out to do 2. Yay me! lol! 

I jumped off the treadmill right when I finished the 5K as my plan was to go jump in the pool and do a 500-800 swim. I had my 2 piece on that I plan to wear in the Tri this weekend so it was an easy transition. Well that was a failed plan because they had the pool closed because of the storm. Okay I know I have bitched about this before so I should have known it would happen but they have a GROUNDED pool! That means it can't be struck by lightning. They say they have lots of windows so want to be safe - Bullshit you have a GROUNDED pool! BOO! So instead I took a longer shower than I had planned and really stretched out my legs. Wasn't the ideal warm-down but it worked. (ask me later today and hopefully I will say the same thing - I'm praying!) 

I didn't swim last night so I was a bit bummed that I didn't get to swim this morning either and tonight I don't think I am going to have time because I am meeting a friend for dinner at 7 and need to run an errand too. We'll see. Maybe Friday morning I'll swim. I would like to swim 1 more time before this weekend. Granted I know the swimming part will be fine since swimming is "natural" for me, it will just be how good I actually feel while doing it. LOL! 

Well here's to a good Thursday and my 4th day - count it 4 times (I think that might be more than the last 2 months combined) that I have written now this month. I have missed writing for myself and taking time for myself, it's nice. :) 

TIRED

Oh wow I am tired this morning! I was tired yesterday too but today is definitely a new level. I decided to listen to my body last night and not go swim after work. I figured it wouldn't kill me and ultimately it was what my body was screaming anyway. So instead I went to the grocery store and picked up groceries to make dinner. It was this veggie roast with shrimp, garlic, herbs olive oil and lemon juice - delicious!

I got home at 5:50pm and realized as I was pulling in that I completely forgot about my bang trim appointment at 5:30! I wasn't sure if it was the food or the tiredness that made me forget. Either way I forgot! The receptionist told me I could come by at 6:45 which is what I did and glad I called since my hair looks cleaner and polished now with the bangs all trimmed. It's important because on Saturday my fiance and I are going to take these pictures - it's this thing his parents won where we get pictures taken for 30 minutes and we get to pick 1 for a 9x13 canvas for free. 

Last night I relaxed, did 1 load of laundry and was past out asleep by 10:30. I woke up at 4am in the same position that I fell asleep in I swear but from that point forward Wrigley (my 80lb golden retriever) just annoyed  m and I didn't sleep too well the rest of the time. In fact I over slept, scrambled to get a shower in and out the door so I wouldn't be too late and I completely forgot to put on make-up! Wow I was tired I never forget that. I mean I don't wear much anyway, but to completely forget is not like me. 

Did I push it too hard already? Is it just that my body is doing something a bit different than it has been use to lately? Well yes but wow it's struggling which is a bit of a surprise to me. I am thinking I ran Monday and Tuesday maybe I should take today off from running and run tomorrow and Friday off - hmmmm. Maybe I will just swim today and that's it. Should I do anything at lunch? The questions now are building up that is for sure. I don't want to fall off again and I don't want to be too tired for this weekend - what to do? I hate struggling with myself, it's never fun and ultimately stresses me out a little bit which is even less fun. 

Okay so I just paused for a bit thinking about what I should do. I looked at the weather since it looks like it's suppose to storm this afternoon. I am going to take my lunch break off. I am going to go swim this afternoon after work and if it rains than I will hop on a bike or something. I am going to go to bed super early like 9pm or something because I do want to get up early on Thursday and go run on the beach. That means I have to get up really early but the good news is I can head straight to work because we have a shower here and I can just get ready here. That also means early to bed on Thursday too but honestly it's the best thing for me anyway. Okay that's the plan! 

Here's to getting through the week and being sane at the other end. 

Why Hello Legs

Okay Day #2 of running again. It's amazing to me that this weekend will mark 3 months ago I ran a 15K and how FAR from that I am now! Well I guess it shouldn't surprise me too much, I mean how many years did I crawl back into the pool at the end of August after being off for a few weeks from swimming and had lost so much. I could still do it, just couldn't go as far as easily - same thing is happening with running. I can still go out there and run but not as well as I could when I was regularly training.

This morning I set my alarm for 6 am - yes I know me I woke up early to work out can you believe it?! I dragged myself out of bed, put my running shoes on and managed to get out the door. However note to self - you CANNOT wake up and be out the door in 5 minutes at that time in the morning, you are too slow! lol! Anyway I got out and immediately felt my legs. They were talking back to me after our run yesterday. I managed to get to Publix and back like I had said I would. This morning wasn't about time or distance, it was about getting out on the road again and running.

I must comment though on holy cow it was humid this morning. I was so happy I remembered at that time in the morning to take my inhaler because that could have been a lot worse!

I finished and made it home and jumped into the shower. I stood there for a few minutes with the water running over me and knew that heels would not be an option today. I could feel my legs getting tighter and decided stretching was in store for me afterwards. The funny part was the Wrigley didn't want me to stretch, he kept getting in the way trying to get me to play with him or lay down with me - the little bugger, haha! I thought they might be doing better than they were since I also swam yesterday afternoon - a whopping 800 swim and 400 kick. Just something easy to get in and loosen up since it's been months since I was in the water. Nope leg's were definitely telling me hello regardless.

This morning sitting here at my desk I thought back on yesterday and realized I worked out more yesterday than I think I did all of May! LOL! I got in a 30 minute workout at lunch and a 25 minute dip into the pool after work. I was proud of myself for that and the icing on the cake for me was MFP yesterday. I was standing in the Chipotle line after my swim and was starving. (It's amazing how hungry swimming makes you, even just a little dip!) I looked at the board and thought, oh wow guacamole and chips sound amazing I am going to get that with my carnitas bowl; especially because the family sitting next to where I was sitting was enjoying it and oh wow yummo! While still waiting to order I plugged the meal into MFP - HOLY H*LL 700+ calories for the guac and chips?! Nope not for me and I didn't order it. Instead I ran by Pollo Tropical next door and got their balsamic tomatoes small side for 170ish calories. MUCH BETTER option!

Hopefully today I can continue this - I ran already, I plan on doing the row machine for 10-15 minutes at lunch and stretch for a while and then going for a dip again after work. Maybe I'll do a 1500 today instead of the 1200 yesterday? lol! The little victories!

Just remember Meghan - Wedding Dress Shopping in Tminus 45 days!!!!

Hello Again

Hello Again! This isn't so much a hello to those that read this but really a hello to myself. I have been so crazy busy  lately and honestly lazy - gasp I know I'm not a lazy person but when it comes to exercise, eating right and everything related you find my weakness.

For weeks I have been telling myself that I have to get back onto MyFitnessPal (MFP) and start writing again. It made me very happy and gave me a purpose. Well I just haven't done it, and there is really no excuse than me being lazy. This weekend I was at a wedding and the bride looked beautiful! I know if I were to get married today I would look beautiful but I would have a voice in my head saying I wish I was smaller. I don't want that voice in my head on the most perfect day of my life! I decided this weekend that on Monday (today) when I got back I would kick my butt back into gear. Start small and work myself up.

Well I don't know if I technically can start too small as this weekend I am doing my first ever triathlon kinda; it's a 5K run on the beach, 500 meter swim in the ocean and a 1500 meter paddle on a surf board to finish it off. My fiance is doing it with me and I can't let him beat me! lol!  Today I got on the treadmill at lunch, I finally made myself get down there and just do it. I walked to warm myself up for 5 minutes and then ran for 20 minutes straight. It wasn't that fast, only at 5.0 pace, the last minute I upped it to 5.8 with the last 30 being at 6.0! I then cooled down for 5 minutes for a total of 30 minutes total of being on the treadmill. I didn't push myself, just kept it slower and steady and proved to myself I can still do this. Tonight I plan on going to the YMCA and going for a 20-30 minute swim. Again nothing pushing myself, just slow and steady. I plan on swimming everyday this week to get myself ready for this weekend and at least walk everyday too at some point.

After this weekend the #1 "reason" to not workout will be gone - NOT that it really did much for me anyway, but something to train for is gone. I need to focus on me and that ultimately I WANT to do this for me. I am dress shopping on July 20th and my goal is to fit into the sample size dresses and have them zip or tie or whatever all the way! That means probably another 5-8 pounds in 7 weeks - that's a pound a week approximately. It's time to focus on what I am eating again, work out again and just be healthy again.

Starting up is by far one of the hardest things to do when exercising. Therefore if I am not posting, if I am not logging on MFP, if I am not being healthy YELL AT ME PLEASE! Sometimes I just need a swift kick in the ass. :)

Hello Again Meghan!

I think I can I think I can

It's Monday again - I swear weekends just aren't long enough! haha!

This weekend was great. My fiance came into town and we had a busy weekend planned, but honestly it didn't seem as hectic as we originally anticipated. Good news is we picked a venue for our wedding. No date yet as we are holding out for our 1st choice but it will be 1 of 2 dates. No announcements on where and when yet since Save the Dates haven't gone out yet. Once that happens then I will publicly post! We also met some photographers - 3 to be exact and ruled one out and of the 2 left we like 1 of the 2 better, but are keeping both because we like both. I still have to meet one more on Wednesday and then hopefully we will have our photographer too! Things are moving along which I like.

Now me wise - it's funny how when my weekends involve my fiance I just forget a lot of the way I normally am eating and exercising. I just never get to see him with us living apart in 2 different cities, states and I just want to spend time together.  Don't get me wrong I splurge when he isn't here from time to time but when he is here it definitely happens more frequently. I think it's his way of winning our wager! hahaha! Trickery! So I gained a pound since last Monday, okay 1.5lbs, but I was going up all week so it wasn't just this weekend. Life happens right?!

Today I brought my bag with me and plan on working out at 11:30 like I use to at lunch. Yes use to, it's been a while. I have plans after work so going spinning won't happen this week. I was proud of myself, I am meeting with the 4th set of photographers on Wednesday and I made it after my Zumba class so I won't miss it. Yay me! Oh and I am all signed up for the NeverQuit Trident Solo Challenge on June 9th. It's a 5K run on the beach in the morning, a 500m swim in the ocean and a 1500m paddle in the ocean. My goal is to complete it faster than 1:07.51, that is what John did it in last year. I am looking forward to it!

Well here is to a good week - I think I can I think I can...

I promise I am doing OKAY

It's been  while since i have blogged I know. Things have been busy and I just haven't made the time honestly. The good news is things are going really well and I am doing OKAY!

Yesterday I ran a 5K in 29:50, which I was really proud of be I have only run once since my 15K a month ago! My goal was under 30 minutes and I did just that. I do have to brag about my sister for a moment because she did it in 25:34 which is just amazing! So proud of her and definitely a tad bit jealous of how good she is. :) It was fun though to do another race. I really do enjoy them and am looking forward to my next one. I haven't signed up for it but will this weekend but it is going to be the Never Quit Challenge Trident. It is a unique triathlon as you run a 5K on the beach (really on packed sand the whole way), then you swim 500m in the ocean and then paddle a 1500m in the ocean. Last year I signed up for just the 5K but unfortunately had surgery right before and was not allowed to participate. My fiance did the trident and it's been my goal to beat him ever since. So this year I am doing the whole thing even though I have never paddled in the ocean before but damn it I am going to do it! haha! I was a butterflier at one point so I can do this right?!

I haven't been too active the last month but I have managed to lose weight which just boggles my mind but I am not complaining. I am down to 160.2lbs - almost under 160 lbs! That will be the first time in over 5 years that I have been under 160 if I can just get there. Hopefully in the coming weeks it will happen. I did however try Yoga and Zumba (Intro to Zumba) for the 1st time this week. I really enjoyed both and looking forward to doing them again next week. I have set a schedule where I am going to do cycle on Monday's, Yoga on Tuesdays, Zumba on Wednesdays, and BodyJAM on Thursdays at the YMCA. I haven't done the cycle or BodyJAM yet, things got in the way and next week I know I can't make cycle - but I am going to do my best to make them. I need something new and I think these are great ways to mix it up. I am still going to run a bit during my lunch hour on the treadmill and other machines to keep that up for the next race.

The other new motivation besides of course the "ultimate wager" my fiance and I have going on, which babe I AM SO GOING TO WIN!! I am going wedding dress shopping July 20th. That gives me 3 months to drop a bit more so I know I can fit into the sample sizes no problem and make a good decision. Speaking of that my mom found the coolest organization - Brides Against Breast Cancer. It's this organization where designers donate dresses up to $8000 to be sold for $99-$799 where ALL the money goes to breast cancer! There is also dresses above $8000-$20,000 that are 50%-75% off and finally lightly used dresses w/o stains and rips and have been dry cleaned for really cheap too. You have to buy a $5 ticket to get in but that goes to breast cancer too. I am soo excited for that and to possibly find my dress!

Things really have been going well and I am doing OKAY! I know I have been MIA and I do apologize, it's been a crazy one and I just haven't been making the time. I know I know I need to and I hope to more and more. Just bare with me. There is one friend that is the most dedicated person I have seen to tracking and staying on track. I wish I could be more like her - you truly are an inspiration and someone I look up to. Thanks girl!!!

Well everyone have a good weekend - I know I will my fiance is coming into town tonight for the weekend. Yay!!! Talk to you next week.

Need to listen to myself

Last week I wrote a blog entry about how it's been a while for a lot of things in my life that I use to be good with - "It's been a while..". These would be blogging, working out and tracking my food. Well apparently that didn't motivate me enough to get going and start going what I needed to be doing.

Well today is Monday and the start to a new week (well work week that is). I brought my workout bag with me and have already logged my breakfast and obviously am blogging. It's only going to be a 3 day week for me as Thursday I head to Pensacola for a wedding between 2 of my friends and to be with my fiancé. I know Thursday I won't get anything in but I am hoping that maybe I will on Friday and/or Saturday. Both of those days he has groomsmen activities so I might go for a run on the beach in the morning or something since our hotel is literally on the beach on the gulf and it will be pretty. At the very least I am going to bring stuff with me. I figure hopefully if I bring it with me that will motivate me to get something in. As for Monday-Wednesday I plan of doing something each day. Today I am going to work out during my lunch. Tomorrow I might swim we'll see and Wednesday again lunch time. I have a 5K on April 12th that I can't let myself slip on. The goal for that 5K is to set a personal best and I think I have run a low 27 minutes in training so the goal is at least a 26 something!

Well back to baby steps to get myself moving again and making the right choices. I've got a dress to fit into in a year which should be huge motivation! hahahaha!

Have a great week! Enjoy the little quote :)

Been a While...

It's been a while for a a lot of things lately.

1.) It's been a while since I have blogged. In fact it's been over a week and half. The last time I did an entry I had just finished my race, became engaged and was happier than I thought possible. Since then I have been to Miami, seen a lot of family, put on a huge $45K cocktail party for my work, switched from Outlook to Google Aps for work, introduced mine and my fiance's parents at a lunch and started my wedding planning. Needless to say I have been a busy girl lately! In addition work has never been busier and the stack on work on my desk is becoming overwhelming a bit. I'll get through it, I always do! :)

2.) It's been a while since I have worked out. In fact my race was the last time I did something physical. OOPS! It has almost been 2 weeks since I have worked out, 12 days to be exact. I wanted last week to be a break since I was in Miami the majority of the week and didn't want to have to worry about it, but I have kinda carried it over into this week for no reason at all. This morning I thought about going swimming after work, but my stuff is in the back of the car my sister is driving right now (my whole family has been playing musical cars lately with my dad doing some work on mine and now my sister's car). I could have very well gotten it out of the the trunk this morning and switched it over but I didn't. I did tell myself when I had the thought in the shower to go swimming today, when I realized how long that it had been, that naw I will just start back up next week. Umm hello dumbo you are going to Pensacola on Thursday morning and won't be back till Monday for a wedding and mini-vaca time with your fiance. I know I won't do diddly squat. I have told myself that I will bring my work out stuff because on Friday especially when the groomsmen (which my fiance is part of) are at the golf course and the bridesmaids (not me) are at the spa I would go work out and then plop my butt down on the beach. Question is will I do the 1st part because we all know I will do the 2nd part! haha!

3.) It's been a while since I really tracked my food. I haven't really been making bad choices. In Miami I definitely ate more than I should have at meals, but I was eating Cuban food, and being that I am Cuban and don't get to eat the yumminess of that food all the time, I ate and ate and ate until I couldn't eat anymore because it was that good. Oh well! I was pleasantly surprised on Monday I got on the scale and it said 161.2lbs so I really didn't gain anything over the week - so yay! Really though I need to be better about tracking. I ALWAYS do better when I do and make better progress. Today I am going to do this, today my goal is to track everything. Just 1 day at a time right?

Well there have definitely been quite a few "It's been a whiles" lately. Good thing is that it's not a huge set back, just a small one. Time to get my butt back into gear. Maybe I will go run on the beach this week... the water is finally starting to be warm enough to get into and that would be a nice refreshing feeling after a run. We'll see.

BEST WEEKEND EVER

This weekend was officially the best weekend of my life! I was all excited about my big race on Saturday morning and my boyfriend was coming for it which meant the world to me. Then of course there was him coming and getting to spend time with him which ALWAYS puts me in a good mood. :)

On weekends we get to see each other typically on the Friday we get in very late as we can't leave until 5pm after work and then a 5 1/2-6 hour drive puts you in quite late. I told him if there was any way to leave an hour or 2 early that would be great since I needed to go to bed early to get a good nights rest with my race in the morning. He said it would be difficult since apparently 2 people were already out on his team and that is the max that can be out for scheduling. Well I talked to him around 5:30 and he told me he was a bit over 2 hours out! The little sneaker tricked me! Well he also tricked me and that he got in even earlier than he said surprising me even further! I couldn't be happier he was there by 7:10-15! I could stop hugging and kissing him and then he told me he had another surprise for me. I told him that him being here for my race, surprising me early was more than enough for me, what else could top that?! Well he topped it - a little box appeared between us as we were still hugging. He had these big cute eyes and just said I love you. I am sure my face was shocked but all I could do was hug him more and I couldn't stop kissing him. The smile across my face had to be huge because I could feel it ear to ear! haha! I finally stopped kissing him and said yes. He then put it on my finger and it is absolutely gorgeous!! He did amazing - it is soo me and an oval cut which I love oval and emerald cuts. I will never forget his face when looked at me with this little box in his hands. I love him soo much and couldn't be happier!

Okay that just made the weekend amazing! We immediately called my parents and his and then I had to tell those I love too. Texts when out and then it made it onto facebook and that exploded. I have never felt soo loved! We then went to dinner and met up with my fiance's brother and 2 friends. His brother was soo happy and was excited to have me be part of the family. That just made me feel great and happy that his family likes me too. Always a plus! :) haha!

Next was Saturday morning and I was up at 6am. I got ready, ate some oatmeal, and we were out the door by 6:30 headed downtown to the race. It was a cold windy morning but I tried my best not to let it phase me. I stretched and waited around for the 8:30 gun shot. It went off and away we went, all 20,000 people!! The 1st 4 miles are a blur for me - it just went smoothly and the atmosphere was just carrying me. By mile 5 I finally realized I was already past half way and couldn't believe it - probably because I realized I had to pee and started looking for a port-a-potty. I found one but decided that I would just wait it out and make it to the end - ya that lasted about a quarter of a mile when I decided nope I have to find one NOW! Haha! The next one wasn't until mile 6 and I mowed over some spectators to get to it. It was God Sent and made the world of difference. After that around 6.5 miles I started to feel my legs. I think I stopped thinking about how bad I had to pee and was able to focus on other things, such as my legs. I took a Cliff Blok I was carrying with me and some water at mile 7 and got my second wind. I turned the corner and hit mile 8 right as we started to go up the "Green Monster" (the large green bridge the runners have nicknamed the Green Monster), I ran the whole way up and didn't stop! I was soo proud of myself. Coming down it was soo windy that you actually had to run down it, there was no just go and let gravity take you, it was wind pushing you back. Oh well it was fun because you could see the end and it made it all that much better. I came in just under 1:35 with my official time being 1:33.19. I was soo happy with my time considering I had a bathroom break and walked through the water stations that I took water at - that was my breather. I would definitely do it again next year! :)

That evening we went over to his parents' house to celebrate for dinner with his younger brother and a family friend. They were so cute having a champagne toast any everything! They were so happy and that just made me feel so welcomed and loved. It's great to know that they approve of me for their son since he is the love of my life.

Well here's a great year I know it!!!!

It's Official

2 Things because official today - the 1st I am the most excited about :)

#1:
Well it is official I am DONE training! Monday was 8 miles, yesterday was a 30 minute aerobic swim, and this morning was a long, comfortable 2 mile run. Tomorrow and Friday besides walking Wrigley there will be no exercise, just resting and stretching of the legs and keeping heat on my hip. I am so proud of myself for sticking to this 10 week plan and getting myself ready for my race. This is something I honestly didn't think I would be able to do - run more than like 3 miles. I remember last year while grabbing a beer and playing trivia with some friends around 8-8:30 a friend saying he ran 8 miles between work and the beer - I thought to myself he was crazy and how the hell did he just run 8 miles?! On Monday I DID 8 MILES! I know there are people out there that do marathons and even 1/2 marathons and 8 miles is nothing, but for me this is a milestone. This is something I seriously thought was something I couldn't do and I did it. I absolutely can not wait for Saturday!

Good News too that I found out yesterday afternoon - I got a seated position for the race Saturday! This is what I was trying to do with the 5 mile race that I did where I was trying to go under 49 minutes. You see there are like 20,000 people participating in this race this weekend - it's the largest 15K in the country. They seat the first 5000 people and this was my goal. (1-300 are the Olympic qualifiers, 301-100 is a heat, then 1000-2000, 2000-3000, 3000-4000, and finally 4000-5000 - all are based upon a qualifying time achieved) This means you are ahead of 15,000+ people if you get into one of these heats! Well I just missed it by 25 seconds when I did my 5 mile race in January. I was slightly bummed but at the same time that was my first ever 5 mile run ever so I couldn't complain with the time.  Yesterday I received an email that said that I AM IN!!!! I am officially a seated runner! :) My bib# is 4932!!! YIPPIE! I am soo excited I just can't hold it in. :)


#2:
Well it is official I am the smallest I have been in probably 4 years! I got on the scale this morning and it said 161.2lbs! I haven't been under 162lbs at least in 4 years. I FINALLY broke through that 162 mark. My goal was to be 155lbs by March 1st which I am still a ways from but you know what who cares that I didn't make it. I am losing inches and have been for a bit with no movement on the scale. I finally was okay with that but this new # I haven't seen in soo long is the cherry on the cake this week. For me this number means I am on the right track in making my life a healthy one. I have been working so hard at it and for 5 months I have been basically at the same weight, gained a little bit around the holidays but since October I haven't been under 162lbs - today I did it! Things are working and I couldn't be happier! :)

More than running through the finish line

Talk about a busy busy life lately! Work has just consumed me lately and then training for my race THIS WEEKEND (yay it's finally here), and then just other things in life - I just have been non-stop. I was hoping that the beginning of the year would be a catch up; and get back on track time, unfortunately I was wrong as it really has taken on it's own life and just exploded, but in a good way.

The biggest thing in my life right now is my race this weekend. I was talking with my boyfriend last night and I realized that this race is soo much more than just running through the finish line. Don't get me wrong finishing this is going to be amazing, but it's for so many reasons. The fall of 2010 I realized I has come to a point that I couldn't be happy with  myself any longer. I had already started to lose some weight for my best friend's wedding (unfortunately it wasn't enough, but I was thankful for it looking back because it got the ball rolling) but was still a big girl for me. (here's me then - "Changing Looks") My other best friend at work got me to commit to participating in my 1st ever 5K in March 2011 at the Gate River Run (that is actually a 15K which is what I am doing this weekend, but there is a 5K too). I knew I had to start working so we tried to start something but with the holidays it just fell off. Finally in January we started the Couch-to-5K program. If you aren't a runner this is a GREAT program to get you off the couch and running, seriously it baby steps you up. I remember thinking when we were training and it was nearing the end and we had to run for 20 minutes straight or 3 miles and I would dread it and think how can I do this?! March came and the race came and I finished - struggled but I finished in 33:18. I told myself when I finished watching the 15K people run through the finish line and being personally inspired that I would run that in 2012, I made a promise to myself!

Well it is a year later and I am about to fulfill that promise to myself! I have struggled at completing really hard things in my life, finding the easy way at times or just avoiding it at all costs. Not only am I about to complete this promise to myself I did everything correct and proved to myself that I can do something that I didn't think was possible! I have always thought that I could never run for an hour or longer, that just seemed impossible that my body could endure that. (Yes I know I would swim for 2.5 hours but that is different, I was good at swimming, I am not good at running.) I proved that wrong a couple of times already, especially with my longest run yesterday at 8 miles which took me 1:17.24! I knew this would be a challenge, to not only complete the 15K but train for it. At the end of 2011 I realized my training partner & best friend at work would not be doing it with me. If I wanted to do this it would be on my own completely (I would have her support, but the actual training would be by myself.) In the past this would have been motivation enough to not complete it, just drop it. I found a great program online - Hal Higdon's Novice 15K Training Program, printed it out and tacked it to my cubical with "Gate River Run" in big letters at top. I couldn't back down now this time. Come Jan 1st I put my plan into action and started my 10 week program. I remember looking at it at the beginning and seeing the 5, 6, 7, and 8 mile runs and not sure if I would be able to do it. Yesterday I completed the 8 miles and not only completed it, ROCKED IT! (My sister ran it with me and honestly it was one of best times I have had with her, something that I will always remember! - In fact we did this loop that she told me she has always been wanting to do, a goal of hers and we DID IT!)

This Saturday I am going to run through the finish and complete so much - I will finished the longest run of my entire life, I will prove to myself that I CAN challenge myself and do something that I didn't think was possible, I will complete the 1st real physical challenge I have had in probably 5 years (the last one was NCAAs basically exactly 5 years ago) and finally I will finish a promise to myself, a goal that I have had for a year! I really am excited about this run this weekend for these reasons. The best part is that when I finish my boyfriend will be at the finish line waiting for me and I can just run into his arms and get a hug! What better motivation than that?!

This week is about staying calm, relaxing, eating right, and getting sleep all the way through running through and finishing my 1st ever 15K and longest run of my life!

Feeling Better

I have been swamped this week - OMG! I have been missing my blog and I decided to take a few minutes very quickly to type one up. This week has been good, I feel MUCH better. Monday I still felt a tad tired still but by Tuesday all good.

I ran 5 miles Tuesday at 4pm and felt good the whole way. My legs didn't hurt, my body kept going, and I held a nice pace the whole way. I ran the 5 miles in 47 minutes and 58 seconds! Not my fastest 5 miles but under that 49 minute goal that I was trying to do a month ago. YAY! The only bad thing is on Wednesday my hip was killing me! I should have iced it down after my run and didn't and I paid for it Wednesday. I took 4 anti-inflammatory and it didn't do squat. Today however it is feeling better Thank God!

So my goal this week was to stay under my calorie count - ya I forgot about the dinner I was supposed to have Wednesday night with some people from work. It was fabulous last night! We have a Dutch intern that has been with us for 7 months and is heading back on Saturday. (he's part of this program that our mother company has and they work with their opt-cos) There was a group of 8 of us that took him out to dinner for a good-bye we will miss you dinner at this great local restaurant. We had great wine, oysters, soup, main course and desert. I just didn't care, I ate my oysters, had this fabulous tomato & leek soup, this fantastic pork chop with these german style fingerling potatoes and cabbage mixture and for desert enjoy some crème boule (my favorite!), not to mention the delicious wine.

I don't feel bad about yesterday, I didn't get on the scale this morning so I couldn't get "mad" at myself, and that was yesterday and I enjoyed myself and today I had a great breakfast, have a yummy sandwich for lunch and then my sister is making dinner so it should be a great day. I am working on looking forward and not backwards. There is nothing wrong with a little splurge here and there and yesterday was just that.

So small change up in the weekly work out plan this week. I knew that I had lunch plans and dinner plans yesterday and I didn't want to get up early so I took Wednesday as my day off. Today I am swimming for 45 minutes instead of running, running 3 miles with strength tomorrow, swimming an hour on Saturday and then running the 8 miles on Sunday. That means the following week it is stretching on Monday, 3 miles on Tuesday, 30 minutes cross on Wednesday, 2 miles on Thursday and rest of Friday and RACE on Saturday!!!!! I can't wait!

Start Over Day

Monday Monday, can't trust that day. (Name of band anyone?) Every Monday I wake up and I never know how the day is going to go, let alone the week. This morning it was cold and rainy and I wanted nothing more than to stay in bed and sleep. Unfortunately the rational side of me kicks in and pulled myself out of bed and into the shower. Standing in the shower I was thinking about this week, how it's the last week of training really before my race in 13 days. Last week was suppose to be an easier week, only running 3 and 4 miles. Well I ran 3 miles Tuesday and Thursday, but the 4 miles on Saturday, ya I decided to listen to my body which was sick and took it easy this weekend. I also really didn't get in my cross training either. Normally I would feel bad about that and beat myself up a bit over it - NOPE I am actually A-OKAY with it.

I woke up Friday morning feeling terrible. I actually went home around lunch and got into bed and finished my work. Saturday I didn't wake up till 11:30 (went to bed at like 10) and still didn't feel very well. There was no way I was running! Sunday I slept again for like 13.5 hours and woke up feeling better but still not 100%. I had thought I might swim or lightly run, maybe 2 hours or something but I decided to get better and start fresh this week. I think it was the best decision I could have made. I even made home made soup last night which was delicious I have to say. I have some for lunch today I am really looking forward to.

This week I am going to get in everything. It's definitely a start over and get back into it week. I am not going to push myself too hard because I don't want to get sick again, nor hurt myself, or be tired too much in 13 days. Here is this week's schedule:

Monday - Stretch & Strength (instead of strength I think I am going to do 15-20 minutes light elliptical)
Tuesday - 5 mile run
Wednesday - 45 minutes Cross Training (haven't decided yet)
Thursday - 3 miles plus strength
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 8 mile run (I see and ice bath for legs and hips afterwards)
Sunday - 60 minutes Cross Training - probably swimming


GOAL this week - Stay under my calorie count ALL week!

Rough Week

I am glad this week is almost over. It has been a rough one and today is the cherry on top - I'm feeling terrible and sick! BLAH! Here's a quick update:

Wednesday - Really didn't want to work out but convinced myself that it was just swimming and I would take it easy and keep it long and aerobic for the 45 minutes I needed to swim. I got out of work around 5:15 and headed to the YMCA. A few minutes out from the YMCA a huge lightening bolt lit up the rainy sky - there went that idea! For whatever reason the Y shuts the pool down even though it is grounded. I went home to let out Wrigley since all I had was swimming gear, no work out gear so I couldn't just go and hop on the bike or elliptical or something. Once I got home that was it. I was really tired and just wanted to relax and that is exactly what I did. Part of me felt bad a first that I didn't stick to my training schedule and didn't do cross training for 45 minutes, but then I just brushed it off and realized it wasn't the end of the world and was okay with it.

Thursday - I had the worst run I think ever! First off mentally I wasn't into working out AT ALL! There was no part of me that wanted to exercise but since I didn't work out on Wednesday I didn't want to skip another one, especially a run. So I went down stairs, strapped my shoes and headband on and out the door I went. I realized from the 1st step that it wouldn't be an easy one. I decided to just take it easy, it wasn't about pace today it was about getting it down. Oh wow those words couldn't have been more true. It was only 3 miles but after 1.50 I had to walk a little bit, then again around 2.15 miles. I started running again at 2.25 miles and I ran the rest of the way. It wasn't fast but I told myself I could do 0.75 miles. The hardest part was that at 2.5 miles I was back where I started and had to pass it and then come back. There was part of me that really just wanted to stop at 2.5 miles and say screw it I at least did something. Thankfully something kicked in and didn't let me stop and kept me going. I finished and felt worse than when I started. Plus it was just not a good day. All in all Thursday just kind of sucked. At least I made a good decision for dinner - went by Chipotle for a bowl because I knew I didn't want to cook and I figured it might as well be something not too bad for me and yummy.

Friday - Today I woke up feeling like crap. I really didn't want to go to work but I had some important things to take care of so off I went work. I was freezing the whole time, even with a blanket around me. Finally after my 12-12:30 meeting and the follow up afterwards I headed up to finish up work around 1. I have been freezing and hot back and forth all afternoon! I hate being sick! It makes sense though now why this week hasn't been the greatest. Why I was soo tired Wednesday out of the blue and yesterday my body just didn't want to operate and I struggled through my run. I guess I just need to listen to my body more. Tonight it relax and get to bed early. This weekend I will play it by ear on the working out and see how I feel. My race is in 2 weeks from tomorrow so I need to make sure I get better and quickly!

Well I haven't been too bad, it's just been rough and that's why you haven't heard from me. Well have a good weekend - hopefully yours is better than mine.

The Ultimate Wager!!

This weekend I was with my boyfriend, which was great by the way! Anyway we got talking about me losing weight and getting in shape and how it's easier for guys to do it than girls, and that led us talking about our bellies and how we each wanted to lose them. That led me to suggest a little wager - let's see who could lose their belly 1st! There is no time limit, no set weight we have to get to, it is simply losing your belly first on an honor system. He sounded intrigued and asked what we would wager. I knew it had to be something good, something that had a little bit of an embarrassing quality to it and something neither person would want to motivate them to take this seriously. I asked him what he would want if he won and he wasn't sure. I knew then what I wanted and what would work to keep him motivated. I also knew I would get something bad in return that I didn’t want to do, but if I was going to dish it I had to be willing to take it!

Back story first - I grew up in Nashville, TN and my dad was a huge football fan so he raised us to love football. Since we grew up in Tennessee so he thought we should be Tennessee Volunteer fans, and that's exactly what I became. One of my favorite memories with my dad was in 1998 when the Vols beat Florida State in the 1st ever BCS Bowl game to win the National Title. I was only 12 years old and had already gone to bed. At half time my dad woke me up and asked me if I wanted to watch the game - easy answer YES! We went into the bonus room and he had snacks and sprite and orange soda and a football and we just "tailgated" in our bonus room yelling at the TV and throwing the football around. With only a few minutes left in the game my mom comes in the room and asks what we were doing and why I am up and we reply with watching Tennessee win the National Championship mom!! haha! It was a great memory and one that definitely formed my love for Tennessee football. My boyfriend is a HUGE Florida Gators fan. His whole family is basically. He grew up in Florida and since he was a little boy he has been a Gator Chompin fan. GROSS! hahaha!

As you know the Tennessee Volunteers and the Florida Gators don't really like each other. I don't hold this against my boyfriend that he picked the wrong team! :) haha Anyway, this is where my wager comes from. I told him that if I win I want him to dress from head to toe in Tennessee Orange and White and he would sing Rocky Top while being recorded, which then would be placed on Facebook for all to see! There is one other place too it would be seen but he has to ask a question first for that to happen. He wasn't too happy about it but accepted the challenge ONLY if he won he would dress me in Florida Orange and Blue and I had to do the Gator Chomp while being filmed which will be put on facebook for all to see and at one more place to view, but again he has to ask first.

I reluctantly accepted and vowed to myself that there would be NO WAY I was doing the Gator Chomp! Before picture need to be taken - most likely tonight. I'll have to get him to do it and send it to me so I know he did it! :) It's time to buckle down and lose this belly once and for all because I HAVE to win!!!

                                                                                                                                                

Catch Up

WOW I am soo behind on my blog this week. It has been so busy I just haven't had time. Wednesday I got to work and didn't even get to sit down until after 9 and then yesterday I was at part 2 of the training class I was taking from lat week. Today is going to be very busy as well because I am going to try to get out of here early to get on the road to Charlotte to see my boyfriend. Plus I have to go pick up Wrigley (my Golden Retriever - aka love of my life) at doggie daycare which is right down the road since he is coming with me. That saves me 45-60 minutes round trip to go home and get him and get back to where my work is - sooo worth the money!

Okay here is a quick recap of this week thus far:

Tuesday - GREAT run! I ran 5 miles around my work at 4pm. Remember how I was trying to break 49 minutes in my race? I did 5 miles on Tuesday in 46 minutes and 52 seconds!!!! Granted there were NO bridges and it is mostly flat but still I was sooo proud of myself. I then went home and had a FANTASTIC Valentine's Day with my sister. She made me this great dinner with homemade red velvet brownies - OMG yummy! These were both recipes I had tagged on my pinterest account that I wanted to try, so how cute and thoughtful to pick those. We also enjoyed some bubbly champagne and watched Glee together. All in all AWESOME Valentine's Day! Bar is definitely set high for my boyfriend this weekend . :) hahahaha

Wednesday - Oh wow I did not want to work out on Wednesday. I knew I wouldn't have time to swim after work because I had lots of errands to run so I had to work out during my lunch hour. There was absolutely no part of me that wanted to go and exercise. I dragged my butt down there though and got on the elliptical and off I went for 45 minutes. I kinda bitched the whole way but I did it, I got it in. Even after I was done I didn't get the "wow I am soo glad I did that" which I get a lot after I work out when I don't want to - there is just always going to be days like that. The good news is that I I am not letting myself talk myself out of working out when I don't want to which I have done sooo many times in the past. Definitely a small no scale victory in my book on Wednesday this week.

Thursday - I ran 7 miles starting at 6:30 AM! I know right?!!! I am not a morning person everyone knows this by now, but when I found out it was suppose to rain Thursday afternoon when I originally was going to run I had to do it in the morning. I had a training seminar at 9am so that at least helped and let me start at 6:30 instead of 5:30 - Thank God! My sister joined me which I couldn't thank her enough for. We set out and away we went. It was omg humid and I of course forgot to take my inhaler before I ran so that caused a few problems. Oh well I made it through. It wasn't my fastest run but it was definitely my longest run to date. 7.53 miles (7 running the rest warm-up and down) in 1 hour and 19 minutes. I was soo proud of myself there isn't words to explain it. Only problem is oh wow I am sore and I felt it right after too. I have funny hips which have never bothered me this much before, but I never have run like this before and swimming there wasn't the impact like running has on them. Definitely need to start icing them after I run. Just like the good old days in swimming. hahaha!


Well I think that officially catches everyone up. Oh last night I went to this social for an organization I am with. I wasn't able to go in December or January so this is the first one since November. Soo many people told me I looked soo skinny and good and asked me what diet I was following. I had a smile across my face the whole night. Talk about a great motivator right there. It's things like that that I need to hold onto when I get frustrated to pick me back up or get me out and exercising. I mean I am by no means doing this for other people - it is my journey that I am doing for ME but it does help when others encourage along the way. The best though is the support of others that are on similar journeys and the support we give each other - for that I want to say thank you and you know who you are!!!

Well have a great weekend! I doubt I will write on Monday since I won't be in the office that day. Until Tuesday have fun and smile :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day EVERYONE! Today is one of those days that is just a quirky day that honesty I think is nothing more than a Hallmark Holiday. However, with that being said I have an AMAZING Valentine this year and actually excited about it for the first time ever. I unfortunately don't get to see him today since he is 5 1/2 hours away, but I will this weekend and we are going to have a simple date night at home - making dinner together and watch a movie we have both wanted to see and been waiting to be together to watch. Like I said - simple but really excited about it since it is just want I want to do! I got him a Valentine's gift - a subscription to a Beer Club. (I know I am okay writing it here because he already saw it and LIKED it!) Not sure what he got me but I will find out later this weekend. :)

Today my Valentine's Day gift to myself is running 5 miles - Yippie! hahaha! I know not really a present but the good stuff is that I can maybe have some real desert and not "healthy" desert! hahaha! That's the present to myself. HAHA! Basically though today whether you have a Valentine or not do something for yourself that will make YOU happy! For me it is staying on my training program and showing myself I can do this. That makes me happy and I would do it even if I had my boyfriend here! What I am looking forward to after my run though is that I am my sister's Valentine today since she is single. We live together and going to spend dinner together tonight. I am not sure if she is going to cook something or we are going out, but either way I am really looking forward to it!!!

BTW - got on the scale today and was 163.2 lbs! I am almost back to my weight in October of 162.8 lbs - YIPPIE! Hopefully I will see 15-something soon. The good news is I know I am losing inches because my clothes are fitting much better. I haven't measured in a while so maybe I will do that today; we'll see.

Inspiring Weekend

This weekend was great in soo many ways!

Saturday my sister and I set out to run 6 miles! I was nervous but at the same time excited about it. We plotted out a course that was a mile and a half out over an inter coastal bridge and then back, so 3 miles total that we would do twice. We did this so we could leave water at start, 3 mil, and finish line. This gave us the opportunity to rehydrate a bit in the middle of the run. The funny part was it was right in front of this mini-park place called Adventure Landing (one of those places that has mini-golf, go-carts, a small water park, etc) and we both had to pee at 3 miles so we ducked behind a bush, well when I did it as I am finishing and pulling my pants up a car turns in and I definitely mooned them! haha! Oh well, everyone has a butt :) It was soo windy that day and when we ran West it was the worst, and that 3 leg over the bridge was brutal but I just gritted through, pumped the arms, put my head down just a tad and told myself one foot in front of the other and I made it up. Coming back I actually felt really good and coming down the last bridge I decided to just take it and go and caught back up with my sister! She goes up the bridges much much faster than I am able to, so I was happy when I caught her.The best part is that when we finished I probably could have just kept on going. I wasn't hurting too bad, I wasn't all that tired (yes tired but not zonked yet), and I still had some energy to go. I was soo pleased with myself for running 7 miles. When we were done we went to Engine 15, one our favorite bars for a beer and lunch. That beer was AMAZING! Plus it was a great morning/afternoon with my sister!

Sunday morning in Jacksonville was marathon to benefit beast cancer. It has become a really large event, bringing people in from all over and also used a a Boston Marathon qualifier. My boyfriend's mom runs it and his dad is the champion for the 14/15 mile water station. It is at the same location since they loop back around and hit it again but from the other side of the street (we are on he grass island running in between the streets). I had a fun time handing out water for all these amazing people working to complete 26.2 miles. Talk about inspirational!!! The worst part about it and what made it even more inspiring is that it was something like 31 degrees in the morning when they started at 6:30am and felt like 23 degrees! I had on 3-4 layers on my whole body and was still freezing so I can only imagine running. I know your body temperature goes up when running, but still it had to be soo cold, especially waiting at the starting line to start. I wanted to go inside and warm-up but I just refused because if these people were out here doing this in the cold, I sure as hell could stand there and give them the water and gatorade they wanted. We finished up and was back inside by about 11:45am or so and it was definitely a great way to start a day! We found out later that my boyfriend's mom completed it in 5 hours and 17 minutes! That is amazing and definitely so proud of her! Looking at the results what I was just blown away with was the woman who won it did it in 2 hour s and 40 minutes, but the real kicker is that she is 42 years old! You typically think the late 20s to mid 30s is where the winner would be age wise, which is where the male winner was at 2 hours and 20 minutes, but she was 42! That is just fantastic and I was so happy for her. It was also great to see all the pink in the crowd of runners. Both women and men were sporting it proudly in this effort to help cure and stop breast cancer. I am not really a huge fan of pink but that was just awesome.

Sunday made me look at my schedule this week and rethink how I was going to tackle it. I am supposed to run 7 miles on Saturday to continue in my training, However, this weekend I finally get to see John and am traveling to Charlotte! It will be 5 weeks that we have gone apart by the time I finally get to see him. I know I have to stick to my training schedule and will run the 7 miles but won't want to because I want to spend all the time I can with him. Therefore I looked at my schedule and decided that on Thurday which is 3 miles and strength I would switch the 2 days. That means I miss a social function, however, it is better for me this way and a sacrifice that I need to make. This way too I know I will get all my running in and will stay on track. It does mean that I do 5 miles tomorrow and then 7 2 days later but I know I can do it so that is all that matters!!!

Here is to an interesting week and that it flies by!!!!

Tested

It's funny, my 1st blog yesterday couldn't have come at a better time as I was tested right away last night. Here is what happened - I am sure everyone can relate to this story if you are on a journey to becoming healthy.

My mom was in town and took me and my sister out to dinner to celebrate Valentine's Day, the 3 girls! We went to this nice Mexican Restaurant that I really love - Cantina Laredo - if you have never been and there and there is one around you I highly recommend it! We started off with their guacamole, OMG it is fantastic! They make it with fresh avocados right in front of you with lime, fresh tomato, red onion, cilantro, and jalapenos - Delicious! I don't mind eating that even though it is high in calories and fat, but it is all good for you fat, avocados are just so good for you (they are even called a "power" food)! I ordered the Mahi Mahi tacos on corn tortillas with black beans and grilled veggies which was zucchini (YUMMY). They were also having lady's night which is 1/2 priced margarita's. This was test #1 - I typically now get skinny margaritas, less calories and sugar and honesty I like them better because there is less sugar in them. The alcohol is still the same so WIN in my book. However, the 1/2 priced margs didn't include the skinny ones so I didn't want to be difficult, especially since I knew my mom was going to pick up the bill so I got the regular. I enjoyed it, didn't let it bother me, except I only had 1 instead of 2 if I had had the skinny. No biggie in my book, I was really only feeling like 1 anyway so Yay passed the first test!

Test #2 came when the table of 4 ladies next to us ordered Mexican Brownies. You see they "make" them by the table like the guacamole - great marketing/ selling scheme because they place this big hunk of browine down on a hot fajita plate so it sizzles and then they pour this hot brandy butter sauce over it so it sizzle, bubbles, and steams like crazy - you can't miss this "show" if you are near it and talk about making you want one too! Well that happened to my mom and sister since it was literally done right in front of our table, seriously like you would have thought they were making it for us not the table next to us. Next thing I knew my mom ordered 1 for the 3 of us. When I tell you it is a huge hunk of brownie I am not lying, it's a brick of a brownie. They top it with that brandy butter sauce, omg it was amazing and then they scoop a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. I am not a big fan of vanilla so for me that part was just like whatever, haha. It came to our table and I looked at and my mind immediately went to omg how many calories do you think just 1 bite is, how many have I already eaten tonight, how many do I have left, and I just when I was convinencing myself that I didn't need the brownie, which I might add that brownies are my FAVORITE my sister looked at me and just said enjoy it it's valentine's day with our mom. That little sentence made me smile and the spoon dove into the brownie for a big bite with lots of sauce and OMG HEAVEN in my mouth! I immediately scooped up another big bite and enjoyed a couple more after that too. :)

I left and I haven't even calculated the calories from last night - I just don't care I really enjoyed myself with my mom last night. Granted I did have a small, little mental fight with myself over desert, but after I decided to take the bite that all left and I just enjoyed myself. This morning I feel fine and yes it is still on my mind, but not because I am upset for eating it, but because it was soo damn good I want another bite! hahahahahaha! Life is definitely too short to not enjoy the sizzling, bubbling, delicious brownie from time to time. It's not like I eat that all the time, in fact I honestly can't remember the last time I ate desert like that. I am definitely someone that enjoys life and I have made it clear that I am not going to let food tie me down. I originally said that in that I wasn't going to eat and eat and be unhealthy, but I also need to realize that it goes the other way too. It can't let you not live and not enjoy good times because you are afraid of the calories or the fat because it isn't on your "diet". I am sure I am not the only one that needs to remember that from time to time. I think the best way to become healthy is to realize that you can control all normal routine times, but the special moments, the times we can't control, and just the random times too, let life intervine and just go with it, enjoy it all!

That's my lesson from last night. I am happy this morning and looking forward to the weekend! I hope you are too - ENJOY IT!

100% MADE MY DAY

Today's run was by far one of the best runs I have ever had for so many reasons! I just couldn't wait until tomorrow to share it all.
#1 - I felt really really good. I was moving along very quickly and wasn't even phased by it at all!

#2 - I ran my fastest 5K EVER --> 27.23! WOW!

#3 - I ran 3.25 miles in 28.40, that just blows my mind that I ran it that quickly!

#4 - Here is the part that just was amazing and has completely made my day. I was running and just slightly under half way and I noticed this SUV driving slowly next to me. I thought it was a colleague but when I looked over I recognized the guy for a business down the street from mine where he is always eating lunch outside when I run by. I pulled out one of my headphones since he was talking to me and I had my music up loud and he told me that I had inspired him about 2 months ago to get out and start exercising. He has seen me and my friend that I always run with all the time running and that if we could make time for it so could he. He can't run like I do, all fast (I laughed because I don't think of myself as a fast runner), but he gets out there and does it and has lost 13 pounds already! (Damn guys and their ability to lose weight soo quickly - but yay for him!) He thanked me and I just told him to keep on going, he'll get to be a fast runner too with the right motivation. It was a short conversation that I had while I was just running, I didn't stop and the guy even told me not to, he didn't want to interrupt my exercise, so just drove slowly next to me. I do admit it is a bit strange and kinda creepy, but I mean I have been running on this exact same path for a year now so if you are always outside you are going to notice 2 girls running along the roadside all the time. Anyway, this 100% made my day and just fueled me that much more. I really couldn't believe that me and my friend just running along the roadside during our lunch break inspired someone else to get out and exercise, and even more he took the time to thank me! This has completely made my day, hell my week!

Here is my challenge for me and everyone - If you are ever are inspired by someone to really make a change in your life, big or small, whether you know them or not, take the opportunity to thank them if you ever get the chance. It really is a powerful phrase - Thank You and one that is not used enough in my book.

Changing Habits

I think I briefly mentioned on Tuesday that I gained a little bit of weight last week and jumped up 1.2lbs to 164.6lbs. Nothing huge but also just felt blah - yesterday I found out why, Hello mother nature! (sorry guys that are reading this - skip to the next paragraph if you want and I stop talking about it) Now it makes sense why I am bloated and gained a little bit and just have felt like blah this week. I originally didn't log it into MFP because I was a bit upset about it. Then today I realized that was stupid (a friend's voice popped into my head and told me I need to stop beating myself up over every little thing - thank you chica!) and logged in the weight and fixed the date to Monday. I also got on the scale again this morning and down a bit to 164.2. Hey I will take it. The only thing good out of all of this is that I sorta was surprised by it and had to go home early to get my clothes into the washing machine so they wouldn't get stained. Okay that isn't the good thing, in fact that was embarrassing! The good part was that I was home when my mom got into town! Granted I had to keep working a bit after she got there but I got to be there, help her unload, and greet her when she drove up! YAY!

Okay so I haven't really thought about this too much until lately when a friend brought it to my attention, I really do beat myself up a lot over a lot things I shouldn't. She always jokes about when I am craving say pizza or something she tells me, eat it but I better not hear about it in your blog the next day about how you are soo pissed you ate the piece of pizza! It didn't really click until about the 5th or 6th time she said it and then I realized she was right. I have been doing soo much better working out, my motivation level is a lot higher than it has been in a long time, but my eating habits could definitely use some work still. People at work have asked me what diet I am following and I tell them I am not following a diet. I use MyFitnessPal and track my calories instead. I try to make the healthier choice most of the time but if I want to have a slice of pizza or cheeseburger I am going to have it, just in moderation. The problem though is that I am not listening to myself at all! I am working really hard to change myself, not just on the scale, but my habits in life and I have been viewing that slice of pizza as a fail, as a set-back and then beat myself up for it. Okay yes eating 4 slices of pizza from papa johns, probably not the best idea and really why didn't I just stop after 2 or even 3 slices - did I really need that 4th slice? (direct reference to this day - Disgusted, check it out) Those days okay I can understand why I am not too happy with myself because not only did I do something a bit stupid, but I also felt like shit the next day because I am not use to putting that kind of food into my body anymore. However, if I want a slice of pizza I should have one, just stop at 2 pieces, add a small side salad and even have that low-calorie beer too! Just track it all and be happy that I have made changes, I am still enjoying the pizza, just in moderation! I have to start seeing the small victories in things and NOT look at the negative and beat myself up about it! I told myself in my New Year's Resolution blog that I was only going to worry about the things I could control and measure - okay measure the successes of how far you have come instead of the negatives! That is what I need to focus on and not beat myself up anymore. Thanks Chica!

PS - I am not beating myself up for beating myself up over little things I promise. This is me recognizing that I have been doing this, becoming aware of it, and wanting to change that habit. Just FYI :)

Motivation & Dedication

Yesterday was one of the best runs I have had in a while! I set out at 4:15pm to run 4 miles (0.25 mile warm-up and cool-down so just at 4.5 miles total. I decided to not push myself and just run at a nice comfortable pace that would be quick but something that I could hold the whole time. I stayed around 8:50-9:20 mile pace basically the whole time. Fell below that pace a few times but picked it up and got back on track immediately. I had a smile on my face the whole time and even sang out loud a few times. When I finished I wasn't too tired at all, I just felt really really good!

The best part was I got sooo many cheers and comments while I was running from so many of my friends and family members. It really put a smile on my face and helped me along. I love when I get those and honestly can not tell you how thankful I am of everyone's support for me. I am by no means a runner! It definitely doesn't come easy to me, nor is it natural for me. I have funny hips and my legs always seem to hurt when I am running - typically I can fight through it and it just eventually numbs or dulls out. It's the athlete in me to push though it and not let it bother me. I set a challenge for myself to do something I never have - complete a 15K. Not only complete it but train for it - I have never trained for anything really in running (except the year or so I did cross country in middle school which I think was like 2 miles or something like that). Liek I said running really isn'y my thing but it is something I can do and challenge myself at. Plus it is cheap which is right up my alley. :) haha! The key is picking something that you are interested in and that can keep you motivated and this is working for me.

Small change from what I said yesterday about my training schedule this week. My mom is coming into town today, leaving on Friday morning on her way to Miami. We are her "pit-stop" since she is driving. My sister works tonight so when my mom gets to our house around 4-4:30 no one will be there. With that being said I was suppose to go swim tonight after work for at least 40 minutes. That would mean I wouldn't get home until 6:45 or later. I feel bad leaving her by herself for that long at our house, so I have decided to work out during my lunch hour today doing with the elipitcal or stationary bike for 40 minutes. I also thought about switching my rest day from Friday to today, but after thinking about it and posting a poll online about it, just switching out my cross-training from swimming to something else is definitely a better option! No biggie! The key here is still getting it done regardless. Not letting changes in plans get in the way and using it as an excuse. I like that my head is finally back to wanting to work out. It's nice to have motivation and dedication again!

Found 2 pictures with quotes that I really like and want to share: ENJOY!

   

Proud of Myself

Wow it has been a week since my last blog - it's been that busy for me lately! Last week was just insane with all these people in town for training. It was something like 15 or so and then going out to dinner was 22-30 people. Of course it all fell on the Marketing team so we became the "hostesses of the mostesses". I did more little odd end jobs, can you do this can you do that for me than I ever have. I barely got anything of my work done last week I was running around soo much. Then there were all those evenings too, which weren't working dinners but were still social work dinners so you are still "on". By the end of the week I was exhausted! I actually skipped the Wednesday evening event that was bowling and crap food. Oh ya ALL the food we ate last week - OMG it was insane! I did gain 1.2lbs but looking back I am definitely surprised that that is all I gained. I really did try to do my best about keeping to my diet but it is soo hard when you "eat out" almost every single meal the whole week. I did make good decisions most of the time and was even called the healthy girl! haha!

What I was proud of most was that I made sure I made time for ALL my work outs. Yes it was my recovery week so the time commitment wasn't as intense - Thank God! But the fact that I got up early on Tuesday morning because I knew that was the only time I would have and on Thursday I made the time at lunch and ran, and on Monday and Wednesday I swam after work too. I really was impressed with myself because I could have very easily let the busyness of last week win and get in the way. I do have to say that morning workouts just aren't for me - that Tuesday morning just about killed me! However, on Thursday I was exceptionally proud of myself because I didn't want to run, well that's a lie, I wasn't really thrilled nor in the mood to exercise period but at the same time did - not sure how to explain that one. Anyway, my point is that I got downstairs and changed and put a smile on my face, I told myself that I wanted to run, I turned the music up loud while running and sang out loud, yes I really did sing out loud while running, I looked up at the beautiful sunshine and just took it all in. Before I knew it I had finished my 2 miles and was happy and glad I did it. I tricked myself into enjoying my run, into just being in a good mood and it worked! I loved every minute of it! :)

This week is back to the grind. Today I have a 4 mile run and I have already found a route around my work. Last time I had to do 4 miles around here I picked a route that I won't do again. This time I am sticking around the area that I know and know has large shoulders so I feel safe while running. Here is my schedule this week:

• Monday: Stretching & Strength
• Tuesday: 4 miles
• Wednesday: 40 minutes swim
• Thursday: 3 miles & strength
• Friday: Rest
• Saturday: 6 miles
• Sunday: 50 minutes swim

Here goes nothing - definitely can't lie, I am nervous about Saturday! I will just have to go out and do it. Like my boyfriend tells me - You can do it you know you can! :)

Interesting Day

So far today has been interesting. It started with my alarm going off at 5:45 AM - yes I know I don't do mornings and I think I cried and died a little when I heard it go off - to go for a run. I was talking to my boyfriend last night about how today was going to be soo busy and that my normal time of 4-5pm workout on Tuesdays wasn't going to happen because I was giving a presentation from 3:30-5.  Then I couldn't do it during lunch because we had a company BBQ Grill Out and I didn't want to be anti-social and skip it to work out, and finally couldn't do it after work because I have to be at a work dinner at 6:30 and can't be late to this one. Therefore, the only time was before work and I HATE the idea of working out on the mornings. He simply just told me that obviously it was a priority of mine because I was concerned of when I would going to get it in, so if it is a priority then make it a priority and get up and get it done if that is the only time. Thanks babe!

I got up this morning slowly, got changed and out the door I went. It was only 2 miles and I think that also helped getting be out the door because if it was like 5 I think I would have turned that alarm off and rolled over, no joke. The bad part was that I was still asleep when I tried to work out which doesn't typically work. Then because I was asleep I didn't realize I didn't even stretch until I took off running and my calves lit up on fire immediately. Oops! Next I hadn't eaten anything so I was hungry and didn't really have any fuel, and finally I had to go to the bathroom which is not fun when you are running. All in all wasn't the great nor fastest run by any stretch of the imagination, but I did it - 0.25 warm-up, 2 mile run, and just a tad over 0.25 warm-down.

The good news is I don't have to worry about it now today, stress out about trying to find time, it's already taken care of and done. Now that doesn't mean that I am going to start working out in the mornings, UMM NO! I really enjoy working out during my lunch hour, it is soooo much better for me. Everyone operates better at different times and I am not a morning person at all!!! Now the problem is I am sooo tired today. I am not kidding - I feel like I got rolled over with a steam roller. I think if I closed my eyes for longer than a second I would probably fall asleep. Oh well I guess, there are worse things in life. Tonight after my work dinner I am headed home and off to bed early!

On a good note, I am finally getting my feel for the water back! I only swim twice a week so it has taken a bit for me to feel comfortable in the water again. I had to swim last night so at 5pm on the dot I jumped into my car and headed to the YMCA. We had a dinner at 6:30, but since we had a private room it was okay to be a tad late and my boss knew I would be. I was in the water by 5:27 and needed to swim 35-40 minutes. I figured 40 minutes put me at 6:07, hope out fast shower and change and since the restaurant was 5-8 minutes down the road I should be right in on time, 5 minutes late at most. Well I got swimming and felt great and created a main set in my head, IM work yesterday, but didn't really think it through and at 40 minutes I still had a bit left and said screw it I feel great I am finishing. I ended up swimming 50 minutes and did 2,600 yards! That's 12 minutes longer and 600 yards more than I have done previous. YAY ME! It felt great and I was happy I did it all. :)

Well tomorrow is a swim again, thankfully!

Crazy Week Ahead

Okay this is going to be a CRAZY week! There is all these people in for training at my company and I will be participating in some of it too. Basically I hope to write as much as possible but it will not be as routine as normal. It might be at different times, or no at all that day, I will do my best.

Thankfully this is my recovery week - YAY! - so the time commitment isn't as long as it has been lately and will become more as the weeks go on and I get closer to the Gate Rive Run. Tomorrow I am actually going to have to get up really early and go for a run in the morning because there really isn't any other time to do it! We don't get done until 5 and I know I will have to help clean up a bit and then my department is sponsoring dinner with the trainees at 6:30 and the restaurant we choose they won't seat our group until the whole party is there so trying to clean up the day, run and clean up myself in an hour and and half is just not feasible with a sane mind so looks like the alarm is going off early tomorrow - yippie! BLAH! Can't you tell I am excited?! haha!

By the way if you haven't already checked out my post yesterday - "It was a SUCCESS!!" - make sure you do so you can see how I did this weekend at my 5 mile race! :) Now all eyes are on March 10th for my 15K! Definitely nervous but in a good way and I have 6 weeks until it so I know that I will be prepared.

Have a good Monday and I will talk to you soon! :)

It was a SUCCESS!!

This weekend was a success! Saturday I completed my 1st ever 5 mile run - I have never run that far in my entire life! My goal was to go under 49 minutes and I successfully completed it in 49 minutes and 25 seconds. No it wasn't under 49 minutes but I was 26 seconds from doing that and you know what, in my book Saturday was a WIN in my book. I did something I have never done, and didn't ever really think I could do honestly. I am NOT a runner, I DON'T like running, it DOESN'T come easily to me but I am working hard and have set a goal and created a challenge and am sticking to it, I AM GOING to complete a 15K!

Saturday I proved something to myself that I haven't done in a long time, I can still race myself, I can still set competitive goals for myself and I can still push myself to do things I didn't think were possible for me! I ran 5 miles in 49 minutes and 25 seconds and I will shout it to the world as I am so proud and happy about my accomplishment! :)