Upcoming Races

At the end of last year, I decided to do a 1,000 mile challenge for the year 2016.  I figured up that if I ran everyday and only ran the minimum amount that I needed to for the day, I would only need to run 2.7 miles every day. This isn't including my training runs for any upcoming races.  I have a 15K coming up next month.  This one is the Hot Chocolate one that I have been wanting to do. The next race is the Special Kids 15K in March and then the Oak Barrel Half Marathon.

So I will be getting in several runs in the next few months that will be a majority of the miles for this challenge.  I am planning on registering for the Middle Half when it opens up in June.  If I am able to run this race it will be 3 years since the last time that I ran this race.  I am almost wanting a redemption at this race.  I didn't have a good experience the first and only time that I ran this race. Around mile 7 or 8, my ankle needed to pop and I couldn't get it to pop for the life of me.  I was doing great and then this happened.  I was so disappointed. So I want to redeem myself and proof that I can do it.  Anyone else feel that way about certain races?

I have never did the Hot Chocolate 15K before so I am hoping that it is a good race.  The race medal is awesome looking and you also receive a pull over. One of the reasons that I am wanting to do this race.  It is all about the goodies that you can get. :) The Special Kids 15K race I did a few years ago and it was a really good race. This is a flat a course and at each mile marker they have a picture of a child that has a special need.  It hits home for me because I run for a little boy that has Down Syndrome and I want to run this race for him. I dedicate all my runs or workouts to him but to me this one will be extra special.

Oak Barrel Half has been one of the best half marathons that I have done.  Minus Whiskey Hill that is.  It is put on by the local running club that I do a weekly run with. They have Gatorade at each water stop. It is extremely well put together and I would recommend anyone that is looking for a good half marathon to consider doing this one.  Up until the Zooma Half Marathon that I did in November, this was my best half marathon.  We will see what this one will hold.  Hoping for good results at this one.

Is there any races that you are looking forward to doing? What was your experience at these?  Please share your experiences.  I would love to hear them.

5 Years in the Making

February 28 of this year will be five years that I decided it was time to change my life. I wasn't being the best mom or wife that I could be. My kids would ask me to go play and I could barely play ten minutes. And that was if I was lucky.

I remember that I didn't realize how bad I let myself get until I was getting fitted to be in a wedding. I remember getting measured for my hips and butt which was 48 inches! But this is where I wanted to go in my room and just cry. I was measured around my waist and I was 47 1/2 inches!! That is only 1/2 inch from my butt. To be honest, I was devastated. I didn't know where to begin.

A friend of mine posted her before and after pictures. She looked amazing so I asked her what she did to lose the weight. She told me it was Zumba so I looked into our local rec to see if they offered and sure enough they did. I watched a little bit of  a class and I already convinced myself I couldn't do it.

I have done workout videos at home but in a class with a group of people. I just wasn't sure. I wasn't able to finally attend a class for a couple weeks after watching that first class. Before starting exercising, I had been to the doctor for having a headache continuously for a month. Naturally I am thinking worse case scenario but everything turned out good.

It was hard that first night and when I finished my face looked like one of those red delicious apples because it was so red. I woke up that next morning and could barely move. But I didn't give up. I still went back. Every time they offered it, I was there. My kids spent most of their childhood there. Especially my daughter.

When I started, I weighed 194.1 pounds. Today I weigh 146.2. That is a total loss of 47.9 pounds in five years! I have gone up and down during those five years. After all this time though, I have found something that works for me. I have been able to keep the weight off and I am happier than ever.

I tell you this because at first I started exercising for the wrong reasons. In the end, I realized that I needed to do it for me. Now not only do I do Zumba but I also run as well.  I may have started for the wrong reasons but I am continuing for the right reasons. You need to find your reason, your motivation to get you to workout. Whether that is health reasons or whatever the case may be. Find it and use to fuel your workout.

Earlier I mentioned what my measurements were before I started working out. I was measure this morning and I am beyond tickled. I worked my butt off to be where I am at today. My hips were 39 inches and my waist 29! That is a big difference. A 9 inch difference in the hips and a 18 1/2 inch difference in the waist. Even though the progress may be slow, it is still progress. I waited 5 years for those numbers. Keep up the good work and don't give up.

Below is one of my favorite quotes and rings so true for me.

Stick and Stones

I am going to be honest for a moment. This post is going to be hard for me to write considering how the last few years have been and especially the last couple of months. I am going to have to be a little vague on some things and I hope that you will understand my need for privacy at this time.

You have the saying that sticks and stones may broke my bones but words will never hurt me. I believe this is a lie.

I have made some wrong decisions in my life and there is nothing that I can do to change  them. I have learned to be at peace with those decisions. I have also asked for forgiveness from those that I have hurt. I have lost many friends. People that I once was extremely close to have become like strangers to me.

I find myself struggling to carrying on a conversation. Worried that something I may say will be repeated or that it will get misconstrued into something that I never said. How do you ask someone for forgiveness when you aren't sure what you did in the first place? That is where I find myself at tonight.

Apparently I have deeply hurt someone that I couldn't begin to tell you what I have done. In turn, this person has hurt me deeply as well. They have talked about me behind me back and basically feel as though I owe them something. Only wanting to speak to me when it will benefit them.

I have struggled with the fact of whether or not I am a good person. Am I that bad of a person that someone would want say these hurtful things and then just use me? Then I remember that I have a God that loves me. That says that I am worthy. Regardless of my past because He forgives my past. He holds my future.

Does it make easy? Of course not. I am still hurting right now. It will take some time to heal but I also believe that if you have been hurt over and over again, you can only handle so much. It is time to say that my heart has had enough. I can still care about you but we don't have to be friends. I am sorry that I hurt you. Even though you won't give me the opportunity to apologize for something I am not even sure that I did. I truly wish you the best and maybe one day you will realize the hurt that you have caused and the apologies that I tried to give. Despite not fully understanding what I was apologizing for.

I am also faced with another predicament. I have always said that I would rather someone be up front and honest with me than lie to me. I have been faced here recently with two people in particular that have been fake to me. They have talked about me behind my back and when I was struggling at the lowest point in my life, they rallied several people to turn their backs on me as well. It wasn't good enough that they were turning their backs on me but that others did as well.

It is hard to see these people now and know that they have done these things. The fact that they can look me in the face and know deep down that all they have is an image to uphold. I am not the judge of this Earth and it isn't my place to do just that. I have been hurt but my heart has had enough.

The reason that I have opened up to y'all is because I want y'all to know that I am not perfect. No one is. I don't want to turn into these people that have been hurtful to me. I want to be the bigger person so I am asking you to hold me accountable. Below is a pic that describe the way my heart is feeling right now. Until next time. :)

Resolutions and Goals

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope that y'all had a great Christmas and New Year celebration with your friends and families. As most people do, I have sat back some today when I haven't been busy to think about 2015.

A lot has changed but for the better. My relationship with my husband which was pretty rocky last year for various reasons is doing 1,000 times better now. I had a pretty big scare in March with my kids but so very thankful that God spared them the heartache they could have experienced. I was going up and down in my weight and finally put my foot down and said enough is enough. Brad and I have found a lifestyle change that works for both of us. Ending the year, I lost 22 pounds from April when I got to be my heaviest since starting to workout and Brad lost 20 pounds.

Now with the new year upon us we have made a few New Year's resolutions or goals. I personally would rather say goals than resolutions but it is personal preference. Brad would like to continue losing weight and get closer to his goal weight. I have a few that are fitness related and several that are not. They are as follows:

1. I would like to get closer to God. I have lost my way in the last couple of years and I want to find my way back. We are going to start going to a young adult ministry at church.

2. I would like to be at my goal weight.  I only have 13 more pounds to go but those last few pounds are always the hardest to get off.

3. I would like to achieve a 2:15 or better half marathon. Right now I only have 1 half marathon on the books but a couple of 15k's and a 5k.

4. I want to be a better mother to my children. Something I know that I won't achieve in just one year and this will be a continuous goal for me.

5. I want to better wife to my husband. I have definitely slacked and Brad deserves so much better.  I know that with God's help I can accomplish this.

6. Last but not least, I would like to run 1,000 miles in 2016. I have figured this up and it will 2.7 miles if I run every day. Something I can't do because of my knees but I will complete this for my running buddy Henry.

I am sure as the year goes on that I will be adding more to these. It helps to keep me focused. This morning I started on one of my goals. I knocked off 5 miles with a group of people for a New Year's morning fun run. There was a 3 & 5 mile option. I will be beginning training for my 7th half marathon in April so I chose to do the 5 mile route. I ran with friends I haven't ran with in a while and friends that I run with at least once a month. It was nice to get together.

The picture below is a picture of the whole group. The picture is courtesy of my friend Joyce, her husband took this picture. We had about 40 people run and it was an awesome way to start off the New Year. What are your resolutions and/or goals for this year?

Weigh in: 12-12-15

Well guys I do apologize that I have been a little behind on the weight loss updates.  We have been extremely busy with the kids and the last minute Christmas shopping that needs to be done.  We went today to get the last present for our son.  We also found a store in the next town over that sells gaming consoles that will take games that are for Sega Genesis, Nintendo and Super Nintendo.  Let's just say that I was like a little kid on Christmas morning or in a candy store.  I was in awe of all the games.  I was definitely taking a trip down memory lane.  I can't wait for Christmas because I will be getting one of those gaming consoles and a Tetris game!!!

Let's get back on track.  I was just so excited about my Christmas present that I had to share it with y'all. The past few weeks Brad hasn't lost any weight but he hasn't gained any either.  He has been breaking even.  As I have mentioned in previous posts, this time of year is always so hard for him.  Work provides different meals for the entire plant and his supervisor provides meals as well.  He has had to turn down food that he normally wouldn't have.  It is so hard to say no when you still can remember the way that it tasted. He is just wanting to get through the holidays without gaining any weight or as little as possible if he is going to gain.

I have done pretty good this week.  I have lost 1.8 pounds since last week.  I have 9 pounds before I reach my goal weight.  I have also had several NSV which are non-scale victories.  I have never been able to run in shorts.  My inner thighs would always rub together and I would end up chafing really bad.  The first half marathon that I ran I wore shorts.  I remember around mile 3 that I forgot to put anti-chafing cream on and I still had 10 miles to go.  I was constantly pulling my shorts down and by the time I crossed the finish line, I was in pain.  Not only from running 13.1 miles but because I had rubbed my inner thighs raw.  I cried when I took a shower and I had to tape gauze around the raw areas just to put on pants.

I am telling you all this because this morning I was able to run 3 miles in shorts!!  I have never been able to do that and I didn't have any issues with my legs rubbing together.  Score!! My second NSV is that I can wear a pair of pants that I haven't worn since high school.  They are a 7 in juniors!!  I am beyond excited.  I have worked hard to get where I am at and I am finally liking the person that is looking back at me in the mirror.

In the picture above, Brad is looking awesome!!  I couldn't be more proud of the way that he is sticking to this.  Even though he hasn't lost any weight in the last few weeks, he isn't giving up.  The pants that I am wearing in the picture are my size 7.  I am beginning to really see a difference.  Next time I blog, I will be posting a side by side picture of when I actually started working out. Until next time.

Weigh in 11/28/15

First, I would like to apologize for the delay in writing a post for our weigh in. I didn't write for two reasons. One we were so busy on the 28th that I just didn't have time and two that is when Thanksgiving for my in laws was going to be. I wanted to spend time with family and I didn't want to be rude with other family members there. I have made such a cautious effort to not let my kids on any electronic devices during family get togethers because before you know it the people that you love will be gone. What will you have to show for it? Absolutely nothing. No memories. So that is why I am behind on my weigh in blogs.

I just recently wrote a post for my race that I did on the 28th called the Running of the Turkeys. I did the 10k and most of the time after a run I will do Zumba but I didn't this time because there were no classes being offered due to the holiday weekend. 

It was a little rough for Brad because he had his work Thanksgiving meal on what was suppose to be a low carb day. He did good and didn't eat many carbs. He lost .4 pounds and I am very proud of him. It wasn't a big loss but a loss is a loss. Below is a pic of him. 

He is beginning to notice changes himself and I can definitely tell a difference.

I lost .4 pounds this week as well. Which isn't bad at all. To be honest, I have been snacking on some of the kids Halloween candy more than I should so losing some was definitely a plus. Below is my weekly picture.

I don't have much more to lose before I will be at my goal weight. Something I wasn't sure that I would ever see but will definitely be welcoming. 

Thanks for following our journey. I will be updating you on our progress for this past week soon.

Running of the Turkeys

Every year after Thanksgiving, the local rec hosts a 5k/10k run/walk. I usually try to do this race every year, if I have nothing planned. This year I had planned to do the race with my son. He was wanting to earn his own shirt and he was going to do the 5k.

Unfortunately he changed his mind due to someone saying something to him about his pace. I kept trying to talk him into doing it because he was so excited in the beginning. I waited till the last day to register to be guaranteed a shirt and he still didn't want to do it. So I registered for the 10k and made him promise me that him and his sister would run across the finish line with me. This is one of the best things about local races.

As race day approached, I will admit that I was a little nervous. Which isn't uncommon for me but I think that it had more to do with my goal. Before every race, I always set a goal finish time. For this particular race, I wanted to finish it in less than an hour. This has been a goal of mine for a 10k for almost four years. Mainly because when I first started running it took me an hour to run five miles. While there is nothing wrong with that, I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. That I could work hard and cross that finish line in under an hour.

Race day was finally here and I was ready to go pick up my bib number to head to the start line. I had my husband with me camera in hand and my kids following a little bit behind us. Questioning everything that we did.

For this particular race, I chose to run without music for two reasons. One it was raining and I didn't want my phone to get wet since that is what I use for music and I have just gotten use to running without it. Two I just wanted to enjoy the run. Not worry about what song was on. Just simply enjoy myself.

I approached the start line and listened to the pre-race instructions. Then we were off. I will admit that I took off entirely too fast. My pace for at least a tenth of a mile or more was between 7:30-8:30 minute mile. A pace that I am not use to running for that long of a distance. It took a little bit but I was finally able to get my pace steady. When I came to the first water stop, I stayed there a little longer than I should have which added a little bit of time to my overall pace.

For a little bit, I ended up running next to a teenage girl that I would learn after the race to be 13. She is an amazing runner. A friend of hers told her that she was the second female overall for the 10k so she gave me one quick look and took off. After that, she was at least a minute maybe a little less ahead of me. By the time I came around to the water stop again, I didn't have to stop because I wouldn't have met my goal and I was so very close. My legs were starting to hurt and I remembered the quote below.

I set out to run a 10k in under an hour and I wasn't finished yet. So I kept on and before I knew it I had the finish line in sight. That same girl was still ahead of me and beat me by 50 seconds or so. That is ok but I soon realized that I was going to finally meet my goal. Plus my kids were going to run and meet me.

The picture above was right after the kids ran up to me. Yes I could have sprinted to that finish line and shaved a few more seconds. Although that idea is nice, this is what it is all about. Making memories and what is better than making memories with your kids.

This picture right here is one of my favorites. You can see the smile on my son's face but I hate that you can't see my daughter's face. To make sure that we got the timing right, I had a small "window" to run through and it blocked her. :( Considering the way that my son is smiling I will take it.

My official time was 59:34!! Every other 10k was over an hour so I got to PR and run across that finish line with the kids. Can't get much better than that. What is one of your favorite races and why?