Sunday Wrap Up

I figure part of sharing my journey is also being accountable, so here is the wrap up for the week.

Monday: Ran 3.1 miles
Tuesday: Ran 3 miles
Wednesday: Yoga (at home)
Thursday: Ran 3.01 miles
Friday: Ran 5.01 miles
Saturday: Rest day, Outlet and grocery shopping with hubby

I weighed in on Wednesday this week and was down 1.5 lbs.  That was exciting because it was the first time weighing in under 160 lbs.  However; with birthday and anniversary celebrations in the days following, I will probably be back over 160 next week. At least I know its possible.  Hope you've had a great week too!

Friday Faves

Fuzzy Socks! Nope, nothing to do with fitness, but I firmly believe they are one of the best things in the whole world. You can never have too many. Some are better than others. Old Navy are some of my favorite and they sell them cheap at least once during the Christmas season, which happens to be the best time to stock up on these lovelies. They are so soft and cozy. They are one of the best parts of the evening. If you are a lady and getting a Christmas gift, sometimes birthday or baby gift from me, you can pretty much count on getting a pair of fuzzy socks. If you don't have any, go get some. You may be able to find some on clearance since spring merchandise is coming in. You won't be sorry! :)

The right thing at the right time

I'm sure any of you who have, at any point, tried to or succeeded at losing weight know there are days of frustration that come with the process. I've been having some of those days of frustration lately. Sometimes, I'm tired of having to be so careful about what I eat, sometimes I just don't want to get off the couch and run. Sometimes, I'm just plain tired. I've been tired recently. It starts to make you wonder why you're doing this at all. Obviously, I can look in the mirror or my closet and see why I'm doing this. I can appreciate the fact that I'm able to run at all is it's own reason for doing this, but hard as it is to imagine, its easier to forget than you might think.

My first "right thing" this week came as a result of Sunday's church message. Which you should definitely check out here. At any rate, the point of the message was about pursuing holiness in marriage, and one of the major points was that husbands should pursue their wives. He instructed the men to go out Monday and buy flowers for their wives. My husband, knowing I've been looking into a small camelbak for my longer runs that are coming up, surprised me with one of them instead of flowers yesterday afternoon. Totally made my day. It said to me that he believes I can take on those long runs even when I'm sometimes not so sure.

My second right thing happened last evening. I'm participating in a weight loss challenge put on by one of our local personal trainers, and I go to a workout class there every Tuesday night. Last night, I was having one of those "I still see the fat girl" kind of nights. Which was a little strange, because I was feeling good going in and weighed in with a good loss, but while working out in front of the mirror, all I could see was all the things that are still not where I want them to be. As I was leaving, as I was walking out with one of the other girls, she mentioned that she had squeezed her car in kind of close to mine, but felt like it was ok because she was parked next to someone skinny. I, of course, scoffed at the suggestion that I was skinny, and she made eye contact with me and said hey, you have to know that when I met you (we met during this program), I never saw you as someone who was fat and lost a lot of weight (she has since seen my before pictures). She said I had never looked that way to her, and even though she knows I still see the fat girl, that's not who other people see. Wow! If there hadn't been a car between us, I think I would have hugged her on the spot. I just have to believe that the Holy Spirit gave her those words. They were so exactly what I needed to hear.

Don't get my wrong, I'm still tired today,(Have I ever mentioned how much I hate time change?), but my hope is renewed, and I feel like I can keep going. There are still going to be some difficult days, and this week may be a bit tough. We'll be going out for both my husband's birthday and our 18 year anniversary this week, so there will be a couple of blips in my diet. Its ok though. I'm not going to stop celebrating the good things in life. It took a lot more than 2 meals to put me at that previous 243 lbs, and 2 meals won't put me back there.

I think my real point here, though, is that God is so good. He knew exactly what I needed and gave it to me exactly when I needed it. How great is that?

Friday Faves

If you run, bike, hike or do anything outdoors, I think these are a fantastic idea. You can read tons of testimonials on their website. I have the Road id slim, and love it. I wear mine all the time. Fortunately, I've not yet needed it, and hope that I never will, but it makes me feel safer. There are many styles available from bracelets, to shoe ids or dog tags. I have my name and date of birth along with the fact that I'm asthmatic on mine with phone numbers for my husband and mom. A few months ago, I was nearly hit by a car on one of my runs, and decided I needed to have some kind of id. I do run with my phone, but there is a good chance that would be broken in an accident. I would hate to be taken to the hospital unconscious as a Jane Doe. I'm seriously considering getting them for my whole family for use at the beach.


If you have an iphone, Road id also has an app available. At the beginning of my run, I invite a contact (or several) to be able to track my run. The app then leaves "ecrumbs" during my run. It will send an alert if I'm stationary for 5 minutes. Also, a great idea in my opinion. If you are a first responder, be sure to follow that link in the navigation bar on the left side of their website. You can get any id for $10 once they've verified your status as a first responder. My experience with their customer service has been great as well. I've included the link above if you'd like to check them out.


Happy Friday!

Renewed and Refreshed!

I was away on a girls weekend this past week.  A few friends and I rented a lake house where we just hung out together. We do them twice a year, and I enjoy them so much.  We take turns cooking the meals and all pitch in to clean up.  Our primary activities are sitting on the deck watching the water, eating brie, and watching girly movies.  Often, we each bring any projects we are working on (Scrapbooking, basket weaving, etc.)  This time, one of my good friends, who knew I wanted to learn to crochet, brought me a bag of supplies and helped me get started.  The cabin we stayed in this time had no internet access, which turned out to be such a blessing.  It was a great time of disconnect from all the electronics that sometimes seem to rule our lives.  I love getting to gather with these Godly women and just pour into and encourage each other.  It awakens such a spirit of gratitude and peace.  Its also a blessing to have husbands and families willing to make the sacrifice of allowing us to do this twice a year.

The area was far more hilly than what I'm used to, but I put in my longest run/walk ever (5 miles) on Saturday and logged 11 miles over the weekend.  The weather was so perfect! I'm hoping my regular runs on the flatter ground I'm used to will be super easy this week.  We'll see :) Even with having to walk frequently, though, it was encouraging to put in that kind of distance.  It makes my goals seem more achievable. 

Hope you had a wonderful a weekend as I did!

Some Like it Hot!

Yoga, that is.  My sister introduced me to hot yoga, and I love it!  I find it both invigorating and relaxing at the same time.  I like yoga in my living room too, but hot is my favorite. The room is typically heated to 90-105 degrees with humidity added.  There are many conflicting opinions on the subject, so I encourage you to do some research before deciding to try it. Those on the pro side say that the sweat helps detoxify you and the heat loosens your muscles and helps prevent injury. The cons say there is no science to support those claims and that some teachers are pushing students too far or discouraging water drinking during class.  I've been to a couple of different studio, as has my sister, and we've not experienced these kind of teachers, but I don't doubt they may be out there.  If you decide to try it, be sure to drink plenty of water before class.  You'll want to be hydrated.  I also take my water into class and sip as needed.  You'll want to drink lots of water afterward too.  You will want to take a towel to cover your mat. If you don't have a mat, most studios will have some for rent at a nominal charge.  You can use a regular beach towel, but if you practice regularly, you may want to invest in one made specifically for the purpose, like a yogitoes. Your mat can get very slippery when you start sweating.  A hand towel can be useful too.  I've taken classes in the morning, afternoon, and evening.  I personally, prefer the afternoon classes, but it can be a beautiful way to start your day too. Namaste.

Run!

I'm not going to pretend that running is for everyone.  Its definitely not, and you need to find what you enjoy.  What feels like play.  Running really doesn't come easy for me, and sometimes its truly a struggle, but I love it. 

Growing up, I was severely asthmatic.  I mean breathing treatments daily severe.  We lived in a house with a moldy basement, mold being my absolute worst allergy, and couldn't afford to move.  Understandably, after rushing me to the emergency room numerous times and seeing me spend at least a week per year in the hospital, my mom was afraid to let me do a lot of things.  Running being somewhere near the top of her list.  She wrote me excuses out of any PE class that was going to involve running, but I always wanted to run.  My sister ran track and my high school boyfriend ran cross country, and I always just wanted to do it too.  Even as an adult, I've driven by runners and thought, "I wish I could do that."  After losing 50 pounds and getting my asthma truly under control, I decided I was going to. 

I started a couch to 5K program which starts you our very gradually. I completed several 5Ks last year, though none of them without having to walk a few minutes.  I'm still struggling a little with the 3 miles, and often have to walk a minute or so of my run.  My biggest problem is pace.  Starting out too fast doesn't allow me to increase my distance the way I'd like, but I can't get that message to sync up with my feet. There are other days that feel so natural and so free that I never want to stop.  Those are the days that keep me going. Sometimes, its really frustrating for me, but I have to stop and look at where I've come from.  A little over a year ago, I was struggling with running 10 minutes without stopping.  Now I'm doing 2 1/2 to 3 miles 3 times a week.  That's progress. I'm grateful for every mile God allows me to put in because there was a time I thought I'd never get to do it at all.

My goals for this year are to run a 10K in September and a 1/2 marathon in either November or January.  Those feel like some pretty lofty goals for the former fat girl who couldn't jog a 5 minute interval, but every day is a new opportunity for progress.  I'll keep you posted on how its going.