It's been a really busy week. I have done my training with Tye 3 days and each of those days he has tortured the muscles in my body and made me oh so achy!! And then Jake followed up with the torture on his 2 days. I am pretty convinced that I might not be able to get out of the bed tomorrow morning because of muscle failure! LOL! I guess we'll see. I am living on Advil and hoping not to have too much more pain tomorrow. It is a good burn, but I would like to be able to have a couple days that I am not completely sore and worn out. But training has been really amazing and really intense. We are doing some different things that are really challenging and they're pushing me pretty hard. We got great news this week that I am finally at a desirable body fat composition, I am at 24.2 which is pretty awesome!! I started out at 40.2% last December with Tye. So, I am pretty stoked about that!!
Work has been normal lately which is good. Nothing too out of the ordinary going on there. I do have to work this Sunday since it's end of the month. But no worries, it won't take me too very long to get everything done.
I have been spending some of my "free time" (LOL!) working on my newest project....a book. Yep, I am writing a book. I had my dearest friend, Leigh, proof my first attempt at an introduction. Her feedback was that it was pretty good. There were a couple of things that needed some work and it needs to be fleshed out a bit more, but it's definitely going in the right direction which thrills me!! I even got a decent start on one of my chapters. So, it's definitely in the works!!!
Also, I have been making plans for my 100-lb party on July 11. I am pretty excited to have everyone over and honor the work that I have been doing with Tye and Jake. I am not sure how many people will actually be there but I have sent out a ton of invitations. The part I am most excited about is that we are asking our guests to bring a donation for the Harvest Hope Food Bank. We are hoping that we will be able to donate 100 or more pounds of food to them. I just loved the idea of giving something back to our community while we celebrating my accomplishment! And you all know that I love to have an excuse to entertain and have people over!! I can't wait for the party!! We're grilling out and it's going to be simple stuff but it's going to be great to see all of our friends and spend time with them!!
And I am working out some details with my friend Jess to get some 100-lb photos done. I was able to go shopping today which I have to admit was a ton of fun!! I love trying on cute little outfits from the Misses' department! It's so awesome that I don't have to shop in the plus-size department anymore!! I have worked so hard and it's still a bit unreal that the body I see in the mirror is really mine. Now, it's not perfect and it's not quite where I want to be yet, but I am pretty psyched about how it's going!! Anyways my shopping trip was fun because I needed to choose outfits for my photo shoot and then we can pick the backdrop. I think we are going to do two different sets...one at a local park and then one at the beach in a couple of weeks. I like the idea of having different scenery in it. And Jess is such an amazing photographer I know they are going to be awesome!! Can't wait to see what she comes up with. She has an amazing eye for getting great shots!!
Other than that, Jason has been working tons of late nights. So, I am having to steal precious moments with him. Last night, we had date night. We had dinner out at Olive Garden and then went to see Transformers 2. I thought 2 was much better than the first. I absolutely detested the first one. It's partially due to the fact that it played in cardio cinema repeatedly for a week around Christmas time and it was broken so it played from halfway in the movie to the end and then looped back!! Drove me crazy! I did like this one much better. Jason has a project due out at the end of July. He sprung on me tonight that he may end up traveling again if the company gets a new contract that they are bidding on. He could be traveling again starting in August. I am neither for nor against this. I am just happy that he has a job and is employed. And if it is what God has in store for him to do, then it will work out.
Anyways, time to work on some laundry and watching a movie with Jason now!!
- Location:home
- Mood:
crazy
First of all, I am more energetic and adventurous than I was 100 pounds ago. I went kayaking this week. I have never been before and 100 pounds ago I am pretty sure that I would have sunk the kayak! But I truly enjoyed it and I hope to do it again soon!!! I also enjoy being outside more and doing athletic things. It's strange because I have never been athletic and that I actually enjoy running (or at least the feeling afterwards). I like exercise which is definitely odd because I have always detested it before, but now I truly enjoy it.
Second of all, I have a much better attitude about things. I am much more positive than I used to be. I try to focus on happier things for the most part. I still have down moments just like everyone else. However, I try to keep my head up.
Also, I no longer have to shop in the plus-size department. I honestly have no idea when the last time I was able to shop in the Misses department was....probably high school. Today I purchased 3 dresses from the Misses department at Belk's. It was a very gratifying feeling to know that I was finally able to buy regular size clothing.
And I have a much better idea about what it isto eat right and exercise. I have learned a lot about my body in this process. I am capable of a whole lot more than I ever thought possible.
I am so thankful for all of the help God has given me on this journey. He has given me the most amazing strength and willpower throughout this journey. He has guided me every step and provided everything that I have needed to accomplish this. I love You Father God and I am so thankful for ALL the many things You have done for me!!
- Location:home
- Mood:
ecstatic - Music:I Am Free by Newsboys
Well, it's been another crazy week here at our household. So much craziness, in fact, that I am just now getting around to blogging about my week :) How's that for crazy :) LOL!!! And for me crazy is a term which just describes everything good, bad and in between. So, I never classify crazy as negative or positive since it can encompass both things! Anyways, it's been a busy week here!!
Monday, I had training with Tye. We did lower body and it was a pretty good workout. I ended up doing some running on the treadmill. It was just some intervals of jogging and walking. However, my right ankle was not too thrilled about the jogging because apparently I am redistributing my weight as I jog and putting more pressure on it due to my knee injury!! Yikes!!! So, that's not good. I was trying to jog conciously of how I was landing so that I wasn't straining any of my body parts but apparently I was not succeeding as well as I had hoped. What this means is that until my knee is completely healed up, I cannot run. Argh...that really sucks. Now running is like chocolate to me, I can't have it, so I want it more! LOL...who would ever have thought that I would say that!! Too funny! I ran alot of errands and went into work. It was a pretty decent day.
Tuesday, I headed in for fitness coaching with Jake. We did abs. It was a pretty intense workout, as usual. I did not have enough time to do cardio though because the contractors were at our house to install our new bathtub and shower stall. Jason had spent the morning there so I could make my class, so I had to shower at the gym and hurry home to relieve him so he could go to work. It was a long morning/afternoon as I waited for them to finish up. And the smells in the house and the banging created a horrible headache for me!! But luckily they finished up around 2 p.m. So, I had a little bit of time to recover before heading to the gym to either do yoga or cardio that night. I ended up choosing cardio because I had missed it that morning. I talked to Tye as well because I had spoken to the head trainer, Dan, about nutrition and he had given me a lot of information. I admit it was quite overwhelming the changes that he was suggesting and pretty scary. Tye had talked to Dan and agreed with his assessment. And he also instructed me that night that I was not to run again until he told me I could and my knee was healed up. He also told me that my new best friend at the gym was a cardio machine called an Arc Trainer. Here's a pic of my new best friend...
Wednesday morning did not start out too great. Ever since the talk Tye and I had the night before, I had been dwelling on all the changes and just wallowing in a really bad place. I definitely let Satan get a good foothold there and he whispered quite a few things to make me feel average and unworthy and like a failure. So, by the time I got to the gym, I was already a mess. I ran into Dan and asked if he wanted to look at my nutrition since I didn't have it with me the other day. I also said that I wasn't sure I could do this and that it was all a bit overwhelming for me. So, Dan and I spent some time reviewing my nutrition and he showed me how to incorporate some changes that would help to bring about the desired changes in my caloric range, protein, carbs and fats. He also gave me a pep talk and encouraged me quite a bit. I started to warm-up for my training session with Tye and chatted for a few minutes with my friend, Deb. She asked what was going on and I told her how I felt overwhelmed. By the time, it was time to start with Tye, I was close to tears about everything. Tye and I chatted for a few minutes about everything and then he gave me a pep talk and said a lot of things that I really needed to hear for a while now. He encouraged me quite a bit and at one point stopped and told me that at that point, I needed to promise God that I was going to make the most out of that day and make it better than the morning had been. So, I did. I did my cardio on the arc trainer after our training, which was chest and back. Then, I headed out for lunch with Jason. Then, I came home, showered and headed out to use the massage gift certificate that my niece and her husband had given me for petsitting for them. It was a good massage and I definitely felt better that afternoon. Jason and I had dinner and headed to church. Then I spent a good time praying and journaling and it was just what I needed. The day ended up much better than it started!!
Thursday morning, I had pictures taken with Jake. Sorry ladies, but I told him to keep his shirt on for the pic :) Actually, he laughed and asked me if he had to take his shirt off for thepic. He has a very good physique so that would have been a great pic, but I opted for one with the shirt on :) Here's one of the pics...
We did bi's and tri'sfor our fitness coaching. One of Dan's clients ended up joining us because she missed her appointment for training with him and he had a client by the time she came in. Jake has now learned that if I can talk while doing an exercise the weight isn't heavy enough!! Yikes...I laughed and told him it must be time to find a new fitness coach :) It was a great workout and then I headed in to do my cardio on the arc trainer. At this point, I have discovered that the arc trainer is what is responsible for the muscle pain in my inner thigh area! LOL, Tye and I had done the adductor machine (one where the weight is being lifted as you bring your legs together...designed to firm up the thigh area) and I added a ton of weight on that. So, I figured my thighs were unhappy about that. But Thursday, I realized that the arc trainer actually positions my hips at a different angle and the movement forces my legs forward which puts more strain on the inner thigh muscles as well as works the hip flexors a bit. So, hopefully, it's strengthening my hip flexors more!! Thursday afternoon, I did some shopping. I wanted some more shorts and capris for the gym, as well as some cute summer outfits. It was a great shopping trip!! I was able to shop in regular sizes instead of plus sizes and ended up getting a few really super cute outfits that were not plus-sized!! That was a gratifying experience for sure!! Totally not something I was expecting any time soon!! I went to the gym for yoga that night. My regular yoga instructor was out and the sub was not as good. But I got a decent workout in.
Friday, I had training with Tye that morning. We did shoulders and some abs. It was a good workout. At one point though, he told me to run a lap to which I refused because I knew that I would not be able to resist the urge to run on the treadmill later when he was not around. So, I explained to him that it would be similar to giving me one Hershey's kiss...it would awaken a desire and make me crave it more and more, which would not be good since I couldn't have it. We had a great training session. Afterwards, I spent some time with my new best friend, the arc trainer. Then I called Jason and said "Meet me at Monterrey's, it's time for my cheat meal this week!!!" Dan had told me earlier in the week that my carbs needed to be eaten before 3 p.m. and that the only carbs I could have after 3 were veggies. Also that if I had higher carbs after my workout, it would be okay. So, I figured cheat meal after training was a great plan :) I LOVE Mexican food!!! Yummy!!! Then I went to the tanning bed and then headed home. I got showered up and went to work. After work, I headed over to Target for a bit and Gina met me there for a bit to hand me her necklace that I need to add a little bit of length to. Then, I stopped by the gym and gave Kristin her birthday gift and chatted with Sheila about our plans for the night. Sheila and I met up about 7ish for dinner at Copper River Grill. We had a blast!! I totally enjoyed dinner with her and hope we do it again soon!! She is a truly amazing woman!!! I came home after dinner and spent a little time with my hubby before we both went to bed!
Saturday was another busy day. I agreed to not do any cardio on Saturday since my right ankle was unhappy. I was told to take it easy for the weekend and try to rest and ice as much as possible. So, after work, I went to the grocery store and another shopping trip to Target. Then, I took lunch to Tye at the gym. Jason was at his parents doing yard work and was enjoying lunch with them. Then I headed home for a bit and went into work. After work, Jason cooked me dinner while I iced and rest my left knee and right ankle. I finished watching the movie Happy Feet. Then after dinner, we watched the movie, In the Name of the King. Then, it was off to bed! So, it was somewhat of a more restful day for me.
This morning, I slept in a little. Then, I got up and fixed breakfast. Afterwards, we got ready and headed out for church. It was a great service this morning. We chatted for a little while after services. Then, Jason and I went to lunch at McAlister's Deli. This afternoon, he took some pics for me. We are currently at 96.5 pounds lost!! So, I thought it would be fun to take a few pics. Here's my favorite from the pics he took today....
Other than that, I am planning on icing my knee and ankle and trying to rest some this afternoon. Big plans for sure :) Back to all the hard work and busyness again tomorrow :)
- Location:home
- Mood:
busy - Music:Take A Chance on Me from the Mamma Mia! Soundtrack
I saw a link to this on a friend's page and decided to check it out. I love the shirts and the verses they chose for the shirts. Very cool. Check it out some time!!
www.wildolivetees.com/
I am seriously considering get a couple of these! Very cool!!
For the past few weeks, I have been training three times a week with Tye. It's been great and challenging and painful at times; and at times, it's been hard and frustrating. All of that is normal. It's been quite interesting training three times vs. two times a week. I kind of like doing it three times a week because it gives some of my body parts a more intense workout. For example, the week before last, Jason laid his head down on my chest and Tye and I had just worked chest and shoulders (chest one day, shoulders the next). My chest and shoulders were both so very sore. When Jason laid his head down, I nearly through him out of bed...it was painful putting any kind of pressure there. But we worked those muscles hard!!! My upper body workouts have been amazing lately. The lower body workouts tend to be a bit more frustrating because we have to be careful with my knee. So, half of the time I feel weak and incompetent because I cannot do an exercise because it pains my knee.
Also, I am afraid that I am way overcompensating this knee injury and that because I am afraid to do exercises that might cause more pain, it may take longer to get over this! It's irritating to be sure! I told Tye today that I had some really mixed feelings because I am not sure if I am scared or just wimping out. I do try the exercises to see if they hurt my knee and I usually do as many of them as I can comfortably. I also think that I push myself a bit further past comfortable on occasion because I don't want to limit what I am capable of doing. So, Tye and I are figuring out what does and what does not hurt my knee and we are doing things that don't put as much stress on it. And I am behaving and wearing a compression bandage if I am going to be on it for long and icing and elevating it a couple times a day.
Last week I totally enjoyed one particular cardio day that I had after training. Tye had me doing intervals on the treadmill....running for 1 minute and walking for 2 minutes for 45 minutes. It was freakin' intense and I loved it!! It didn't bother my knee too terribly, but that was probably because I adjusted my weight slightly and it bothered my ankle a bit. Ugh!! So, now I am trying to slowly get my body back in working form! Today, I did the butt machine (stair stepper) for 15 minutes, rode the bike for 15 minutes and did intervals on the treadmill for 30 minutes. For some reason I just NEEDED to run today. I can't explain it. I have never been one to like or enjoy or crave running, but today I needed to run. So, I did. As I ran I tried to make sure to be conscious of how I was running and to make sure I wasn't overcompensating and putting too much weight on any of the other joints or body parts. And I decided for safety sake to not only ice the knee but also to ice the ankle. So far, it doesn't feel too terrible. We'll see. I may keep this up for a little while and see if I can slowly get the knee to not be so irritated by running. If for any reason I start having pain, I will stop all running, no questions.
Other than that, Jake and I have basically been focusing on biceps, triceps and abs. We didn't do abs last week, but we'll probably hit them hard this week. He definitely hit the biceps pretty hard last Thursday. At one point, I didn't think i was going to be able to lift the weight that he gave me and I know he had to "help" me quite a bit more than usual. So, that was a weird day.
I definitely feel like I am getting stronger. Well, at least, some days I do!! I know that my right side is my stronger side of my body. No surprise there since I am right-handed. But all of this training is getting me in much better shape. I have more endurance and more stamina than I used to. I am lifting heavier than I used to be able to. It's all been quite beneficial. I don't compete with anyone except myself and as long as I am able to do more than I used to be able to do, I feel like I am succeeding!!
What is the future holding for training? We are switching back to twice a week with fitness coaching twice a week. I am still trying to do yoga twice a week. I am making a goal for myself to get cardio in 5-6 days a week. Things are going pretty well. I am pretty happy with how things are going. As soon as my knee is back to 100%, things will be even better!!
I am totally enjoying this place and this time in my life. Things are not perfect, but things are pretty great. There are challenges and there are opportunities. Life is good!!
- Location:home
- Mood: content
- Music:All That Matters by Addison Road
I get that I was raised in a culture of getting what you want the way you want it and when you want it. It's why we have fast food, credit cards, etc. It's why our nation is having issues with their weight and the money and so much more. But I try very hard to be more patient. So,why is this such a struggle for me? Twice this week I have had to apologize for losing my patience with two people I love very much. Earlier this week, Tye got more than a little grief for something I may normally have just joked about with him. I crossed the line from giving him grief to being a royal *itch. So, yep, I ended up having to apologize to him. I feel horrible about it. It wasn't really intentional but it happened and I am irritated that I did it. Then, there's this morning, I lost my patience with Jason and we got into an argument. Actually for most of it, I was arguing with myself and crying. Now, yep, I got raging hormones, but this was over the edge. So, I had to apologize to him too. I am not even sure how I ended up over the edge this morning. There are many factors that I could blame...hormones, lack of sleep, mental exhaustion, etc. But the truth is that I just lost my patience and my cool and became someone I don't want to be.
What's really cool is that God used this to teach me a lesson and give me a good reminder! Here's my reminder...love IS PATIENT! Yep, both Tye and Jason showed me a great deal of patience and love in the way they dealt with this. They both were loving and gracious to me in my horribleness. So, that's pretty humbling to know that even when I was being quite a witch, these two Godly men showed me love and patience. The lesson is that if I am that close to the edge that I can let little things blow up into bigger things, then I need to go back to Him and recharge. I need to be on my knees, praying to the One who gives us patience and love and peace and so much more. Instead, I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off, just flopping around and going in no real direction. Which is better? Recharging and refocusing or being directionless and overly irritable?
So, in the midst of all my craziness, I am going to take some time to be with Him. I am going to recharge and regroup and come back from this a better person. I am going to try desperately to be more patient and as long as I have Him with me, it's possible. We know I can't do it all on my own.
And this knee injury...well, I am just going to keep on rehabbing it slowly and letting it heal up like it should. I am going to do my best to not aggravate and make it worse or injure anything else. Even if that means it's trying my patience or driving me insane. I am, however, grateful for the lesson and the reminder. My God is so amazing!!
- Location:home
- Mood: calm
- Music:Coming Home by Building 429
So in keeping with my super busy schedule, here's what I have been up to...
Working. I have been trying to keep the accounting work at Staples done every couple of days so that it doesn't pile up. It usually works well, but occasionally I suffer from not scheduling my day very efficiently and then I am just tired from trying to rush to get it all done!!
Training...this was my first of doing three training and two fitness coaching a week. My body is achy today and in a good way. I am suffering from a small lack of motivation. I am tired and frankly, right now I don't care. So, right now I am working hard to get my motivation back. I think my problems with my knee are frustrating me and killing a bit of my motivation. Not to mention, my schedule has been a bit out of whack lately. So, hopefully, we'll get my schedule all straight and my knee all healed up and then we will be back on track. Training three times this week was a bit crazy. It's hard when my motivation is slipping. I got irritated on Wednesday because my blood sugar has been crazy this week and it dropped during training...I almost puked and almost passed out. I pushed myself too hard because I have been whiny lately and Tye kept teasing me about being whiny. I was really sensitive about it and of course I wanted to prove that I am not whiny. And all I proved is that I am just crazy...I need to pay closer attention to what my body is telling me. Whiny or not, I knew that my blood sugar was out of whack and I should not have tried to push myself too hard. So, I made a very concerted effort on Friday and Saturday to not be whiny. It worked pretty well, but I can tell that my time off has caused some muscle loss and weakness. In a way, I feel like I am starting all over again and that's pretty sad! And my cardio time lately has been major suckage because I have what I term "Cardio ADD." That's where I can't find a cardio machine that I like to stick with for more than 20 minutes! I am working on getting that resolved too. You'd think after as long as I have been at this, that it would all be so much easier now and that my motivation would not be slipping or lacking. I am not really certain what is causing it...maybe I am just tired, maybe the weight loss that has slowed is driving me crazy or maybe I just feel like I can't possibly go any further. No matter what it is, I am trying desperately to keep things on track. I am pushing myself to continue on. Jake is convinced that it is all in my head. He could be right. Who knows. The truth is no matter what the reason I simply need to get re-motivated and keep on. I am not at goal yet and I just want to get to goal! Let's just hope I can find my motivation this week so that I can get myself back on track!!!
Fun Stuff...Jason and I went to see the new Star Trek. I admit, this is a Star Trek movie that if they decide to do more I could totally get behind. The writing was great but the guys in it were just dreamy :) LOL...I am not overly fond of Shatner as Kirk and that's always been what drove me insane about having to watch the others. But now this new set-up, I found Kirk and Bones both very hunky!! LOL...that's right, put some hunky guys in the movie and I will watch it. It definitely has to have a good plot though and the special effects in this were pretty awesome too! So, there's my two cents on that!
I think the other thing that has me out of sorts is that my house is not as clean as I would like it to be. I have not had the time or the desire to clean my house to my normal standards this week. That's why I wonder if I may just be overtired right now! Hopefully, I can whip this house back into shape tomorrow!!
And Jason has been sick. He had vertigo starting last Sunday. He would feel like he was going to pass out when standing up. The room did not spin for him, but he felt pretty rotten and it happened every 30 seconds to 1 minute when standing and it affected him when seated as well. It got continually worse, so I had to take him to the doctor on Tuesday. I won't name the doctor but I am not ever seeing him again. He was so crazy in his diagnosis and differential that I didn't trust him. Jason's symptoms were worse on Tuesday. In addition to the vertigo, he had nausea. In fact, on the way to the doctor's office, he ended up puking all over the side of my poor car. He puked quite a bit as we crossed the dam. The funny thing to me was that the car behind me (which almost rear-ended me as I tried to slow down while Jason puked out the window) stayed behind me the whole time until I was able to get to a place to pull off. I am sure his car got puked on too. He could easily have moved over and passed. Luckily there were not any walkers while Jason puked on the dam. The doctor took an EKG which wasn't logical. There was no reason to do it...he never even listened to Jason's heart. He simply decided to order the test. What we found out from this guy was that Jason had sinusitis. Seriously, I have been with Jason through sinusitis so many times I have lost count. It doesn't explain the vertigo. So, he prescribed some phenergan for the nausea and augmentin for sinusitis. I was not happy with the diagnosis or the doctor. I ended up calling my preacher who is also a medical doctor. He informed me that Jason had what is called Benign Positional Vertigo. He needed to get some dramamine to help with the motion sickness. I went out and got it and he hasn't had any more vertigo since then. He is still not 100% but he's getting better. He's been having migraines the past couple of days. So, I am glad we have an appointment to see Dr. Rich this week!
Other than that, I am just like Dory in Finding Nemo..."Just keep swimming..."
- Location:home
- Mood: busy
- Music:No One Like You by David Crowder Band
It appears that I have been so busily caught up in my life that I have not had time to blog since May 6th! Insanity!! So, here is what's been going on.
May 7...Tye had surgery on his shoulder. Emily, Nick and I went to the hospital to be there with Tye. We got there a little bit before 8 a.m. They let all three of us stay in the room with Tye while he got prepped for surgery and then waited for his surgeon. He finally went back for surgery around noon and was out of surgery and in recovery around 1:50 p.m. We finally were able to see him around 3 p.m. We ended up taking him back to our house for his first night of recovery. I headed to the pharmacy while Nick, Emily and Jason got Tye situated. We all did the best we could to help him get comfortable and get whatever he needed. Nick spent the night and took care of Tye that night.
May 8...I got up early to take over for Nick who was heading out to work. I spent the day taking care of Tye. It was a good day. He rested most of the morning and we watched movies in the afternoon. Emily came over in the afternoon and we all had dinner together. Nick came over and picked Tye up to take him back to his apartment that night so his guys could help take care of him.
May 9...I got up early and got everything packed up and headed out to VA. I was still very tired but didn't want to delay my trip any longer since Tye was in good hands. Admittedly, I spent a lot of time praying for him during my trip. I made it into VA and enjoyed seeing my family. Mom, Kelsey, Tyler, Trent and I had dinner together. Trent is at an age where he questions things. His first question was "Why do you have long hair?" Most of the women in his life have short hair. I told him it was because Uncle Jason won't let me cut it...it was the easy answer. He brushed my hair off of my shoulders and cupped my face and said "You're so pretty!" Love that little guy!! Enjoyed spending time with the kids and Mom.
May 10...I got up early and headed over to my sister's to see if they were ready to head over to Cracker Barrel. We were heading over to have breakfast together for Mother's Day. Mom and Kelsey headed over and Trent and Tyler wanted to ride with me, so we headed over as well. Kat and Dallas and Trevor were on their way too. We met up with Dallas' parents also and got our table. We enjoyed a nice breakfast together. Afterwards, Trent and Tyler insisted that they wanted to go with me to church. Since I was going to the youth service, I told Kat it was fine with me. I wasn't going to put them in a class and they could stay with me. No worries. She wasn't thrilled about the way they were dressed because they were not dressed in their Sunday clothes (yep...we were raised that you dress up for church). They looked fine and no one thought anything about it. We enjoyed the Oxygen service and I enjoyed getting to see some of my friends. After church, I took the kids to the 7-11 for slurpees where Kat picked them up. I headed back to Mom's and we headed to my brother Jason's. We had dinner with his family and then headed over to my brother, Rhett's. We visited for a little while and then headed back to Mom's. It was long day!! But also a nice one.
May 11...We went shopping and ran errands. It was fun to shop with Mom and Kat. I love being in smaller sizes because I have so many more cute options!! Afterwards, I helped the kids with their homework and fed them and put them all to bed. And the kids made cards for Tye...so sweet!
May 12....I headed down to Newport News for lunch with good friends Dave and Tammy Willis. It was awesome to see them and spend time with them. Honestly, it felt like we had just seen each other a couple of weeks ago. I enjoyed catching up with them. I am hoping to take Jason down to meet them the next time he comes to VA with me. That night, I had dinner with my friend, Cressandra, from high school. It was awesome. I got to meet her family and we had a nice dinner and dessert. Then we went back to her house and talked for hours. It was great!!
May 13...Mom and I headed to town to have lunch with my Aunt Ellie. I love Aunt Ellie. She's an amazing woman and such a blessing. We went to lunch at Longhorn's and then did a bit of shopping. I needed to find a new dress for Tye's graduation. I found two that I liked so I got both since I don't have any dresses in my current size. We had a great visit. Then I watched Kat's kids that afternoon while Kelsey had rehearsal for her dance recital. Then Kat had a board meeting. So, I enjoyed some time with the kids, reading and playing.
May 14...I headed back to Columbia. It was a long drive and I was tired, but I made it back with a little bit of time to spare. I was able to change clothes, pick up dinner and head to the gym for training. Admittedly, it was not the best training session ever. I didn't enjoy it because I was tired and out of routine, diet and exercise. I ended up not being able to do much cardio afterwards because my bloodsugar dropped. So, that was kinda hard and a bit sad and depressing for me. I got to spend some quality time with my hubby that night!
May 15...Crazy, busy day. I agreed to come in to work on my vacation. I spent the day shopping for Tye's graduation gifts. Jess came over and was the tie-breaking vote on my dress for Tye's graduation. I also did laundry and was supposed to hook up with Tye to take some stuff to him for his new place. That didn't end up happening due to scheduling issues, but it was fine. I went over to our niece and nephew-in-law's house to get instructions on feeding the cats and watering the plants while they are out of town. I did some laundry and watched some television and went to bed!
May 16...Went in to work, which was crazy...had 3 days to do and had to get change!! After work, hit the tanning bed for some hydration and tanning. Then I met up with Jason for lunch and we headed over to Tye's new place to take him some stuff and help out. Finally got to meet his brother, Brayden and his parents. I ended up helping him get some stuff cleaned and shampooing carpet in all but two rooms. Then Jason and I grabbed dinner and headed to bed.
May 17...We headed over to Staples around lunch time for a cookout with fellow employees. It was nice. Afterwards, I hit the tanning bed. Then home to get ready for Tye's graduation. It was a great service for graduation. I am so proud of Tye and all that he has accomplished! God has great things in store for him!! After graduation, we took pictures. Then Jason and I headed out for dinner.
And there we go, that's been the past week and a half. Lots going on. But there have been some really amazing things happening. I wish my trip to VA had been longer but hopefully we'll see my family again soon! I think they are coming in June or July to visit. I enjoyed getting to meet Tye's family. He's an amazing guy and his family is pretty awesome too!!
This week is not overbooked which is good. My schedule is undetermined as of yet, but that is always able to change at a moment's notice!! I do know that tomorrow I start back in my routine, no more time off for awhile. I think it was good to take a break but I really need to get back to my routine! I miss it desperately!!
And that's about it for now!
- Location:home
- Mood: content
Argh!! It's 1:10 a.m. and I really, REALLY should be asleep. However, my mind will not shut off for the night and sleep just is not forthcoming, which truly stinks because, well, I am tired!!
This is a busy week for me. Monday meant that my gym ban was lifted and I was finally able to get back into the gym. I missed it so much. It's not even just the working out. It's also the people. They are my friends and family, my support team, my people. So, it was difficult to be away from them and be stuck here at home! However, the ban was lifted and I made it back into the gym on Monday morning!! I missed seeing Kristin's bright smiling face last week and missed hanging and chatting with Sheila. They truly make my week brighter because they are just awesome!! So, I took a few moments to catch up with Kristin and we made plans to go to the movies. She was in shock that I have never seen any of the Madea movies. And since it was at the $2 theater, no reason not to go :) Jake did upper body and truly fatigued my poor arms! They were so sore after working out!
I caught up with Sheila and enjoyed chatting about life and such. I so enjoy goofing around with her. Also, she is very wise and gives me awesome advice about things. We chatted about running. I'm still experiencing some pain in my left knee (left-over from my half-marathon). So, we're rehabbing my knee and we believe it could be due to me not running correctly during the half. Who would've thought that you would have to learn to run? I kinda thought it was something intrinsicly born into you...I was wrong. No worries though because I have some time to recover and to learn how to do it correctly!
Then, I met up with Kristin for my cheat meal...yep, Mexican. It was yummy! Then we met up wtih Emily and watched Madea Goes to Jail. It was hilarious!! I laughed so much and enjoyed every second of it. I think I may have to rent all the others to see what I have been missing!! Too funny!! I chatted with Tye briefly about our training session planned for Tuesday, as well as our new number!! Yep, we are officially at 93.5 pounds lost!! I was overjoyed and thrilled about it. He's pretty stoked too! That puts him up to 43.5 pounds :) He's almost made it to 50 :) I am so psyched and cannot wait to make it to 100 :) That'll be amazing and unbelievable too!
I also got my books on running yesterday. I ordered some of John "the Penguin" Bingham's books on running. I started my first one, The Courage to Start: A Guide to Running for Your Life. I am loving it so far. He has such a commonsense, no nonsense approach to things. I love his attitude about it all too. So, I am going to be running soon and I am hoping to love it. If not, to at least not hate it would be a plus :) But I am pretty excited about this endeavor. I have two other books on running by him that I am going to read also. And Tye is going to start helping me train to run better. So, I am happy about this as well. It's weird because I have never ever wanted to be a runner. But I ran in my half-marathon and that makes me a runner. So, now I want to run better. It's all about running for the simple joy of running. I can't wait to start and see how it goes. I know it won't be easy but not much in life is!
Today was also crazy!! I went into work later than usual so I could train Jess how to do the cash office. Since I am going to be out of town for a week or so, they may need her to fill in a day or so. The girl who trained me may be out with some surgery. So, Jess got a lesson in cash office today. I love that I was smart enough to know that in training on this, hands-on is best. So, I showed her two cash bags and let her finish day one and do all of day two. It should be easy enough. Plus, she can call me with any questions. So no worries. But my schedule was really off because I went in there at noon and then didn't get out of there until 2:40! On Tuesdays that I train, I always have my snack around 2:15 or so and get showered and ready for training. Today, I rushed home and got my snack and then jumped in the shower and quickly got ready for training.
It was a somewhat off day for training. We had a couple of issues. We're rehabbing my poor knee so we had to make sure that whatever we did was something that would not cause me pain or further injury there. Also, Tye was still awaiting word back on when his surgery is on Thursday. So, that was extremely frustrating for him. I was a bit more frustrated at having to be careful with my knee! I wore my new training shirt for leg day. It is so cute. It has "Does this shirt make my butt look fast?" printed on the front and also on the back across the butt area! I love it :) Too cute!! I didn't wear it the whole time because I get way too hot in the gym. But I did end up changing into it for yoga. Anyways, I am annoyed with my knee but was at least smart enough to know not to push it too much. I will give it some time to heal up and then I can get back to my regular routine of insanity :)
Tye finally got his surgery info. I think he still has one more thing that needs to be done. But then he's pretty much set. Nick is going to take him for his surgery and Emily and I are going to be there as well. Surgery is the easy part. Recovery is going to suck for him though. He's impatient like me, so rehabbing his shoulder is not going to be fun. He'll do fine though. He's going to hate the ban on exercise. And it will irritate him a bit to let me load my machines with weight for training but he'll be back to 100% and I will go back to letting him load the weights :) In the meantime, it's a good reason to spoil him a bit :) So, pray for Tye on Thursday for his surgery :) Thanks!
Anyways, it's shaping up to be a crazy week for me. Tomorrow, I have to get into the gym for a "surprise" workout with Jake that has something to do with cardio. He was smiling a lot when he was talking about it and honestly, I am a bit frightened. But it will be awesome I am sure. Then I have some housecleaning and packing to do. I have an appointment with the pest control people to come in and do their quarterly spray. Did I mention Jason is on call this week? Yikes!! So far, so good and no pages, but it's only Tuesday night!
Thursday is Tye's surgery. He has to be there at 9. I want to touch base with Emily to figure out when we should get there. And we'll be there until Nick loads him up to take him home. Then, I have work. It's my last day of work until I return from my vacation :) Hooray!! Friday is up in the air at this point. I promised Tye I would be available if he needs someone to keep an eye out for him. So, if he's doing well and doesn't want someone to check in on him, I am heading to VA. Otherwise, I may be playing nurse for awhile and then heading out later to VA. I am pretty excited about my trip to VA. I cannot wait to see my family! I have missed them like crazy!!
Well, that's about it for now. Sorry if this rambled, but I mostly just wanted to get some things out of my head so I could try to sleep a bit. I am still a bit keyed up but maybe I can settle enough to sleep!
- Location:home
- Mood:
awake
Well, it's been awhile since I posted. It's been a busy week here. Jason and I drove back from Nashville on Sunday. We both were wide awake around 5:30. So, we got up and got our stuff together. We ate breakfast, loaded up the car and got on the road. Jason kept getting sleepy during the drive so we ended up switching drivers a few times (and it also meant that I didn't sleep much on the drive home either). We made decent time and were back in SC around 3:30 p.m. We went to church that night and then came home and crashed.
Monday morning, I headed in to the gym. I wasn't sure if I was going to work out or not, but wanted to see Sheila and Jake and show them my medal. I ended up doing a very light legs day and when I say "light," I mean that I kept asking Jake to take weight off. I didn't want to overstrain my already exhausted legs. And afterwards, I told Jake I was exempting myself from cardio because I figured Saturday had covered at least a couple days :) Monday afternoon, I busied about trying to get stuff put away and cleaned up. I did go by Jason's office to show my medal to his bosses, only Steve was there. I also was able to catch up with Jess and have lunch which was great!!
Tuesday was really busy. I worked that morning. Then I had a massage that I had pre-scheduled about a month ago. The massage was great. According to the therapist, my left side was much worse than my right side, but both were in need of attention. After the massage, I came home and had some lunch with Jason. Then I got stuff ready for my training session with Tye. We were scheduled to do upper body that night. I was feeling okay, a little tired and honestly a little emotional (but I figured that was normal). Tye called me to see if I was coming in and I assured him that I was. I dropped off Jason's mom's birthday present with him since he was having dinner with his parents that night and then headed into the gym. We did measurements. I have lost another 3-4 inches this past month!! I warmed up and then we got started. To say that I was whiny is probably an understatement. I was a mess. I was sore in places I didn't know would be sore and I was tired and didn't give him but made 45% of what I normally do. I know he was probably really irritated with me. I also had a few injuries that were causing me a little pain, but I was having a hard time distinguishing between pain that hurts and pain that was an excuse. So, I kept going. By the time we got to cardio, I think Tye would have loved to have smacked me, except he doesn't hit women. I was really emotional and out of sorts and just not sure what was going on with me. I tried to do cardio but 25 minutes into it, I started to have pain in the same knee that I hurt on race day and ended up having to stop. So, after that Tye and Jake both told me that I was banned from the gym until Monday. They both thought that I needed to take a couple of days off and rest and recover from the race. Tye actually said that I should go home, go to bed and wake up a new person! LOL...that's pretty bad!
So, Wednesday was day one of not being in the gym and not exercising. Of course, I wanted to sleep in but that didn't happen. I ended up getting up and getting breakfast and getting Jason off to work and laying back down and trying to go to sleep. I maybe got another 20 minutes in. Then I got up and cleaned up a couple of things in the house and played on the computer. Wednesday was a boring day of me trying not to do much of anything at all. I caught up on my shows that I DVR. It was bad...I really wanted to sleep and I couldn't.
Thursday morning, I had a follow-up appointment with the doctor. Everything still looks great. We'll re-check A1C levels in 3 months, but for now things are peachy. I came home and caught up on a few things and then headed out to meet Gina for lunch. I was in Nashville over her birthday, so I wanted to give her her present and catch up with her. It's been a long while since I have seen her. She looks great!! She's lost over 40 pounds and is doing so awesome. I am so proud of her. We had a nice lunch and talk. She's doing well and I am so happy to see her so happy. After lunch, I headed in to work which was a small bit of a nightmare...more money issues and I never did figure out what happened there but it took much longer than it usually does which irritated me a bit. When I got home, Jason and I had a nice dinner and watched some television together.
Friday morning, after getting Jason off to work, I again tried to sleep in to no avail. I busied around the house a bit. I went to the grocery store. I talked to my Mom who had an endoscopy that morning...things went well. Then, I opted to take a sleeping pill and try to get some rest. I ended up catching a couple of hours of sleep and by the time Jason came home I was awake and trying to cook dinner but still half-asleep. So, he cooked dinner so I could try to wake up a bit. I watched more television and then went to bed.
This morning, I slept in!!! Hooray!! It was only 1 1/2 to 2 hours later than normal, but I got to sleep in. So, I was happy. I got up this morning and got ready. I had breakfast and then headed into work. One of the guys there has been making strange comments to me...the other day he told me I was "rocking the toe rings" and today he said I was dressed too pretty to be at work. Odd, but I know he's happily married and just a nice guy and I won't deny the compliments are nice, plus he's nice and not creepy! After work, I headed home and in a little bit Jason and I are going to grab lunch and then head out to see the new Wolverine movie!!! Oh yeah, can't wait!! Wolverine is my favorite X-Men!!
So, it's been a crazy post-race week. And since it has been a week, I can officially announce that yes, I am definitely doing another race. I am currently making plans for Kiawah Island in December and looking at two other races that may end up looking promising. So, I think I may be hooked. Tye is actually going to start training me to be a distance runner. Right now, I can run fast for shorter distances, but I want to build up my endurance and be able to run longer and then we can work on running longer and faster. Who would have thought that this girl who hates running would actually end up liking it? Hard to believe!!!
And no video yet, but during race pictures are up. I posted them on facebook, but here's a few of my favorites!!
Not pretty, but this was during my mad dash to the finish line!!
Taz Team before the race (minus Steve who was already in race mode!)
Crossing the finish line!!
- Location:home
- Mood: content
Yep, that was me on Saturday morning saying it over and over and over again..."It's really, really, really real." I think the more times I said it the more really's I added :) I was so excited and nervous and just a whole bundle of emotions on race day. I cannot even begin to describe everything that was going through my head and my heart. All I can really truly say is WOW! It was definitely one of the major highlights/accomplishments in my life! I am so very glad I took this journey!! Even more than that, I am glad that Betsy believed in me enough to see an athlete capable of accomplishing this feat!! What a truly amazing and life-changing weekend it was for me!
So, Saturday morning was an early morning or a late night depending on how you look at it. I didn't get a whole lot of sleep, but I did catch a couple of winks that maybe totalled 2-4 hours of sleep, but it was not really all that restful. But again, I expected that going in, so it didn't worry me too much. I woke up or got up at 4 a.m. and ate breakfast (2 packets or oatmeal, raisins, and veggie sausage--only new thing was an extra packet of oatmeal but I am glad I did that!!) Then I finished getting ready...attached the tag to my shoe that would track my time, dressed and got my number attached to my shirt, grabbed my iPod, applied sunscreen, and headed over to the hotel where the team was all staying.
When I got to the hotel, we met up with the rest of the team. I got my first piece of advice from seasoned athlete, Ricky, that I should stuff my bra!! LOL! Basically, I needed to go to the bathroom at their hotel and get toilet tissue because he said the port-a-potties would not have any left by the time we used them. (He was absolutely right and I am glad that I stuffed my bra!!) We met up with the rest of the team at 5 a.m. and then climbed into our vehicles and headed over to the finish line area to park. (So glad we parked there!! It was still a small trek from the stadium there but much better than had we parked at the starting line and needed to wait to ride the shuttles back there!) We got all our stuff together, took some pre-race photos and then headed over to the stadium to get on the shuttles over to the start line. Jason split from us at this point to go into the stadium and find a spot to stay for hours on end waiting for the racers to return (he was such a trooper...he deserves his own medal for that!!) We boarded the shuttles and headed over towards the starting line.
First things first, the majority of us got in the port-a-potty lines. This was my first ever port-a-potty experience and I admit I was totally unprepared (well, except for the toilet tissue that is!) I expected the port-a-potties to be gross, but I guess nothing really prepares you. And that's all I am going to say about that!! After the port-a-potty lines, we said goodbye to Ricky as he was the only one doing the full marathon and the rest of started heading over to where our corrals were. Basically, when you registered for the race, you gave them an estimate on the time you would take to complete the race. They put all the racers into corrals of about 1000 to be released every 1-3 minutes after the start. This ensures that the faster runners are not going to be hung up with the walkers or slower runners and that they have the best chance to have their best race without unnecessary obstacles.
Steve had already left us because he was already in race mode and didn't need a port-a-potty stop! Rob departed from us as well because his corral number was higher than ours. And Kathy headed out with Ricky earlier. So that left Betsy, Bill, Brandi, Jiggs and myself. The highest corral numbers in that group was 23 (Bill & Brandi's numbers). We had discussed starting with their corral if possible so that we could all get out there and get going. The longer we stood around the hotter it got and we all wanted to get started sooner rather than later. We actually ended up jumping in with corral 20 to get started. Betsy and the others let me know that by starting out this early we would have to take off running. The strategy then becomes to run to the left or to the right to stay out of the faster runners way. I was totally cool with that because it wasn't like I had to run the first few miles or so, just run as we were leaving the starting line and stay out of the faster runners way.
So, around 7:40 a.m., corral 20 was started and I jogged slowly (or what I thought was slowly until I realized I had left Jiggs and Betsy behind!) and then I came to a stop and waited for them. Jiggs was on a different pace than Betsy and I, so we headed out together. Betsy was not feeling well that morning and was not sure she was going to finish it. We agreed to each run our own race and if we needed to split at any point that there wouldn't be hard feelings. So, Betsy and I walked and talked as we went. We turned back a couple of times to see the people behind us. But mostly we stayed to the sides and walked our walks and ran our races! We decided to run the hills on the way down. Since our bodies would already have the momentum working with them, we figured it would be easier. So, this was our first strategy. We also refueled at every water and cytomax station!! (This was key, especially with the heat! We needed to stay hydrated!!) They also had a couple of fruit and gu stations along the way. (For anyone out there unfamiliar with Gu---it's an endurance gel that you suck from the packet and it has electrolytes and such in it) Anyways, we refueled at all the stations...this consists of grabbing cups or fruit or packets and using the stuff and throwing trash on the ground!! (Horrors! My parents raised me better than that and I hated throwing stuff in the streets but I had to!)
We hit the marker for the 5k at 46:42 which was an average pace of 15:01. And our 10K mark was 1:35:52 which gave us about a 15:25 pace. And the 10 mile marker was 2:32:49 which was an average pace of 15:16. So, we kept a pretty consistent pace throughout which is just awesome!! About mile 9 or 10, I started to really experience some major pain in my left calf and my left knee was a bit wobbly as well. Both actually started hurting earlier on than that, but the pain became a bit more severe at mile 10. I looked at Betsy and said, "It hurts but I will not let it master me. This pain will not be my master." And she replied, "We're at mile 10 anyways, all we have left is just a dam walk!!" So, we looked at one another, laughed at our pain and picked our pace up a bit. Yep, we're a bit insane!! But we knew that giving in to the pain was not the answer. We both knew the pain we were both having was not something that should take us out of the race. We both knew our bodies well enough to know that when we had to stop we would have to stop. So, we discussed a couple of times what time we would like to finish it in. We both agreed under 4 hours was definite. My dream goal was 3:15 and we both said we'd be happy with 3:45 but secretly were both shooting for 3:30! LOL!!! Honestly, I knew I would be happy with anything less than 4 for my first half but I really wanted to push it as best I could even though I was hurting. We knew our limits, looked at them, laughed and kept going!!
About a half mile before mile 13, Betsy told me we were almost at 13 and I teared up quite a bit. It was really, really, really, really real. I was really doing it! I was going to complete a half-marathon. There was definitely a sense of complete and utter shock that washed over me. When we hit mile 13 and the finish line was in my sights, I looked over at Betsy and said "I'm sorry, but I've got to go!" Something in me broke and I took off running as fast as I could. I can honestly say I have no idea what came over me, but there was this huge, irresistable urge to run, not jog, not casually run, but run like you're on fire kind of run or like you're being chased by snakes or whatever. So, I started out at a crazy run and my first thought was "Oh crap! What am I doing? I'm running!?!" Then I saw a spectator and she screamed to me "You go girl!" So, I thought, "Okay, I will....time to run faster!" And somehow, I ran faster after that. And I was passing people on the way to the finish line and I was thinking "Am I going to be able to stop after the finish line or am I going to fall on the ground?" Truly, I had a momentum going that really stunned me. It reminded me of all the times that Tye and I would do suicides and the last one was run with everything you've got to get to the finish...almost like Tye was running next to me! And then I did it....I crossed the finish line. I was so totally amazed and stunned. And somehow, I heard my name!! It was Jason!! He wasn't able to see me cross but he saw me as I got within his range of vision!! I ran over (more like hobbled) and kissed him and said, "Sorry I've got to go get my medal now!!" We made plans to meet up at the family reunion site of XYZ (fewer people to have to sort through!) A few seconds later, Betsy crossed! Betsy and I hugged and rejoiced!! Then we headed to get our medals!
Betsy had already told me that I needed to have the person put my medal around my neck just like in the Olympics...so absolutely, I requested it. After all, this was my very first half-marathon and I had actually run in it!!! Who would've thought? I finished my race in 3:22:06 which is pretty freakin' awesome. I was #19815 out of 22749 finishers!! (Keep in mind over 32,000 actually started the race!) My pace ended up being 15:25 which is only about 00:25 off of my best pace in training times. This too was pretty awesome because we were forewarned that due to the temperatures being higher, we could expect a minute to two minutes added to our pace for every 5 degrees of temperature. And the normal average temps at the start of the race are around 58. Our actual temp at start was around 70 something! The normal average temp at finish is around 65. Our actual temp around finish was around 83!!! So, I did so much better than I expected!!
Betsy and I headed over and had our official finisher pictures taken. Then we reunited with her hubby, Rob! He completed his half in under 2 hours!! Rob and Betsy had their picture made. Then we headed over to refuel our bodies. We learned that Steve had an injury during the race and felt like he had strained something. So, he and Susan headed back to the hotel. By this point, I was limping pretty badly, but still smililng and still moving. I did it! I really, really did it!! We headed to XYZ Family Reunion and reunited with our group. I was so thrilled and tired and thrilled and sore but mostly thrilled!!
Here's what I learned for my next race...yep, I did actually say next race. I am not allowed to officially announce anything, but I am seriously considering doing Kiawah Island in December. The rule about next races is that you have to wait a week after the current one before deciding about future races. Reasoning behind that is that there are so many emotions, good, bad, ugly that you have to combat that you truly want to make a level-headed decision not an emotional one. So, I am seriously considering doing more races in the future. But, here's how I can better prepare. I want to do MORE calf-stretching and eat a banana prior to the race. I think my calf issues might have been potassium related. I also think I would prefer some type of running shorts to long pants and definitely probably a hat (not sure about that because it might fly off if I am running, so we'll see!) I am also thinking my packets of Accel-Gel might need to be pinned in to my shirt because I lost one at some point. Betsy had an extra so that was great.
I also learned that my team has some amazing athletes on it!! Ricky is an ironman and he's completed a ton of half-marathons, full-marathons, triathalons and of course an ironman compettion. His wife Kathy is pretty amazing too!! They have a ton of medals from all of their races! Steve & Susan are also seasoned athletes. Susan was not able to run this one due to some arthritis and other issues, but she and her hubby are also awesome!! Bill and Brandi rock too. Brandi was running while being 4 1/2 months pregnant!! Jiggs is persistent...she is a finisher. She is someone who will stick through it and keep on going. And she did this race in a black t-shirt, so she had to have been baking! And Rob is also just wonderful...he did such a great job, coming in under 2 hours!! And my Betsy, she's my hero!! She rocked through her pain and helped me keep going. She spurred me onward. She insists she thinks she held me back, but she truly helped me keep going. And my hubby is the world's best cheerleader ever!! He hung out near the finish line for about 6 hours waiting on us all!! And afterwards he helped me to recover!! The Taz team rocks and I am hoping that they will accept my application to officially join (LOL, or maybe I already have!!) I so look forward to doing future races with these amazing people and meeting the members who were not there!!
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."
Betsy and I reminded each other of these verses from Ecclesiastes because we had each other's backs. We were a great team!! We also took great comfort in Philippians 4:13 "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." God blessed us with the strength mentally and physically to complete this and He gave us shades and breezes to comfort us throughout!! Our God is truly amazing!!
I really want to thank God for allowing me such an amazing experience. He blessed me so much more than I could ever say throughout all of this. He gave me EVERYTHING I needed to accomplish this and He was with me every step of the way through each and every inch I moved, He saw me through it all!! Father God, I love you with everything that is in me!!!
To my cheerleader, Jason, he will never ever know how much it meant to me to see him after the race, to know that he waited at the finish line for me to cross. He was an amazing trooper to stand alone for so many hours and patiently wait to see his wife come in. You make me feel like a star! You make me feel like I won the race! I love you so much more than I could ever dream possible!!!
To my family, they gave me wings and spurred me on. I love you all and am thankful for your love and support!
I am also so thankful for Tye, he's my adopted little brother, but also my amazing trainer. He has pushed me so hard and so far and truly got me ready for this race. He has believed in me every single step of the way and just made me stronger and faster and more capable than ever to be able to do it. He helped me be able to do things that I never dreamed were possible much less anything that I would want to do. I love you little bro!! You are amazing!!
I am thankful to Jake and Elizabeth for fitness coaching that helped to strengthen and condition my muscles. I am thankful for the trainers at the gym, especially Sheila who has encouraged me so much more than she even knows and just made me feel so accomplished before I ever even started the race! I love my Pivotal Fitness family!!
I am so very grateful for all of our cheerleaders out there...the ones who were actually on the sidelines and the ones who cheered online or from their homes wherever they were! You left me messages whether on my cellphone or on Facebook and you cheered me on!! You're all wonderful and I am thankful for your support and encouragement.
This was an amazing, amazing experience, truly one that I will likely not forget for a very long time! And to think, I got a medal for this :)
- Location:home
- Mood: accomplished
- Music:I Will Run by Misty Edwards
It's the funniest thing...there are 32,000 people registered for this race. Who would we happen to see walking on the street by the parking garage we are about to park in...yep, Betsy! God really looked out for us. We were able to hook up with Betsy, her husband, Rob, and fellow athletes, Steve, Susan, Cathy, Ricky and Jigs (aka Jennifer). It was awesome to be able to experience all of that together. After picking up our race packets which included our race numbers, we got our goody bags and our official t-shirts! I was able to get a smaller t-shirt than we registered for because the one I registered for would've been a nightshirt! Then, we walked through the official souvenir area and then on into the Health Expo area. It was awesome. I found a couple of shirts that I had to have :) And I picked up a license plate holder with 13.1 on it and a bumper sticker too!!
I also got to meet John Bingham, he's a writer for some of the runner's magazines and he is also the co-author of the book that Betsy gave me, Marathoning for Mortals. Betsy and I got our picture taken with him :) After the health expo, we headed further into downtown and got lunch and then headed back to the hotel.
I got a pre-race pep talk (or just an "I love you" pep talk) from my nephews and niece!! I also went through all of the stuff we picked up at the expo. And I started to get things ready for tomorrow morning!! I tried to rest but my body was not willing. I am tired now though so I may try to rest a bit later.
I also discussed future half-marathons with the group. I am pondering two right now...Kiawah Island, SC in December of this year and the Disney Princess Half in March of 2010. Yep, I think I might do more of these. I think I might be liking the feel that I am an athlete. It still feels weird to say it, but I actually fit in with this crowd. I am an athlete. I am well-trained and ready to accomplish this!! Who ever would have thought that I would be an athlete? I have always, and I do mean ALWAYS, hated exercise and that included walking and anything remotely resembling exercise. Now, I crave it. I enjoy it. I want to do more. I want to push myself further and see what I can really do. Who is this person I am becoming? I am not quite sure but I really do like her!! She's energetic and bubbly and fun!!! (And her couch no longer has an imprint of her butt !)
Well, time to shower and get some pre-race prepping done!! I am sure I will blog again tomorrow!!! And you can hear race results...though I may wait to actually post it until I get back so that I can personally share some of my stories with others!! After tomorrow, a half-marathoner will be blogging here! It's really real!! (that's what I have been saying all day!!!) It's really real!!
- Location:Nashville, TN
- Mood:
bouncy
We had an uneventful trip. I saw lots of rest areas and rest rooms along the way :) LOL! I am trying to stay uber-hydrated so I had to up my water intake by 2 more bottles of water. Therefore, my bladder was super active today and we stopped every hour or so :) I guess I now know what it will be like when I am pregnant :) The trip was great though. I was able to get a small amount of sleep. But mostly, I was really ADD! I just wanted to get out of the car and do something active! Apparently, I now have a very hard time just sitting still for long periods of time!!
We had a great dinner tonight at Cracker Barrel in Lebanon, TN. It is the oldest operating Cracker Barrel, store #2. We haven't seen much of Nashville yet. We checked in and then headed to the grocery store. The rule for race day is "Don't try ANYTHING new!" So, that meant we needed to locate my veggie sausage. The first grocery store we went to did not have my veggie sausage. So, we hit the next one. I started to feel a little panic when I couldn't find it in the logical place. Luckily, we found someone who was able to locate it for me! So, crisis averted :) No worries, nothing new for race day!!
I met a couple of seasoned marathoners who are staying on our floor. They informed me (as did Betsy and the book) that I likely will not sleep race night. It makes sense. I am usually keyed up enough before a big event that I cannot turn my mind off to sleep. So, I am prepared that tomorrow night, I may be able to only rest. And I will do my best to try to rest. We'll see how it goes.
Anyways, I am going to try and get a good night's rest tonight. Tomorrow, we head into Nashville and to the Health Expo to pick up my registration packet. I will get my race number and all the info for race day! Tomorrow night will be a fun night with Betsy and her group as we talk strategies and hang out. This is going to be sunch an amazing adventure...each moment holds new opportunities!! And I get my race prep talk with Tye some time tomorrow.
I'm like Tigger on speed!! Bouncy and a bit out of control....my emotions are all over the place!! I cannot wait!! This is going to be a truly life-changing experience for me!!!
- Location:Nashville, TN
- Mood: bouncy
Mostly what's on my mind right now is all the stuff I need to finish doing to get us ready to leave for Nashville tomorrow morning!! I am in shock that it's almost here. This is really real. I am really going to compete in a half-marathon. It blows my mind. I totally never thought that this is something I would seriously be doing, but come Saturday, that is the plan!! I am both nervous and excited. There's lots to do before I leave tomorrow too...including getting an hour in at work! Yikes!! My plan is to get everything ready to go tonight so that tomorrow I can get up early and head into work and then come home, pack up Jason and the car and get going!!
So, there's lots of anticipation here on my part. I am doing some last minute cleaning since I have some friends house-sitting for me. Mostly, I am busying about and getting things ready to get going tomorrow. I think once the race is over I am going to crash for awhile. We will be heading back home on Sunday. And most likely I will be back in the gym on Monday for my fitness coaching or at the very least to show off my medal :) There will be pictures for sure!! And I will post pics when I get back or on Monday. It's going to be an amazing experience and I cannot believe it's happening to me!!!
Nashville, look out because here I come!!
- Location:home
- Mood: bouncy
- Music:One More by Superchick
Before and After Pics:
- Location:home
- Mood: accomplished
- Music:One More by Superchick
So, onto suffering. I am currently suffering for my stupidity on Saturday. I really, really, REALLY should have put sunscreen on. This sunburn has been extremely painful. There's also an area that is burnt pretty badly and it looks like it is now blistering. I have been slathering the area on my shoulders and back with sunburn relief gel with lidocaine, aloe vera gel, and cocoa butter (though not all at the same time!) Most of it is fading into a tan and doesn't look like it will peel, but I never know. The blistering area is not quite so bad, just little tiny water-filled blisters. I am trying to keep from popping the blisters. I don't think I have ever burnt quite this badly and I am not really sure why that particular area of my shoulders burnt like that. It's a bit odd, but I am coping!!
Monday, I had fitness coaching with Jake. Let me start off by saying, my legs felt pretty good that morning for having done 15 miles on Saturday. I didn't have much pain but I was a bit tired! Anyways, Jake slaughtered my legs!! He specifically targeted the stupid glute area too and Tuesday morning at 3:45 a.m. when I went to pee, I am pretty sure I cursed Jake or just said aloud that I hated him! LOL! My poor glutes and hamstrings are SO sore!! They were starting to hurt during our workout but I had no idea that they were going to hurt this bad! WOW! I also tried Sheila's fitness coaching class because her regular students didn't show, so I told her if we did abs, I would do her class. Sheila really worked my abs. I felt them all day yesterday and they eased up just enough for Jake to work them again today! I probably won't be able to move on Friday! It's all good though...this pain is at least for a good reason. This pain means my muscles worked hard and I am getting stronger. Sunburn pain means I was dumb and forgot sunblock...doh!
Last night, I had training with Tye. I seriously think sometimes he feels that he has to prove to me that he's better than the other trainers I work with on occasion or that he is tougher than they are! LOL! He pushed me hard yesterday! But that's good. I am really happy that he pushes me so hard because it means he cares and he thinks I am capable of doing what he asks. My upper body is so very sore, so I know that tomorrow is going to be painful too!! Truthfully though, he's such an amazing trainer and I would never trade him in for anyone else. He knows just how far to push me and he doesn't let up on me. And he's getting results! He really believes in me and is truly excited about our progress. He loves to reminisce about the days when I couldn't ___________ (insert exercise name there). It's exciting to see how far I have come, but I think I may be more focused on how far I have to go still. I seriously need to get my head on straight! Honestly though, Tye tries very hard to tell me how great I am doing and I think he might feel a bit irritated because it seems like I am not listening. I always tend to deflect compliments about my work to him and his work. Maybe I am trying to keep myself from getting a big head about it all. Or maybe I am just still in shock over how this is all working out. Either way, I need to work on accepting compliments better and need to start getting my head and my body in the same place. I have worked really hard and done what Tye has told me to do. He has coached me and pushed me and prodded me and encouraged me, but I have done the work. I have put my heart and sweat and occasionally tears into this. But I know I have not done any of this alone. So, maybe I deflect because this whole thing is bigger than me. I don't know. I do know that I am working on being better at accepting compliments...I promise!
I also did yoga last night. Man, it was a rough yoga class for me. Jodie was doing a lot of leg work. And she especially enjoyed putting us into chair position over and over again. I thought my glutes were going to start screaming out loud!! It was getting painful and I was pretty close to going into child's pose or corpse pose for the rest of the class!! But I suffered through as best I could. And my poor legs reminded me of it every time I got up last night and then again this morning!
Today, I had abs with Jake and it was kind of nice because the class was a bit bigger and he actually took it a bit easier on me. He does have an intensity below super-hard, I am going to kill you and you will ache forever intensity :) I told him I was still aching over Monday's abs and my legs were dying still and my upper body was like spaghetti! Yep, every inch of me was sore today. I am not sure I have any muscles that don't currently ache!! LOL...maybe Jake and I have the same intensity level :) Abs day today was still intense but at least with lighter weights for me. Afterwards I got an hour and 25 minutes of cardio in. I was originally only going to do 45 minutes but one of the other trainer's clients was needing a cardio buddy to distract her from the cardio. So, we did the treadmill together! We upped the incline every minute until we were at 15 and then went down and the rest was just regular walking but that was pretty intense! We also had a really nice talk.
I had planned to come home and fix lunch and then take a nap. But apparently, I found other plans because I ended up moving some furniture around and cleaning house. You know it was a good arms day when you are vacuuming and screaming ouch at the same time...LOL!! Yep, it hurt to vacuum today. but I did it anyways! I am a glutton for punishment! And my house is pretty clean. The only thing that still needs to be done is sweeping and mopping and I kind of ran out of energy before I got there! So, tomorrow, I will finish up with the sweeping and mopping. I did manage to get the spare bedroom, master bedroom, den, and dining rooms completely cleaned up. Plus, I got a lot of laundry done too! So, it was an extremely productive day! I think I will be in bed around 9 or 9:30 tonight!
I have also talked to my friend Jess and planned a new photo session to get some better updated photos. So, she is now figuring locations and will help me choose outfits and such. This gives her more photos for her portfolio and me a chance to have a fun day with her! I am looking forward to it. She's an amazing photographer!! I looked at the picture she took of me last November and told Jason that I think my face has shrunk and it seemed unreal to me!
It is also quite unreal to me that I am motivating and inspiring others. I never set out to motivate or inspire anyone. I never set out to be someone that people looked up to or wanted to emulate. I just set out to get off meds and get healthier. God had other plans. This whole weight loss thing is bigger than me. He's using this to help others get motivated to be healthy. Who would have ever thought that I would be considered an athlete or eat a pretty clean diet or spend most of my free time in the gym? It's weird how things have just completely turned around. I am really happy that my story helps others to know that you can lose weight by eating right and exercising. I am thankful God has given me the opportunity to talk to others about it and help them too. I can honestly say that I never imagined that God would use me in this way. His plans are so much bigger than we could ever really comprehend!
- Location:home
- Mood: content
- Music:It's Your Life by Francesca Battistelli
That's what I have been doing lately...finding peace in chaos. Some days my life is just so busy and so full that I don't know how I get it all done. I don't know where I find the strength to deal with the challenges or the patience to cope with everything that is coming my way. But God is so awesome because in the midst of all of the chaos, His peace washes over me. I can confidently go throughout my day and know that He is in control and everything will work out exactly as He has planned. How amazing is that? How absolutely cool?
I confess on Friday, I had a major meltdown. I haven't had one in awhile and this one was way past due. Why did I have a meltdown? Main reason is because I let my faith falter for a moment. I let Satan get the tiniest foothold and just felt completely overwhelmed. And instead of stopping and re-focusing and praying about what was going on, I tried to keep on keeping on and do all the things I thought I needed to do. Yep, I wasn't listening and wasn't paying attention to my spiritual needs. Instead, I was trying to be tough and trying to do everything on my own. Frankly, I just can't do it on my own. And you know what, I don't have to. I have God in my life and He is so amazing and He is always there for me. Rather than leaning on Him when I needed to on Friday, I just broke down in tears and sobbed for everything that felt so overwhelming. I was full of fear and doubt and I felt so very weak.
God provided me with the most amazing husband. He sat there and held me and quoted Scriptures to try and re-focus me and then he prayed for me and for us. It was awesome. Jason knew this was not something he could swoop in and fix for me. He knew that I was too far gone to hear what he was telling me and so he stopped and prayed. How cool is that? It was perfect. It was exactly what I needed. And it opened up a very honest and very necessary conversation between Jason and I. It was an awesome heart-to-heart that we needed to have and brought us so much closer to each other. In the midst of what I thought was chaos, God brought my husband and I even closer. He brought me peace. He gave me more than what I thought I needed.
So, in the midst of all of this chaos, remember He is there. "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:10) It is so easy to let our focus slip in the midst of all of the "busy"ness of life. Remember to stop and re-focus yourself. Don't go on autopilot...that road leads nowhere good. We're made to be in a relationship with God. When things are overwhelming and just too much, get on your knees and pray, read your Bible, but go to the only one who can help you, God.
I am thankful for the chaos in my life that lead me to my knees in prayer. I am thankful that my breakdown was in front of my husband so that God could use that opportunity to draw us closer to Him and to each other. I am thankful that God reminded me to stop in the middle of my life and spend some time with Him. Even in the midst of our worst moments, God has a plan. He is using whatever circumstances to fulfill His plan for you. And honestly, His plan is so much bigger than us that we probably couldn't even comprehend it if we knew ahead of time what was going on. So, I am thankful that God just gives us enough information for what we can bear at this time.
I have been listening to this song by Sanctus Real called "Whatever You're Doing (Something Heavenly)". It's a pretty awesome song and it fit with where I was on Friday. Here are the lyrics:
It's time for healing time to move on
It's time to fix what's been broken too long
Time make right what has been wrong
It's time to find my way to where I belong
There's a wave that's crashing over me
All I can do is surrender
[Chorus]
Whatever you're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
but I'm giving in to something heavenly
Time for a milestone
Time to begin again
Re-evaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow your will
or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is you want from me
I give everything I surrender...
To...
[Chorus]
Time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I've wanted to say for so many years
Time to to release all my held back tears
Whatever you're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You're up to something bigger than me
Larger than life something heavenly
Whatever you're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but now I can see
This something bigger than me
Larger than life something heavenly
Something heavenly
It's time to face up
Clean this old house
Time breathe in and let everything out
- Location:home
- Mood: peaceful
- Music:Whatever You're Doing (Something Heavenly) by Sanctus Real
Well, it's been a busy several days here, but very good. Here's a quick recap...
Friday was a pretty great day. I got up and headed into the gym for a cardio workout. I was to spend 20 minutes on what some refer to as the "butt machine" (aka stair master) and then 10-15 minutes on the bike. So, I did it. I can honestly say that I HATE the "butt machine!" It's not the easiest machine to do cario on but it's good. I got 15 minutes in on the bike and then chatted for a few minutes with Jake and Sheila. Then, I headed out to go home and shower and change clothes. I was running late to meet Jess which of course meant that she was on time :) We are truly polar opposites!! Too funny! Jess and i were having pedicures done. I was late getting there. But it was awesome getting our pedicures done. They do lots of stuff that I had never had done...rubbing your feet and legs with warmed stones, massaging our legs, lots of lotions, hot towels and then our feet got dipped in wax. It was different but my feet feel great :) Afterwards, Jess and I grabbed lunch...Mexican, of course! It was great. Then, I headed home and was talking to Jason and he asked me to come over to his parents' house because he wanted me there. So, I headed over and hung out with him and saw what he had done there. Then, we headed home and grilled out steaks and had a nice long talk. It was a great talk.
Yesterday, I went into work and got everything completed. Kristin came to visit me for a few minutes. It was a very pleasant surprise :) She is so sweet. After work, I changed into workout clothes so I could head to the dam and get 15 miles in. I had been somewhat carb-loading that morning. I was worried about not having had lunch at that point but was prepared with a packet of AccelGel for when I started to run out of energy. So, I probably should have gone to the bathroom before getting started. Luckily, there was a bathroom on the other side of the dam and I was able to make a quick pit stop and then keep going. The first 8 miles were pretty smooth. I grabbed my AccelGel around then and at mile 10, I stopped at my car and grabbed another bottle of water and kept going. Sadly at mile 11, I realized that I had not stretched prior to getting started. My legs started to have some cramping in the calves. It wasn't too terribly bad, but I was sore and started to slow up a bit. I guess it was a good thing it was a long slow distance day :) I was able to complete my 15 miles in 3 hours and 45 minutes. This was a good thing because it definitely means that I would be able to complete my half-marathon in 4 hours or under. Also, it helped me to realize a couple of things that I need to prepare for...sunscreen...yep, I have a great sunburn!, maybe a hat...to keep the sun out of my face, stretching...very vital so that I don't have leg cramps, and AccelGel is not too tasty but definitely worthwhile! So, I feel better prepared now for my half. Plus, even through some pain, I could manage to complete my 15 miles.
After I finished my 15 miles, I came home. Jason took my pic for me after I had lunch. I had a great meal...steak, sweet potato and banana! I enjoyed every bite too! Plus I had a couple bottles of water with it and some Advil and I took my post-workout supplement. Here's me after 15 miles...
Not too bad. I was just happy that Jason was taking care of me. He had my banana ready for me when I walked in. I figured that would really help with my leg cramps. And my steak and sweet potato were perfectly fixed up for me. Afterwards, I took a quick shower and then soaked in nice hot bath for awhile. Then, Jason put sunburn relief lotion on me while I watched some television. My intent was to take it easy the rest of the day, but then my Blackberry died on me. Jason and I went to Verizon and after a nice visit there, we were fortunate to walk out with a brand new Blackberry. I had to load up all my contacts on there, but hopefully this one won't have any issues or glitches.
Today, I slept in. It was awesome! I enjoyed every second of it. Then we had a quick breakfast and headed to church. One of Jason's best friends and his family were there. It was great to see Matt and Becky and the kids. We stayed for the lunch at church and then headed to the grocery store and then home. This afternoon, I have been resting and talking to my Mom and such. Just taking it easy.
Tomorrow, I have plans to get some major housecleaning done. First things first though, I have Jake and he is planning on doing legs! It's shaping up to be another busy but great week!!
- Location:home
- Mood: content
- Music:I Dare You to Move by Switchfoot
I grabbed lunch with hubby afterwards...I was ravenous!! Then I headed to Lowe's and picked up some more lithodora for my front flower beds and bought a tree rose. We don't have any roses in our yard and I just thought this would be a beautiful addition. So, I picked it up and headed home. I dug out my hole for the tree rose with a mattock (which is like a pick axe in my opinion) and a shovel. The fun part is the area that I was digging was nice hard red clay and there were tree roots to contend with!! However, I got my tree rose planted and mulched and watered! Oh yeah!! I also got my portulaca and lithodora planted in the front yard. I installed the solar lighting we got last year for the front yard. I watered all the flowers in the yard. Then, I decided to detail and wash my car. Afterwards, I made dinner and got cleaned up. Then we headed out to church. Yep, I barely sat down yesterday! Craziness!
Today was a bit more relaxed which was great!! I went in to work this morning and everything went well! Yay! I love it when it all turns out well, no missing documents, checks or money...perfect!! I got everything done and then headed home to rest for a few minutes and get my bank deposit ready (hoping that my direct deposit kicks in soon so I don't have to keep depositing my checks myself!) Tye called and we made plans to meet up with Nick for lunch. I left and headed out to the bank and then went to meet Tye and Nick for lunch. Jason was unable to join us. We ended up grabbing lunch at Lizard's Thicket. I opted for a salad with baked chicken. It wasn't the best salad ever but it was edible and I enjoyed the company.
After lunch, I headed home and Tye headed off to have some quiet time before his MRI. We planned to meet up for my training session today after his MRI. So, when I got home with intentions of doing laundry and vacuuming, I opted for a different route. I decided to catch up on a little bit of my shows on DVR. Tye didn't get out of the MRI until around 5:30, so we made plans to meet at 6. I was pretty hungry by then and probably should have had a little something extra earlier but since I didn't know what time we were training I didn't want to put something on my stomach and then have to meet him and end up puking on him. So, it was all good.
We did chest and back tonight. He took it easier on me tonight and I am well aware that this week he's been taking it easier on me. Tuesday, I really needed it because I felt a bit rough. Tonight, it was a good plan because I could very well have had a low blood sugar issue on him. I was very thankful for him being aware of what I needed. Now, it was still intense...I mean, my muscles are already sore and some of the reps were just plain difficult to complete!! But it's all good. My cardio tonight was running laps...not sprinting but just jogging. Tye was really pleased with my laps. He asked if I felt accomplished because when we started out, we were walking laps slowly and now I can run more than one lap. I laughed and said "It feels good! However, I don't know that I can do too many more laps because I think my blood sugar is a bit low!" LOL, on one lap, my head felt really light and woozy and I thought this is not a good plan! It would really suck to just pass out from low blood sugar here while running!
We talked a little bit about my nervousness and fear about the half-marathon. Lately, I have been afraid that I am going to hit the wall at around mile 10 and just want to give up. Tye, of course, thinks that this is just me being emotional and silly. He's most likely right, but me, I am worrier. I am freaking myself out about this and it stops today. I decided that if Tye tells me that I can absolutely, 100% without a doubt, no reservations complete this half-marathon, then I will believe him. After all, he knows my body better than I do, so if he believes I am ready and can do this with no issues, then I need to let go of the stupid fears and doubts and just believe. He does believe that I am more than ready and able to do this and do well. He thinks that I am being a bit irrational stressing over this (and he's right...Jason has said that too!). So, tonight, I stop worrying about the wall. I stop stressing about whether or not I can do this and I start pumping myself up and psyching myself up for this. I beat bipolar and I beat diabetes, no half-marathon is going to take me down. I have God on my side and we are marching onward! Rock on!
So, it was a bit more relaxing of a day and I did miss my yoga class tonight, but I needed to get dinner after training. I have a fun day planned tomorrow! I am going to the gym in the morning and get some cardio in. Then, I am meeting Jess at 11 a.m. for pedicures and then lunch!! I am really looking forward to some time hanging with Jess. I totally need some girl time! So, this is just what I need :) I am not sure what tomorrow evening holds, we haven't planned anything yet. But it would be nice to grill out and just enjoy some couple time. Maybe snuggle up on the couch tomorrow evening and watch a movie or something. We'll see.
Saturday's plan is forming now. I have to work that morning. So, I am planning to go in early and get it all done. Then I want to do what's called an LSD (long slow distance) day and see if I can get 15 miles in on Saturday. It will be a day where I focus only on mileage...no time constraints, no speed issues, just getting the miles under my belt. So, we'll see. Hopefully, it will be a gorgeous day and I won't have any issues and can get it all knocked out! Then Saturday night will be a recovery night of just relaxing...nice hot bath and just kind of resting. That's my current plan anyways. So, we'll see how that all unfolds! As usual, I am just kind of rolling with the punches and seeing what comes next!
As for right now, I am a bit tired and need to go get my last snack of the day in and get a shower and get ready for bed!
- Location:home
- Mood: content
- Music:One More by Superchick
So, let's see yesterday, I left you with the bathroom people coming out to price us for some type of repair work to be done on our steel tub that had rust damage that caused a hole! Well, the guy came out and looked at it and told us that we were going to have to have the tub removed and a new one put in! What a nightmare! I knew it was coming but still was shocked at just how expensive it's going to be! We have to do it because we need two working bathrooms, especially this summer when we have guests overnight! I am slightly irritated that it won't be able to get started for about 6-8 weeks because they have to special order it, but I get it. I am also irritated that it was the guest bath that got to be remodeled first because the master bath needs it too. However, it's going to look amazing and I am pleased with the company we chose to do it. So, we shall see. And eventually we will get the master bathroom done too!
Last night, Jason finished up the front yard but never saw hide nor hair of Mr. Snake. I am hoping he went far away and told his friends and family to stay out of my yard. With my luck, he went far away and is gathering friends and family to come after me! LOL...yep, I hate snakes and I don't think too rationally when it comes to them!! Jason and I also covered up our flower beds in the backyard to protect the new flowers. We will uncover them tomorrow after the frost warning is past! Hopefully, they will be fine because I would be very sad to lose them already. I do so love them!
This morning, I headed into work and it was another good day there. Jay was in and he was trying to scare me when I came into the office. Apparently right before I entered the manager's office, he jumped out of the desk chair and hid under the desk. I walked in and saw the desk chair spinning in a circle and thought it was odd since I didn't see anyone leave the office before entering. So, I figured Jay was under the desk. So, I asked "Are you hiding under the desk?" "No." "Did you drop something?" "No." Did you lose something?" "No." "I think you lost your marbles!" We both laughed and he came out from under the desk and said "How did you know?" I told him about the spinning desk chair, we both laughed. I was kinda relieved because he really would've scared me half to death! LOL! We chatted for a bit about snakes and such. Then, I headed into the office and got to work. The money turned out right and I finally got all of the new ones bundled up with older ones to make life easier on all of us! I detest when the bank sends us brand new ones! After work I headed home for a bit and picked up some torenia that I bought for Jason's mom.
We had lunch with Jason's parents today. It was nice because I hadn't had the opportunity to visit with them for awhile now. It was a nice visit and Jason's mom commented that I looked much thinner than the last time she saw me (which I think was a couple of weeks ago.) She also asked about my plans once I get to goal weight and how we would keep the weight off. I responded with a couple of things. First of all, I am not, I repeat, I am NOT going back where I was. I have worked way too hard to get where I am now to let myself just go back there. Secondly, if I for even a second seemed like I was headed back there, one phone call would take care of everything. Yep, one phone call to Tye (who would kick my butt for ruining any of our hard work) would totally scare me straight :) Seriously though, I don't intend to stop eating well and exercising just because I get to goal. I then go into maintenance mode which still requires eating well and exercising.
After lunch, I did a little bit of shopping and then headed home. I got ready for my training session tonight. I am really sore today. My shoulders are aching from yesterday and I am just not feeling all that great. So, I asked Tye to take it easier on me because I was not feeling as well today and asked him what Jake and I could do tomorrow because abs is out of the question. So, we decided that Jake could do biceps and triceps and Tye would do chest and back on Thursday so that we covered all our areas (except abs which are off limits this week!) Then, I talked to Tye about my current plan to completely avoid the scale for the next three weeks. He was curious why I wanted to do this and I told him that I felt that this would be the most effective way for me to stop focusing on losing weight. I get so focused on that stupid scale and whether or not it is moving and if it's moving fast enough for me and I lose sight of the real goal which is to get more fit and healthier. So, I told him what I wanted to do and he agreed to it. We both hope that this will help me refocus and just end that stupid obsession I have had with weighing! Also, it gives me more time to stress and freak out about my upcoming half-marathon...yep, I have 18 days until I attempt my first half-marathon. My fears and nerves are working overtime now. I am not sure why I am scared but I am. I am not sure why I am nervous, but I am. Honestly, I can't wait to get to the finish line and get my medal. I think this is my normal manner about big events in my life...I stress and fret over all the little things and worry about it until I finish it. I used to do this whenever I was singing for church or planning to have a party or whatever. I just wish I had a bit more peace about this half-marathon. I am working on it!! Hopefully, my restful weekend will help with that!
Okay, so back to lower body training with Tye. He was nicer to me for the most part since I wasn't feeling well. Apparently we were working on the glutes again, on to his goal of "lifting and firming" for that area! To be fair, I did list those in my fitness goals...though I don't remember saying I wanted to lift them...just firm them up! LOL!! Whatever works :) All I know is that they are already sore. Of course, my time on the bike afterwards I am sure helped them to be more sore too! All I know is that all this work is doing something. Last night, the guy who was giving us a quote for our bathroom called me "skinny." Yep, never been called skinny. Never even thought of myself as thin. It was weird. I think I laughed and told him he was my new best friend. I showed him my picture from last March. He was a larger guy and asked for some tips for losing weight. So, I offered him some feedback and handed him Tye's card. It was a weird experience though being referred to as skinny. I know I am smaller, but I don't feel "small" yet. Tonight, one of the gym members who is also working with a trainer mentioned to me that I was looking really good. It was totally unexpected and very sweet. We both started training about the same time. So, I guess God was sending me a message that my plan to stay off the scales for awhile was a good one. Instead of focusing on that stupid number, I will focus on getting healthier and more fit. Yep, that's the plan! I am thankful for the compliments too. I am not used to them, so I am working on getting better at taking compliments instead of deflecting them.
Anyways, it's getting late and I am ready for bed. I am going to grab a shower and then off to the land of slumber!
- Location:home
- Mood:
sleepy - Music:One More by Superchick
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