Gearing Up!

YAY!! I so excited about my Double Double challenge. I will be completing 2 Half Marathons in two days. I have the first one tomorrow. This one I'm going to take nice and slow, but it's gonna be really cold and rainy. Hmm that reminds me of the 2011 White Rock Marathon! It looks like there will be a break in the rain for about an hour so I'll take it! I will need to bundle up, for sure. I'm looking forward to another medal and taking on another challenge. I love proving to myself how strong I can be.

Off to bed so I can get some good rest. 5:45 comes early in the morning! Goodnight. :0)

*Happies*

Lots of happies going on right now. First of all, I have passed the hungry part of this process and am now satisifed with small portions. THANK. GOD. The first three days of getting back on plan are always so hard.

Also, I just signed up for some awesome races. I'm doing the Hot Chocolate 15K in February and the Firefly 5K in March. The Hot Chocolate run is awesome because you get a gnarly sweatshirt that's uber cute. And it's two weeks before our Disney race and fits perfectly into our training schedule. And the Firefly is awesome because it's a night race and you get to wear all this glow in the dark garb that makes for awesome pictures!

Also, my scale is my friend right now. As of today, I'm down 6 lbs since Wednesday...that's not even a week! Holy crap!!!

Keep the happies comin'!

:0) :0) :0)

Rumbly In My Tumbly

*GRURURURUR* What was that, you ask? My stomach growling! I'm so ready to not feel hungry! Should be another day or two before that happens. ANYWAY-I'm still doing really well. My friend Carrie and I went to a movie tonight and I planned well by having a baby candy bag and 100 calorie popcorn equaling a grand total of ....*enter drum roll here*.....280 calories! WOO HOO!!! That makes 3 awesome days in a row. I'm kind of excited about my weigh-in on Wednesday for week one! It's funny how when you do well, you don't dread them. :D

I picked up my Double Double race packet today. LOVE the shirts and they fit well, will post pics soon.

Night, readers! :0)

Another Good Day

Today went even better than yesterday! I got in about 6 servings of fruits/veggies, all my water and got my exercise in. I ended up not doing the zumba class because my friend Fran and I went to lunch and shopping instead, but I did feel good about my run tonight. It was still slow but definitely faster than the one last night. It's frustrating because now that I'm so heavy, I can feel the weight in my ankles and my feet. It's harder. BUT-I always try to spin the positive and I know that it serves as a serious motivation for me to get off the weight. So far I've been 100% on plan, not even a bite of the bad stuff, so I just need to stay strong and keep doing what I'm doing.

Tomorrow I have one more run planned and then I have two rest days planned before my Double Double challenge of 2 Half Marathons in 2 days. Yes I'm nuts. Tomorrow I'm going to pick up my packet for this race. I'm excited to see what the shirts and race bibs look like.

WOOP!

Back In The Game!

Well it's been a really hungry day, but I've been successful! YAY!! My run tonight was kind of sad, like HELLA slow, but I got my 30 min in so I'm happy. Tomorrow I am going to aim to do a 30 min run and then a Zumba class. I need to start upping my cardio sessions so the weight will come off faster. The scale this morning was NOT pretty.

Have a great night, readers! :0)

New Year, New Goals!

So as most of you who know me personally know, I have always struggled with my weight. It's annoying!! ANYWAY, I'm dedicating 2013 to getting this weight OFF! I know there is a beautiful girl underneath this struggle and I really want to get to know her! I love the start of a new year. You get a chance to start over and be who you want to be that year. I want to be a badass this year. So my main goals for 2013 are:

1)Tracking my weight and measurements EVERY Wednesday for the entire year. Yep, the entire 52 weeks! I will be keeping track through an Excel spreadsheet I have created.

2)Continue to run, but focus primarily on Half training. I think I'm done with fulls for awhile.

3)REACH GOAL WEIGHT!!! I have never come close. I really want to get there!!!!!

Starting tomorrow, my genius hardcore weight loss plan will be put in place! And there's nothing more to it than good old fashioned hard work and great nutrition. I will be doubling my time in the gym focusing on lengthy cardio sessions, strength training and exercise classes. I will also be spending more time preparing healthy food and making myself stick to my calories. I'm going to the store tomorrow to buy all the heart healthy stuff. I'm kind of excited, I'm sick of all the crap and I'm certainly not a fan of feeling like a big sausage.

I'm pledging right now...I'm going to stick to my goals. I'm going to be the best I can be. Being weak is a choice. So is being strong. I can do this!!!!

I Did It With A Side Of Sicky!!!

Well a lot has transpired since the last time I blogged! Right after I completed the 26 mile training run, I got a REALLY bad case of bronchitis. It was AWFUL. I was down for 5 weeks and didn't run again during that time. Then it was time for the marathon! I was so nervous and didn't know how it was all going to go down. What was interesting was that on Saturday, the day before the marathon, I felt TERRIBLE and was so upset that I had to deal with it. I finally accepted that I might not be able to run it, but I would try and if I had to stop, I had to stop. Then on Sunday morning, the day of the race, I felt a lot better. THANK GOD! So I was able to run it, and also managed to PR by 13 minutes. My official time was 6:56:18! YAY!! Here's a pic of my girls after our finish! Such a special day!!!

26 Miler: A Success

I made it! We completed our 26 mile training run yesterday and we all held up VERY well. Sara, Bob and I did the full distance and then Carrie joined us for the last 8. It was pretty funny because we were trying to get ourselves to be slower, but we couldn't slow down! How funny because it was quite the opposite experience in June. It just goes to show you how much conditioning slowly can get you in shape! I am very proud of us. We have worked hard and all deserve to do well in the marathon.

We have four weeks of training left! 2 short Saturday runs (One I will be doing alone) and a taper run! WOOP! The hard part is over. Now I need to get in 2-3 runs during each week and maintain a very healthy diet for the next four weeks so I can be mentally strong and confident for the race. I am going to get a PR, I can FEEL it!

Here's a picture of us after our 26 miler. I love my running team!!!

26 Miler Tomorrow!

Vamping up for our 26 mile run tomorrow! I am actually kind of excited about this one. Yes, I'm crazy. But I think it will be good for me to get out of my head and just enjoy good people, nice weather and great conversation with people I love the most. It really has made such a difference running with people that you are close to. 26 miles is going to be tough, no doubt...but it'll be good to get it done and have that be the last LONG mileage before the race.

One thing that sucks about the training season winding down is that I'm stuck with only gross flavors of Gu. The flavors that "looked good" but aren't, and then all the crap they give you at packet pickup. Like "Rasberry Creme Jelly Chews" and "Apple Cinnamon Oat Bar" that tastes like tree bark. Gross city! The good news: My friend Carrie is gonna save the day by bringing me some good flavors. YAY!!! I'll have to make sure I buy the good stuff before the marathon.

I've been eating horribly this week and then starting Monday, it's back to crazy strict diet for the last 4 weeks of training. I'm actually excited about losing weight and feeling strong again. I feel so fluffy right now! ARGMPH!

29 days and counting until a marathon PR! BRING IT!!!!

That's What Friends Are For

This Saturday is the yearly 26 mile training run that I hate. It's SOOO long, a full marathon's distance, and you don't even get a medal. WTF?! Anyway, I usually get out of it because it always falls on the weekend of mom's Six Flags company picnic. They shut down the park just for us and I get to bring a friend for free and ride rollercoasters with no lines. SCORE! Well-I had arranged to do that with one of my friends, and then I found out that Sara, one of my friends on my running team....she was going to be running the 26 miles by herself. It kept nagging at me and nagging at me because I know how hard it is to do that distance and she needs support. So, BECAUSE I'M AN AWESOME FRIEND, I made arrangements and will be running the full 26 miles with her on Saturday. This will be the first time I've ever run that distance that wasn't on a marathon. IT'S GOING TO BE AWFUL!!!! Lol the things I do for the ones I love. LOL!!

I am going to show up with a great attitude, some running cheers, lots of stories and of course Golden Oreos will be involved! It's going to be fun. Okay, maybe FUN is stretching it a little, but I'm determined to make the best of it.

26 miles, we are hardcore bitches! YEAH!!

:0)

2012 DRC Half Marathon

LOVE LOVE LOVE this medal! It's SO sparkly! The best DRC medal to date! :0)

2012 Heels and Hills Half Marathon

This medal is cute. It sparkles so that's good enough for me. :D

2012 Hottest Half Marathon

I ran this race because of the medal. THE SUN IS WEARING SUNGLASSES!!! It was hot, but so worth it when I saw the medal. AND--it sparkles! :0)

2012 DRC Half

I had SUCH a great time at the DRC Half yesterday. I had so much support. My super sweet friend Carrie picked me up, dropped me off, and met me on multiple spots on the course to cheer me on. I just love her, SUCH a supportive friend. My other friend Allison was there, too and that made my day because she recently was diagnosed with cancer, yet she still finds the time to be happy for others and be an amazing friend.

Here's the deal: I want to see 6:59:59 on my next marathon. I've only been in the 7 hours. Well, it's time for that to change. I was trying to come up with strategies and I figured I'd try the DRC Half at 30/30's to see how I do and I then I can predict a full marathon time.

I did much better than I thought I would. I maintained a pace of 14:20 for 13 miles, which is fantastic for me. I'm very excited about it. As long as I don't COMPLETELY crash on the full, I should reach the 6:59:59, and I'm probably gonna cry when I do. Progress seems so slow sometimes, so it's nice to see improvement.

Here is Janet and me after our finish. She did awesome and is a rockstar.

Carrie and I at the finish. She finished with me and ran me in the last 1/2 mile. And then they tried to give her a medal. HAHA!

And then check out the medal! IT SPARKLES!!!! The picture doesn't do it justice. It's a much prettier kind of sparkle. SO. FUN.

Great day, great friends, great time! I was one happy girl!! :0)

Woop!

I am feeling very excited about my races coming up. This Sunday, I will be running the DRC Half Marathon. I am using this as a practice run to to project how I will do on my full in December. My plan is to do 30/30's as comfortably fast as I can. I got my race shirt and it's ugly but it fits well so I will be wearing it. I also should be sporting a pretty intersting outfit because I want to wear the sparkle skirts because of all the pockets, but I want my legs covered, so I will most likely be wearing leggings under a sparkle skirt and a neon green shirt. Watch out hot guys, I'm comin'! HAHA!

Anyway, I just made my track list and have my Gu ready to go. I'm kind of bummed because since I'm at the bottom of my box, I only have gross flavors left. Oh well.

My friend Carrie is SO sweet. She's going to take me to my race on Sunday then be a spectator and then help run me in the last mile or so. I'm very lucky to have such supportive running friends that understand how crazy I am, and will be there for me, too!

I lost 3 lbs last week which was awesome. I'm hoping to have another successful week. Hopefully running a half this weekend will help with that.

I'm off to rest! Wish me luck!!

Making a Plan!

I have been talking to one of my running friends about making a plan for my last 5 weeks of training. She suggested that I incorporate speed training once a week, while getting in 2 other runs, our Saturday run, and some form of cross training. This works out to be 4 times a week of exercise. That seems doable. Here's what speed training looks like...I am going to be doing mile repeats, or in my case...half mile repeats. They look like this:

5 min walk
1/2 mile run/walk at 30 seconds faster than desired race pace
2-3 min walk to catch my breath
1/2 mile run/walk at 30 seconds faster than desired race pace
2-3 min walk to catch my breath

This set would be 2 mile repeats.

Since I have 5 more weeks of training to go, this is the schedule of speed training I have to go:

2 mile repeats
4 mile repeats
6 mile repeats
8 mile repeats
10 mile repeats

That's as far as I'm going to go and it should put me in good shape for the race.

Here's what's interesting. I am so much faster on a treadmill than I am outside, so I'm going to need to do my speedwork outside. That should kill me since it's so much harder to go fast outside, yet I have to be 30 seconds faster than race pace. It'll be good for me, though and I feel good about it.

I'm so grateful to have found my focus again. This time last year, I pretty much gave up and ran that race rusty and with no confidence. This year, it will NOT be the case. I am determined to see AT LEAST a 6:59:59! CROSS YOUR FINGERS FOR ME!!!!

Speed Work!

My friend Carrie finished her big Marathon today and it inspired me to get serious about my own Marathon training. I am running my 3rd marathon in 41 days and I need to get myself comfortable running faster. I'm not very knowledgeable on speed training processes, so I'm hoping she will walk me through it and tell me what I need to do. Sometimes all the numbers can get confusing.

But yeah, I'm excited about getting some focus and I'm already down in weight, too. YAY! I don't have any more serious temptations nutrition wise, until Thanksgviging. This gives me some time to do some serious work.

I'm also getting excited about the Princess Half Marathon in February. They just released the medal, it's SO cute, it's PINK!!!! YAY!!!!

I'm glad to be excited about things again and I am sensing some real progress in my future!

WOOP! :0)

My Fitness Pal

So I'm pretty excited because a few more of my friends have joined My Fitness Pal so I think I'm going to start keeping up with that more. I'm kind of frustrated with the site, though because they have developed a linking application to Body Media Fit but it isn't working. And Body Media is so much more user friendly. I always get annoyed when I have to input food into MFP. SO, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I temporarily unlinked it to see if I can figure out the problem. We shall see.

Good news! I found out that my favorite Zumba instructor is teaching a class in Lewisville on Wednesdays. I'm really excited to be going to Zumba again. I really loved it when I used to go regularly.

I'm still struggling to find my motivation but I think after this weekend, I will get serious. I'm so sick of staying the same weight!!

I can't believe how soon my marathon is coming up. 5 and a half weeks!!!!

Epiphany

So I've been doing A LOT of thinking about my life and how I can reach my maximum potential. I do very well in my professional life since I am so ambitious. I always represent myself well and am always looking for ways to better myself and my future. The one thing I've never fully gotten a grip on is my weight. I've struggled since I can remember and it's really starting to hold me back. Now I know I'm not huge, but I need to step it up and take better care of myself. It's time to get focused again. So, I'm regrouping and finding ways to get myself back on the right path. Here are my thoughts so far:

-I need to COMMIT to 4-5 days of exercise a week. No excuses!!

-I need to track my calorie intake every day.

-I need to get in my 8 glasses of water every day.

-I need to take my vitamins every day.

I'm thinking of getting in an exercise routine. I need to get in 2 weekday runs and a long run on Saturday, so that leaves me one to two extra days to cross train. I'm thinking I want to go back to Zumba. I really enjoyed that when I used to go all the time. I also am getting interested in strength training and am considering starting those bodypump classes at 24 hour.

This is my exercise plan for the week:

Monday-30 min run
Tuesday-30 min run
Wednesday-Zumba
Thursday-Rest
Friday-Rest
Saturday-24 mile run
Sunday-Rest

I got my run in today and I ate 1690 calories today. So far I'm on track and am doing well. I have GOT to see this through. Everyone deserves to feel confident and beautiful. It's time that I jump on the bandwagon.

Keepin' On

I know, long time no see! Don't hate!!

I've re-grouped and have been doing awesome for day and a half! HOLLA! I just finished a 21 miler with my team and it was awesome. Here is my schedule until race day:

10 miler
10 miler
23 miler
DRC Half
10 miler
10 miler
8 miler
MARATHON!!!!

I'm feeling really good that I will get a PR this year at Dallas. Let's goooo!!!!!

Weight Loss

BAD NEWS!!! From November to mid December of 2012, I got sick REALLY with Bronchitis. It was horrible. I was down for 5 weeks and was put on steroids. With the combination of eating sicky comfort food and being inactive for 5 weeks, mixed with the steroids making me eat everything in sight, I gained ALL my weight back. I'M SO BUMMED!!! But instead of complaining and living in shame, I'm going to do something about it. I know I work hard and can get this weight back off in no time if I focus. I am going to dedicate 2013 as MY year. I am committing to weighing in the last week of December and EVERY single week of 2013, no excuses. I also am making 2013 the year that I FINALLY reach my goal weight.

Because I started the week before the new year, I will have 53 weigh-ins total. I will be tracking all 53 weigh-ins on this page. Wish me luck!

Week 1: 5.5 lbs and 2.25 inches. Total of 5.5 lbs and 2.25 inches.
Week 2: 0.5 lbs and 3.50 inches. Total of 6.0 lbs and 5.75 inches.
Week 3: 2.5 lbs and 2.50 inches. Total of 8.5 lbs and 8.25 inches.

Back On Track

The last two weeks have proven to be exceptionally difficult. My stress level at work was ridiculously high, and my nutrition was poor and I wasn't exercising. This combination produces a Fibromyalia DISASTER!!! We are talking SERIOUS pain. It wasn't fun. I was in tears two days last week from all the pain and stress. Then I had to quit my 17 mile run at mile 4. It was really hard for me to quit, but I had to listen to my body. It was the right thing to do.

I have now settled into the first week of school and I'm officially back on a schedule. I do well on a schedule so this is a great thing. I bring healthy food at work and I'm starting to fit in some exercise again. I've noticed my shoulder inflammation has gone down a little bit so I'm hoping it will continue to go down and I am on the path to feeling better.

I've done some damage the last week and it'll take some time to undo it, but I'm committed to doing so and I'm looking forward to continuing my journey. I am back on track-I am NOT giving up!!

Ouch

Today I went back to work, and it was an 11 hour day because I had a meeting after school and worked in my room a couple hours after that. About that time, I noticed severe inflammation in my right shoulder up to my neck. Here we go...Ugh. I knew the Fibro would start up again when I went back to work. I might need to consider working out in the morning so I can get my exercise in when my body is not inflamed. I'm going to aim for afternoon again tomorrow and see my body feels. I am not going to stay late tomorrow so my plan is to leave on time and go to the gym straight from work. I'm going to do my fibro stretches tonight and go to bed very early. Cross your fingers that I feel good tomorrow! Anytime a pain cycle starts, it's important to get in front of it with exercise because once you're in that much pain, it's really hard to exercise because you feel like your body can't take it.

I still feel okay about things. I knew this was coming and have been mentally preparing for it. Tomorrow is a new day with maybe not so bad pain. I have my weekly weigh-in in the morning! Should be interesting since I've been a total slacker. :/

Cancelled??

So I get my happy self up at 3:45am to mix the Gatorade for our group and am on my way out the door by 4 and I get the word on the road that the run is cancelled because of lightning. There are pros and cons to this. Obviously, going back to bed rocks. But I actually got sleep and was ready, and ended up completely wasting a 5 gallon jug of Gatorade. Oh how it pains me!!! I'm gonna set it up in the kitchen today for some to drink just because I feel so bad.

So this messes with our schedule. I made specific weekend plans based on long mileage since I usually feel sick and am down for the day after any run more than 15 miles. It almost would be better to get the run in tomorrow but I'm thinking that won't work for some so I'm curious to see how we are going to make it up.

So yeah-slept until almost 11 and it was glorious considering I only have two days left of freedom before going back to work. Sadds!!!

And I have been SUCH a slacker! I've done cardio once in two weeks. It stops today! Ok maybe tomorrow! I have got to get myself back on a cardio pattern so I don't stall on weight loss.

Must keep going, must keep going!!!!

Feeling Down...

So I have to be honest, I'm feeling rather down today. It was one of those days where nothing went my way, and I was simply not happy. I'm very stressed about going back to work, and I'm worried about how my Fibro is going to handle itself once I'm feeling stressed and tired all the time again. Fibromyalgia is manageable in a low stress environment that allows me to get 10 hrs of sleep a night plus naps every day, but in a high stress environment with little sleep, it's very painful. I'm also worried about the first week back, when we have training and sit all day for a week. Usually sitting in a chair for more than 3 hours will start a flare up, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. It's nights like this when I really start to resent my condition. I know that I'm strong and a fighter but sometimes I find myself asking, "Why me?" and wish to feel good every day like normal people. To live everyday without having to stretch your body out or to lay flat because you've been sitting too long. It just doesn't seem fair, I feel this every second of every day.

But then I think of those who are dying, and have lost the battle of life and I have to consider myself lucky. I hope to one day come to peace with my condition. So far I have been unsuccessful.

I am also frustrated with how slowly my body is changing. Yes I look different, yes I've dropped weight, but why does it have to be so hard?? I feel like I have to bust my ass every day just to have the hope of looking fantastic. And I still am nowhere near it.
Don't get me wrong, I know I'm great, but sometimes it feels impossible to live up to our present day society's perception of beauty. I wish that all women could love themselves and appreciate their own beauty without the destructiveness that lies in negative comparatives. Maybe one of these days...

I know it's just an off day. I usually feel pretty good about things and I will feel better tomorrow. Everything will somehow work itself out and I will journey on in this unpredictable maze of life.

Gearin' Up For Half #9

I am running the Hottest Half Marathon in the morning! Woo Hoo! I got the race shirt, it's fine...should be cool since it's white, and I'm excited about getting another medal. One more hole to fill on my new medal rack! YAY!

I know it's going to be tough-was absolutely horrible last year when I did it. BUT-if we get a breeze, that'll help. I also know the course well and it's pretty flat. AND-I am 25 lbs lighter than I was this time last year when I ran the race. I am really curious to see if I beat my time. I should. Last year's hottest half was by far my worst half marathon time so if I don't, I have issues.

I admit I've been a slacker the last couple of weeks. I've been doing a lot of stretching and low key stuff, but haven't been getting as many runs in as I should. I want to start fresh after this half and do my required 2 weekly runs in before the long run on Saturdays. On our team schedule, I have 17 miles next Saturday, but that after a 13 mile half? Not sure how that's gonna work. I guess we will see how much energy I have at that time.

Wish me luck! I will be SO happy when it's over!!!

Inspiration

I've been following the Olympics very closely and I must say, I am so inspired by some of these athletes. They all have a story, they all have been down in their training, but they all have the courage to break through it and persevere. I'm also very impressed by their focus. It was great timing for my current mental state.

I am about to go back to work, and it will be very easy for me to work out less and make poor nutrition choices, BUT I am recognizing that I will be tired, and I must plan for it. My goals have not changed so my behaviors cannot, either. I think a key for me is sleep. I need to be tired at night and go to bed early. I think the best routine for me is going to the gym right after work on my way home. It's done by 6pm and I can enjoy my night and go to bed early.

With Fibromyaliga, I am hurting frequently and am exceptionally tired all the time, so I need a plan that will set me up for success. I am not my disease. I am a fighter, and strong as hell and I WILL reach my goals. Just like those athletes, sometimes circumstance makes things hard, but the ones that have what it takes will break through it and will be stronger and better for it in the end. I always need to remember: being weak is a choice, but so is being strong.

15 miler

This morning, I completed 15 miles with the team. I've been worried about this run for awhile and my concern was more than justified. The first 9 miles were great, but miles 10-15 were pretty brutal. When the sun was beating down and my feet hurt and I was staring up at hills when feeling slightly nauseous, it really was mind over matter. Luckily I had my team with me to help me through it. When you spend so many hrs running with people, you get really close and I was thinking today how lucky I am to have some of best friends suffering beside me. I feel like we can get through anything if we are together.

I'm absolutely exhausted. That run took everything out of me today. I haven't been sleeping well so I'm hoping I will get significant rest tonight so I can be up bright and early for church.

I am SO ready for Fall. Once the temperature drops, runs become 10x easier and we all the sudden get faster. Then it's time for race mode. OOooh yeaahhh!!

Speaking of races, it's now time to start mentally preparing for this Sunday's Hottest Half Marathon. Yay for a race shirt and a medal!

I'm off to bed. Hoping for some deep sleep. Good night, dear readers.

Running In Heat

So this Saturday, I have a 15 miler in the dead summer heat. Hot long mileage is never fun, but I don't think I've gone more than 13 in this kind of heat before. Usually our mileage doesn't increase to this until about September, when the temperature starts going down again. Naturally, I am nervous. The first 9 miles should be fine. Some of it will be done in the dark. But it starts to get crazy hot around the time of an insanely steep incline in elevation from mile 10-13. In other words, very hard hills when it's the hottest and we're the most tired. SCARY!!!
I love our team and we have a great group of conversationalists, so usually we make the best of it and try to have some fun. I do like the 15 mile course (minus the hills, of course) because a lot of it is around White Rock Lake. I will be one happy girl when this 15 miler is over. Then we will have 2 weeks before the next long 17 miler! Ahh we're gonna die!!!!

Anytime I start to get scared or feel weak, I think of my favorite motto:

Sweaty Bands!

Now I realize these are incredibly girly, but I love them!!! They are multi-functional. They keep your fly-aways out of your hair when you run AND they sparkle, therefore allowing you to look cute while staying athletic. Might I suggest the sparkle color matching with your outfit? So fun!
You can see that I arranged them to be in the shape of the Olympics. I'm the creative type. You're welcome. :D

For all your sweaty band needs....you can visit: www.sweatybands.com :0)

I Love Short Runs!!!

Yesterday, we had a short 8 miler that was awesome. We had about a mile of intense hills, but overall it wasn't bad. And it was short! I love short runs!! I'm trying to prepare for next week's 15 miler. It's going to be insanely hot...the longest I've gone in this heat. I'm nervous. I also have The Hottest Half Marathon coming up in a couple of weeks. Yikes! Why am I so stupid?? Ha. I know I'll be happy when it's over, and I can't wait to get the medal and the shirt. I'm ridiculously excited about race shirts and what sparkle skirts they match with. Yes, I'm a nerd. :D :D

SO...as the summer is winding down, I'm looking at the prediction of my summer weight loss goals. I wanted to lose 15-20 lbs and it looks like I'm going to hit around 15, if all goes well. I'm bummed I didn't get to 20 but I am smaller now, and I lose at a slower rate when I'm smaller. I should have prepared for this in my calculation. Oh well, I'm trying to be happy with 15. I have about 3 more weeks left of summer so I'm going to try my best to finish strong! I can't believe it's almost time to go back to work. Where did the summer go?!

Rest And A New Shirt!

My Disney "In Training" shirt came in yesterday! I actually chose the more masculine one, which is odd for me since I always go for girly, but I didn't like the design of the lighter color, so I went with this one. Yes, that was a run-on sentence. :D It's a dark color, so I will have to save it for Fall, but it still gets me excited about running Disney, so I'm happy.

I have REALLY enjoyed these last two days of rest. I have stretched out my body a lot and I'm feeling good again. Friday's are usually rest days because of Saturday morning runs, but since we're only running 8 miles this Saturday, I can workout tomorrow since I've been such a bum. (Bummage rocks).

I had lunch with my friend Jenny today and we talked Disney races pretty much the whole time. Eventually, I'd like to run Wine and Dine, Tower of Terror 10 mile, Tinkerbell Half, Disneyland Half, and WDW Marathon Weekend. So yeah, pretty much all of them. :D I can't wait until I have money, it will be ON!

Have a great night, dear readers! I am off for some more resting. (YES!) :0)

630 minutes = CRAZY!

So this week in my UG Challenge, I took on the 630 minutes of exercise in a week challenge. I'm SO tired. I have completed four 100 min workouts and a 12 mile run this week. Today, I took 3 naps and I'm STILL tired. I cannot wait to rest. I was lying in bed this morning and my entire body felt so tight. I know this is good but it hurts! I think tomorrow I'm going to take the day off, even though it's the day of my favorite Zumba class.

I think tonight and tomorrow will consist of lots of sleep, hot baths and many hours of rest. I can't WAIT!!!

2010 DRC Half Marathon

DRC and I have a love/hate relationship. I've done well with time on that race, but for some reason I get horribly sick after all of them. HMM! Of course both times my strategy was completely stupid. I started out going really fast and too hard, and then I'm hella tired by the end. BUT, I still don't understand why I'm so sick when I'm fully conditioned by the time the race comes. The world may never know.

A lot of people hate this race, and I'm not really sure why. It's a great time of year, and though it has some solid hills in random places, I like the race. White Rock is beautiful so I'm always happy to run there. And with a great shirt and a medal, I always enjoy it. Now after this particular race, I remember getting my medal, and see the pic above? I was about to hurl when that was taken. Can you tell? (and oh my gosh, I was fat!) Immediately after that race, I had to lay down because walking made me faint. I got horribly sweaty and started seeing white. If I laid down, it was bearable, but every time I'd try to get up, I'd get sick again. My two PGL's at the time went and got massages while I stayed on the ground, haha. Then we rode the bus back and I felt horrible all the way home. I slept for a very long time when I got home then got very ill the next 4 days. Good. Times.

I Love New Toys!

My medal rack came in! I love it!!! And look at all those holes with no medals. Just WHAT are we going to do about that?! :p

12 Miler

This morning, our Galloway group completed 12 miles. It was actually a pretty fun run, with the exception of the last 2 miles. We laughed a lot and kept each other entertained for quite awhile. It didn't feel like 12 miles. But by mile 11, I was ready to be done. The sun was beating down in a not so fun kind of way, with no breeze. Ew! But the good news, it's over and now we get a later run next week with less mileage! YAY!! I'm trying not to think about 2 weeks from now when we have a 14-15 miler in the same awful heat.

I have the Hottest Half Marathon coming up in about 3 weeks. The medal has the sun wearing sunglasses! Cute!!

And lastly, I'm doing a challenge this week that is the goal of 630 exercise minutes during the week. I was really dumb and took two full rest days, so I'm gonna be bustin' it these last 3 days. We're talking 2 hours a day kind of bustin' it. Why do I do this to myself?!

I'm still feeling great and excited about reaching new heights! Until next time! :0)

3:1's

My training is going GREAT! This week I got up to 3:1's and it felt easy. I'm going to do the same thing next week, but will gradually increase my speed. I had a great weigh-in this week and am down almost 12 lbs this summer. So far I am right on track!

Tomorrow morning, we have a 12 mile run at 5am. It's going to be VERY hot. I will be happy when it's over.

I signed up for another half-Heels and Hills and Him in September. I'm ridiculously excited.

Off to bed...I need to get up at 3:40AM tomorrow. Ahhh!!!

Magic Mile #2

This morning, we had our group run of 8 miles. We started out the run by completing a magic mile, aka run as hard as you can, putting forth 95% of all you've got. We use this tool to predict our race pace and view our improvement throughout the season. My first magic mile was in mid May on the very first day of marathon training. It killed me and I was very slow. Here are stats:

Magic Mile #1-Mid May-13:41 pace
Magic Mile #2-Mid July-11:58 pace

I was pumped about an 11:58 magic mile! And I only put forth about 85% effort, I could have pushed harder but I didn't necessarily want to because we had 7 miles to go and I knew I would crash and burn if I did. So those numbers are a significant improvement and I'm happy.

I was pretty miserable the last 3 miles of the run, though. Those magic miles always kill me and I was feeling very sick, exhausted and defeated. I did fine and held up strong, but inside I was wanting to puke. On the way home, I was trying not to fall asleep in the car. And then I took a shower and slept for 2 hours. I'm still feeling sore and tired but at least I'm more rested.

So yeah, good times. Runs like these certainly make you appreciate the ones when you feel good.

Speed work

I've started lengthening my running intervals during my weekly runs. Tonight I did the following pattern 3 times: 2:1's 2x followed by a 3:1. This pacing seems to be working well. It's not easy yet, but today seemed a little easier than last time and I maintained the 12:56 pace so I'm happy.

Tomorrow is our magic mile for our running group. I'm curious to see how much I improve from the last one we did in Mid May. I've been training hard since then so I'm hoping for a decent improvement.

Off to bed! Early run in the morning! :0)

Body Glide

On runs more than 13 miles in the heat, this little bottle is your FRIEND! Now, this might be gross, but runners learn fast that you learn A LOT about a person on long runs...burp, sweat, puke, you name it, it happens. So if you go long in the horrible heat, you will notice the grossness that is chaffing. Mine usually happens under the sports bra and it is NOT fun. So apply this little baby between any long run, and voila, the RED. IS. LESS. :D

Red Balloon 5K

This race was just for fun. I did this race with my friend's Christina and Jeana. We had a blast! We ended up making shirts with the matching red theme. Aren't they cute?!

We even got polka dot ribbon bows to match. Oh yeah, it happened. :0)

Here we are getting the warm fuzzies as they release the red balloons to symbolize our little ones in need.

The course was super flat and easy and that's my kinda race! It was fun going short. And it was even more fun doing it with friends.

Here are Christina and Jeana looking cute..

And then all of us before the start...

WE DID IT!!!

And of course before we left, we had to get a stupid picture with random blow up hockey man.

Good time, good cause, good day!

Princess Half Costume

So Jenny and I were talking a lot about outfits for the Princess race and I think I've come up with what I want to do. I'm thinking this cute pink polka dot Minnie sparkle skirt...

...with a white or black shirt with my name and a cute saying on it...with these cute matching Minnie Mouse ears...

SO FUN!!!

*Denotes PR’s

Full Marathons
*2012 Dallas Marathon-6:56:18--15:45 pace
2011 White Rock Marathon-7:09:17--16:23 pace
2010 White Rock Marathon-7:13:18-- 16:32 pace

Half Marathons
*2011 Texas Half Marathon-3:03:57--14:03 pace
2011 Heels and Hills Half Marathon-3:05:08--14:08 pace
2012 Heels and Hills and Him Half Marathon-3:09:56--14:25 pace
2012 DRC Half Marathon-3:10:18--14:20 pace
2010 DRC Half Marathon-3:11:56--14:39 pace
2011 DRC Half Marathon-3:12:46--14:43 pace
2011 Cowtown Half Marathon-3:21:35--15:23 pace
2012 Hottest Half Marathon-3:26:55--15:48 pace
2010 Big D Half Marathon-3:31:53--16:10 pace
2011 Big D Half Marathon-3:40:53--16:52 pace
2011 Hottest Half Marathon-3:49:11-17:29 pace

15Ks
*2013 Hot Chocolate 15K-2:08:07--13:42 pace
2011 Bold In The Cold 15K-2:11:44--14:10 pace
2010 Too Hot To Handle 15K-2:29:65--16:07 pace

10Ks
*2011 Addison Hot Chocolate Run 10K-1:23:28--13:26 pace
2012 Hotcake Hustle 10K-1:33:30--15:03 pace

6.4Ks
*2012 Dallas Miller 64 6.4K-57:31--14:23pace

5Ks
*2010 Red Balloon 5K-53:10--16:36 pace
2011 St. Paddy's Day Dash Down Greenville 5K-54:29--17:32 pace
2013 FIREFLY 5K Pace????

Mini Marathons
*2013 Moo Cow Mini Marathon 2.62miles-39:45--15:10 pace

2011 White Rock Marathon Medal

This is my favorite FULL medal. The 26.2 changes color tone in the light. It's heavy and made of nice material. Love. It.

2011 DRC Half Marathon Medal

I really like this medal. It was extra big because it was an anniversary medal. Although I like the medal, I got sick AGAIN at this race. I have no idea what it is about DRC, but I've gotten VERY sick both times I've run it. HMM!

2011 Hottest Half Marathon Medal

This race was NUTS! I should have known, based on the name. But 13.1 miles in August heat in Texas was definitely a challenge. I'm still proud of it, though. It has fire on it and makes me feel like a badass. :p

2011 Heels and Hills Half Marathon Medal

Obviously, I love this medal. It's PINK!!! I loved this race, was the only race I've run in a storm! Good times. I love girly medals!!!

2011 Big D Half Marathon Medal

This is my *FAVORITE* Half Marathon medal. It's so cool looking!!! They definitely improved their medal from the previous year. Now I'm not gonna lie, I completed the race, but I was kind of a slacker. I was sick, dehydrated, and pretty much walked the last 8 miles. Oops!

2011 Cowtown Half Marathon Medal

I really like this medal. I earned this one, Cowtown has definitely been the most difficult Half to date. And this race series is so cool because each year's medal is one piece of 4 that goes together to make a ginormo presentation display. Maybe one of these days I can do 4 years in a row for all pieces.

2011 Texas Half Marathon Medal

Although this medal is definitely not my favorite, this race is special because it's my PR, aka my fastest Half Marathon time. WOOP!

2010 White Rock Marathon Medal

This medal is very special because it was my first FULL marathon, and therefore my first full marathon medal. The material is very nice and it's very heavy. I love it, I just stared at it for days! Numberous hours of training and many tears were shed to get this medal. I'm VERY proud.

2010 DRC Half Marathon Medal

This was my 2nd Half, DRC Half Marathon. I liked this medal okay and I definitely earned it. I got VERY sick during this race.

2010 Big D Half Marathon Medal

This was my VERY first race medal! I was so excited about it, even though it's the most boring one I own. I worked HARD for it and it will be forever special to me.

What I Can Do In 30 Days

Today is special because it marks day 30 of staying in calorie range, drinking lots of water, and exercising like crazy! I am officially down 9.5 lbs in 30 days and can fit comfortably in my smallest pair of jeans. YAY!!! MUST. KEEP. GOING.

Officially Registered!

Today, I registered for The Princess Half Marathon! YAY!! Signing up was very exciting and then Jenny and I got to talking about outfit options. My biggest dilemma is going to be to go with Minnie red or Minnie pink. Man, it's a tough life! :p

New Year's Double Surprise

I'm so excited! I got my New Year's Double In Training shirt today in the mail. Isn't it cute?! Can't wait to wear it! :0)

Longer Intervals

Yesterday, I thought I'd try and push myself a little during my run. I've been slowly incorporating longer intervals in my runs to work on speed. The past couple of weeks, I've done 1:1's twice, then 90:60 2x then 2:1's twice. Yesterday, I did all 2:1's and incorporated two 3:1's. I was so happy, my overall pace for 30 minutes was 12:56! I've been waiting to see a 12 for awhile so I'm very excited! It did push me and it wasn't easy, so I'm going to continue to do that and see if it gets easier with time. To Success! CHEERS!!

30/30s

This morning was our 11 miler. It was insanely muggy and I'm pretty sure it's the wettest we've been this season so far. Our Marine Corp runners went early to complete an extra 2 miles but the regular marathoners started at 5am. We tried 30/30s instead of 1:1's. I was against this at first but I have to be honest, I liked them. I felt good the entire time, didn't tire out too bad and could have gone longer. I also felt good for a long time after the run. Score! I can't tell if it was easier because of the 30/30s themselves, or because there wasn't a hot sun today. I'm curious to see if I feel the same on a hot sun kind of day.

I'm feeling good about training and had a great weigh-in week. I lost 2.6 lbs and 4.8 inches! YAY!!! I am starting to see the reshaping of my body and that's uber exciting. I am amazed at the results of strength training. Must. Keep. Going!!!

2010 Too Hot To Handle 15K

This race certainly lived up to it's name. It was a 9 miles of pure hell. First of all, it started late. Almost 30-45 min late, and it got hotter and hotter. The first part of the race wasn't bad. But by the last two miles, we were all dying. I remember only being able to run 40 seconds of the minute interval. And the same was for those around me. Jamie tried to keep us motivated by blaring loud music on her belt, but it didn't work. I thought I was gonna die!! We finally finished, and I'd never been so happy to see the word FINISH in my life!


At the end, after a few minutes of rest, we got a group photo. This was our 2010 Slow Burner Running Team! Memories!!

Since then, we've run in the same horrid heat, but not once have we ever done this race again. HA!

2010 Big D Half Marathon

This race is extra special to me because it was my very first half-marathon. And my very first race, for that matter. I did a half way before I did any 5K, 10K or anything else. I had trained on my own up to 11 miles and I was ready. I was very nervous and had no idea what to expect. I remember being clueless as to what to do at races. As soon as we got there, I asked this lady, "So we just stand around until we start? We don't check-in?" HAHA! And then right before the start, I remember standing in a large group of runners, feeling like I was going to throw up, and telling myself, "You can do this, You can do this." It was TERRIFYING! I did all kinds of stupid stuff in my first half, like start in the front. Oh and then giving it my all for 5 miles and then crashing at mile 6. Gotta love being a new runner, wasn't quite sure how to pace myself back then. And I didn't know how to keep my adrenaline from controlling me. I've learned a lot since then. BUT-my finish was still great.

I cried, of course and my friend Christina and my mom were there to greet me at the finish line.

Then I met a group of my supportive friends at El Fenix for a celebration dinner!

The medal sucked but they redeemed themselves by having a rockin' medal the following year. So overall, a great experience. I thought that'd be it. NOPE! If I had only known just how addictive those races are! :0)

SPARKLE SKIRTS!!!

Jenny is responsible for my latest obsession....SPARKLE SKIRTS!!! Aren't they cute?! We match! And we planned it! Good. Times. :0)

Meeting Jeff Galloway!

Today, some of us from Galloway got to meet THE ONE AND ONLY Jeff Galloway! I'd never met him before so I wasn't sure what to expect. He is awesome. Very knowledgable and so personable! He had very insightful information on all things running. We even got a picture! :0)

He talked a lot about different races and couldn't say enough great things about Disney. This of course got me even MORE excited and now I'm more motivated than ever! I'm also starting to see some serious changes in my body. Thank you strength training!!! Gotta keep going. Possibilities are ENDLESS!

New Year's Double

I just signed up for the New Year's Double! It's a Half Marathon on New Year's Eve and a Half Marathon on New Year's Day! I'm so excited, I love new challenges!!

Progress!

I had a really hard workout in the gym today and I'm excited to report that I am seeing progress! SCORE! I've been starting this new strength training program, which if I'm honest, I've never done before. My doctor told me strength training would help tremendously with my Fibromyalgia. He is right! I am starting to feel GOOD! Anyway, today when I was doing the kettlebell, I realized I am ready to up my weight. I am currently doing a 15lb bell and I think I'm ready for a 20. On the dumb bells, I'm ready for 10 lbs instead of 8. WOO HOO!

Then I went to cardio and I've noticed that my last three treadmill runs have increased in pace by 15 seconds each run. I'm getting faster! These are the intervals I used today:

1:1's 2x
90:60 2x
2:1 2x
Repeat

That interval sequence adds up to exactly 30 minutes so it works out! I think by next week I will be ready to increase my intervals even more. I'm excited!

Princess Half and a MEAN scale!

I have always wanted to run Disney and HORRAY...it's happening!! My new friend Jenny and I are doing it together. She's super sweet and fun and I know we will have a blast! I cannot believe it...I've dreamed of this for so long! I cannot wait to run those 13 magical miles! The race weekend is Feb. 22nd-24th, 2013. We will most likely fly down Friday and come back Monday. I need to get skinny because I need to look cute in all the pics. YAY!!!

On a more downer note, I lost ZERO weight this week. I was uber bummed. I did lose 4 inches, though so I know I'm making progress. I worked hard so I was surprised to see no loss, but the inches don't lie so I'm trying to stay positive.

I *WILL* reach my goal. NOTHING will stop me!!!

About Me

I'm Lindsey, 31 years old and am currently living in Plano, TX. You know, growing up, I never thought I'd ever be a runner. I still can't believe it when I think about it. But I've always had something inside of me that craves extreme success in any form, and I've been this way since I can remember. I am very much a goal setter, and I like to learn new things and perfect the art, whichever it may be. I'm also a perfectionist and demand the very best from myself at all times. I'm pretty sure I get this from my father.

Anyway, I have played softball, did some strength training in college, and became a pro at the elliptical machine but to be honest, I never, EVER enjoyed working out and the mere realization of that is why I never pushed myself to do something great.

THEN...one day I was watching Biggest Loser. At that time I was very unhealthy, sad, depressed, and ready for a new challenge. On that night's episode, they were having the Biggest Loser Half-Marathon. Watching the finish of the participants inspired me and I just bursted into tears. It hit me like a bolt of lightning...I said, "I'm going to do that!" And I did!! I started big...of course. I'm very extreme so I did a half way before I ever did a 5K, 10K or 15K. But it was great. I trained on my own, starting with Couch to 5K. I will NEVER forget my first week of this program. Never running a day of my life, naturally I was dying. And I will never forget day 3. I was on the treadmill and completing the 60 seconds jogging, 90 seconds walking intervals for 20 minutes. The guy next to me says, "Are you okay? Maybe you should sit for a second." HAHA yeah, that happened. It was the hardest thing I'd ever done in my LIFE. To this day, I still say running up to 3 miles for the first time is still harder than going long. The work it takes to condition the body up to that is huge, and I will always respect that process.
MOVING ON, once I got to where I could run 3 miles straight, I created a customized half-marathon training program for myself and I chose the Big D Half to be my first race. During training, I discovered my love for running. I can honestly say running my little heart out every Saturday, upping my miles one week at a time was one of the best times of my life! Every week, I hit a "that's the longest I've ever run in my life" milestone. Talk about a high! I loved it. And then race day came. My first Half-Marathon finish was amazing. I cried of course and got my first medal. It was *AWESOME*! At that time I thought it would be a check it off the list kind of thing. Nope! I love new challenges and thought, "Well if I can do a half, then I can do a full!" So I signed myself up for the Jeff Galloway Running Program. This program was different because it was 1 min walking/1 min running. I was running straight on my own, but my body was feeling it, and I figured this could be great for going really long and preventing injury. So I tried it and found that the support of a running group made all the difference in those upper mileages. We trained for 30 weeks and I completed my first Full Marathon in December of 2010. Yes I was very proud of myself but I'm not going to glamour it up. It was awful and I was in tears the last 6 miles. But once I recovered, I could enjoy the reward of finishing and accomplishing that insane goal.

Since then, I've completed 11 Half Marathons and 3 Full Marathons. I'm also now a Pace Group Leader for my running team and I absolutely love it. I have found my running family and I am so grateful this has turned out to be such a passion for me.

So now only one question remains...

Should I do an Ultra? :0) Maybe one of these days...

~Lindsey

Keepin' On!

I'm so pumped because Marathon training has officially started and I'm fully motivated to have a great PR this year! It is also the first week of a new UG challenge and I'm motivated to do well! My goal is to lose 15-20 lbs this summer. I know that will make a huge difference in my PR in December.

I'm also re-vamping my blog! My friend Jenny totally inspired me with hers, so I'm on a mission to make mine better and up to date! Hopefully this will help me stay focused through the course of my journey.

Last night I had a great workout at the gym. I did a 30 minute run with much longer running intervals, 20 flights of stairs, serious upper body weights, and my fibro stretches. This totaled to be 90 minutes. A great day 1 with a calorie deficit of 1,185. Woo Hoo!

Upcoming Races

2013 DRC Breakfast Bash 5 Mile
2013 Electric Zombie Run
2013 Tower of Terror Happy Trail 5K
2013 Tower of Terror 10 Mile
2013 Bad Prom 5K
2013 McKinney Mini
2013 Dallas Marathon Relay
2013 New Years Eve Double 5K
2014 New Years Day Double 5K
2014 Blacklight Run
2014 Hot Chocolate 15K

I am up to 33 races so far! Woo Hoo!!!

2013 Disney Mickey's Haunted 5K
2013 Disney Tower of Terror 10 Miler
2013 Moo Cow Mini Marathon
2013 Firefly 5K
2013 Rock N Roll Half Marathon
2013 Disney's Princess Half Marathon
2013 Hot Chocolate 15K
2013 New Years Day Double 5K
2012 New Years Eve Double Half Marathon
2012 Dallas Marathon
2012 DRC Half Marathon
2012 Heels and Hills and Him Half Marathon
2012 DRC Breakfast Bash 5 mile
2012 Hottest Half Marathon
2012 Miller64 6.4K
2012 Hotcake Hustle 10K
2012 Dallas White Rock Marathon
2011 DRC Half Marathon
2011 Hottest Half Marathon
2011 Heels and Hills Half Marathon
2011 Big D Half Marathon
2011 St. Paddy's Day Dash Down Greenville 5K
2011 Cowtown Half Marathon
2011 Texas Half Marathon
2011 Too Cold To Hold 15K
2011 Hot Chocolate Run 10K
2011 Bold In The Cold 15K
2010 Dallas White Rock Marathon
2010 DRC Half Marathon
2010 Red Balloon 5K
2010 DRC Breakfast Bash 5 mile
2010 Too Hot To Handle 15K
2010 Big D Half Marathon

Shoes

Shoes are the most important piece of equipment for running. I use Brooks' Ghost 3 for Women and I absolutely *LOVE* them. I was fitted at a running store and they are pretty close to perfect. My only wish is that they had them in pink. :0)