Shamrockin' 5K

I'm already registered for several races this year and there are even more that I plan to sign up for. This year I thought I would try and write a review for al the races I do just as a "racing journal" for 2013.

First race of the year is the Shamrockin' 5K - this is part of a 4 race package put on by TNMRA in Flower Mound. I didn't do any of their races last year, so it was nice to race at a new location and get some new obstacles in. My friends Lisa and Nana ran it as well and we had a lot of fun.

It jumped right off with a nasty mud trench that took a lot of people's shoes right away. We saw several barefoot people during the remainder of the race. Pro Tip: duct tape! Then there was a slippery wall, couple of quick obstacles before we headed into the woods for a straight up 1.5 mile trail run. This is a 5K, so that's about half the race. Once we were out of the woods, it was obstacle time to the end. Cargo climb, log jumps, tire run, tire climbs, hay bale climbs, balance beam, pitch black maze, big slip and slide (we went together and almost drowned laughing so hard as we crawled out), half pipe wall climb, lots of hill climbs and mud - then...a zip line! This was a first for me and for those that don't know, I'm TERRIFIED of heights. I struggle with it at every race, climbing walls and jumping off things. I always feel better on the other side, but this really freaked me out. You have to climb this scaffolding, onto a platform and then hold on to the zip handles as you go out over the water and then drop halfway out. You then have to swim to shore. Gotta tell you - totally freaked me out. I don't know if that one will ever get easier. But - I did it!! After that it's a quick mud crawl and you are at the finish line.

Overall I had a great time. The people that put this on are really passionate about what they do, which I love. The line for the zip line took a while, so I'm not posting my time, but it was a lot of fun. The shirt is great and the medal is pretty cute. They have food and and a band for the after party, but we were pretty cold and already behind schedule, so we didn't stay too long.

Next up - Rock N Roll Half Marathon on March 24!

Road bump...but still chugging along

Well I was hoping that I would be updating this blog with a race report today, but as most people know, I broke my toe last Wednesday (see picture above). Totally SUCKS. Luckily the break isn't terrible, so I'm hoping to be back on my feet in a week or two. It's already feeling much better - I've been keeping it taped and walking around in a super sexy ortho shoe. I'm going to start walking with my coworkers again this week and then depending on how that goes, I may try to run a little on it next weekend.

I've finally started to really notice changes in my appearance and it's nice to have my clothes fit better. I'm down about 25 lbs total since the baby was born, but the inches have really dropped. The first picture above is from early April and the second picture is from this past Monday. Not a flattering outfit, but since it's the same you can kind of see the difference.

The program at work is going great, I'm about halfway to my first $100, and it hasn't even been a month, so I think that's good progress. My coworkers and I have been doing a little 30 minute walk every day, which helps get our step count up - and then my running was really helping. I hate that I'm going to miss out on so many steps this week - hopefully walking will go well and that will help keep the count up.

Eating is good too, I've been able to eat sensibly and still have a treat here and there but keep up the steady loss.

A boring post, but an update nonetheless.

I'm 'bout to get PAID!

See that picture? That's my new companion, it goes with me everywhere. Our company is sponsoring us with this new program called Virgin HealthMiles - www.virginhealthmiles.com. It's this great program where you log activity (more on this in a minute) and earn health miles. As you earn miles, there are reward levels that PAY CASH MONEY. Did you hear that? PAYS CASH MONEY! So not only am I going to continue to get fit, but I'm going to earn a little extra income. The timeline is one full year and within that year there is a potential to earn up to $800. Now, for those that know me - I consider that a challenge and I will do everything I can to earn every penny of that amount. There are some negative nellies around my office that think there is no way to really earn any real cash, but I say BRING IT ON.

So there are few ways to earn miles:

- enter 3 biomeasurements every month: body fat percentage, weight and blood pressure

- wear the GoZone pedometer (which they provide!) to log steps (it connects via USB and automatically uploads your steps

- log in to the website at least 2x a week

- record activity minutes every day for workouts, etc.

- set up challenges between you and your coworkers to get everyone moving

It's been 1 week and I've already got 800 points. If I keep that up, I'll be hitting the first reward zone in about a month and that means $100! Dude. This is pretty much the coolest thing ever.

In other news, running is going awesome (and clocking me a LOT of steps!) and I'm still on track for my race, which is 2 weeks from Saturday. I'm up to 4 miles and it feels so good to be back on the road. Tonight I tackled a big hill that I know is on the race course because I really wanted to see how it would feel and I have to say that it totally kicked my butt. I stayed shuffling though and got up that bad boy. I'm so ready to get a bib back on my shirt. I'm considering doing a small 5K on Monday - the White Rock Racing group usually puts on some smaller races on holidays since everyone is off work anyway. I need to go by Run On! and register for it - it would be nice to get a little 5K under my belt before doing the 10K.

The weight loss is back on track - I went back to WW online and my eating habits are finally feeling more manageable. I'm starting to see some real changes in my body and my clothes are fitting better. I have a long way to go, but I'm definitely feeling healthier.

Couch 2 5K - Week 7

So since I've decided to make my running comeback during what is turning into the hottest summer of all time, I've moved several of my runs to later in the evening, usually around 8p. This also means that the kiddo has retired as my running partner for right now - I just can't get him out there when it's this hot. This is the first week of all running, no walking and so far it's been great. Tonight I did 25 minutes straight and got just under 2.5 miles in. It's been so awesome to run for solid blocks of time. I know that the walk breaks were necessary in the beginning, but they were starting to hurt more than just running straight through - which I'm taking as a good sign! It's still not an automatic for me - I have to talk myself into it somedays, but once I get going, it's all good.
I have some new motivation to get serious about my eating again: pictures! The kiddo's birthday party was this weekend and after looking at the pictures, it was just confirmation that I'm still pretty far from where I want to be. I've been getting active again, but I haven't been eating as well and my water intake is TERRIBLE. I've made a conscious effort starting this week (2 days, I know) to cut back on sweets, get more water and keep an eye on my portions.

Couch 2 5K

Today was the start of week 5 of the Couch 2 5K plan for me. It's been going really well and tonight I did more running than I have in a year and a half and it felt really good. The kiddo joins me for the majority of my runs, but I'm trying to do a least one a week with out him for a little alone time. I've even been meeting up with my running group again, usually twice a week. I see them on Saturdays sometimes, but they are usually pretty far into their long run by the time we get out there. I've registered for the Tours des Fleurs 10K in September and Muddy Buddy in October, so I'm trying to stay on track so that I can run as much of the races as possible. This week will be a little tricky since we are going out of town. By this weekend I'm supposed to run a full 2 miles with no walk breaks - but I'll probably end up just repeating what I did tonight when we get back and then repeat this week's plan next week.
It's been so nice to run with my friends again and everyone loves to see the kiddo when he joins us. I have some loftier plans, but I'm not going to get serious about them until I get through these 1st two races...more to follow...

On the road again

It's true (picture). I can't get back to the races I miss if I don't get back on the roads. A good friend and I were talking the other day about how we both need to find a way to add some fun back into our lives. Balance and all that jazz. Actually, I was telling HER how she needs to find balance in HER life and realized that maybe...just maybe...I could take my own advice. I sat quietly and asked myself - if you had some free time, what would you do for fun? The first thing I thought of was running. Races, traveling with my running buddies, being outside...surprising, but my first thought, nonetheless. So I decided to get real about it instead of making excuses for not getting out there. Yes, it is FREAKING hot. Yes, there are not enough hours in the day. Yes, it will be hard starting from scratch.

SO...I registered for a 10K in September (one of my favorites) and my friend and I (see above) are going to do Muddy Buddy in October. I have no time goals, I just want to run again. My goal for the 10K will be to cross the finish line. The goal for Muddy Buddy will be to have as much fun as possible (and get Stacy in a good mud fight). I've reconnected with my running friends and even though I'm way behind them, I'm showing up at the same places, talking them about their upcoming races, etc. It has really helped keep me motivated. The kiddo enjoys the walk/runs and we've been able to make it work with our schedule - so far. Right now it's just 30-40 minutes, so it's manageable. In the last 7 days, I've done 4 30 minute walk/runs. I'm following the C25K plan right now, so it's been 1 min run/1.5 min walk this week and starting on Monday it will be 1.5 run/2 walk.

I feel better - more like myself. I feel more motivated to get other things done - cleaning the house, running the errands I need to take care of - it's easier to STAY off the couch once I've gotten off of it.

I know, I know...I give up.

It's become extremely clear that the only thing standing in the way of me taking better care of myself is...me. I was talking to a friend today about getting fit and taking better care of ourselves all around and we were laughing because I was explaining to her that I'm not good at not being good at something. It's difficult for me to start over with my running. It's difficult for me to start up with p90x being in the shape I am in. I prefer to skip the beginning steps and just be excellent right from the start. It keeps me from trying more often than I'd like to admit. I've been like that since I was a kid - I would not play something until I knew the rules and/or was able to play well. Friends would play a new game and I would stand off to the side to make sure I understood the game and had some strategic ideas first. It's just how I am. So when it comes to getting back to my athletic endeavors, I like to make these grandiose plans that have me progressing at what would most likely be an urealistic pace. Then when it fails, I quit. I'm an "all in" kind of girl. So I give up. I admit that I have to start over - at whatever it is that I want to start over. I make no plans. Today I took a walk with the kiddo and we had a lot of fun. I think we'll try to take a walk again tomorrow. This does not mean that I need to running again by next week, or that I need to schedule a big race to create some incentive. It just means that I'm going to try my best to get me and the kiddo out of the house for a walk as often as we can.

In other news, the weight loss has stalled - which I expected. I have not completely reverted back to eating whatever I want, but I've slipped more often than I like. I'm grateful that the scale has at least stayed in the same place, which is nice. I tried Zumba last week at the gym and I have to say that it was a lot of fun - and an EXCELLENT workout. That damn class had me sweating buckets and I was even sore for a couple of days. I'm going to try and hit that class up when I can - it made me feel really great. I have a new haircut, which I'm completely in love with and would love to share with you, but I haven't taken a new pic yet. I'll try to get one up later this week. Other than that, all is well.