Weigh in Wednesday...and some other stuff

Today is the first day of weigh ins for The Holiday Challenge I am currently involved in. Up until now I have not made my weight public on my blog. I have decided it's time. Quick sidenote before to everyone...

 While I still do not like the number that stares back at me, it is better than the number 28 lbs ago! I have to be honest with you and myself at the same time...so here it is. My full disclosure....................


I don't want to do it....


But here it is......

Yuck. Okay, again, I reiterate that I am in NO WAY proud of that number. I am in NO WAY happy about how I have let myself get to this number. (That word is how we keep ourselves honest. I give my team a word of the week on Tuesday, and the word must be in the picture they send me Wednesday morning!) Up until now, no one has known my true weight besides my Dr's office and myself. I want you to know how much posting this pains me. I was a whole Buck 25 in high school. I never ever in my wildest dreams thought I could let myself go this much. I was 189 when I got pregnant with my daughter, so I can't blame it all on my pregnancy. What I can blame it on is the emotional eating, comfort in my relationship(not having to impress anymore), and just plain not caring what I put in my mouth. I had a serious wake up call when I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes around my 26th week of pregnancy. I really really learned what foods I should and should not be eating, portion controls, and listening to my body when it tells me I need protein, not sugar, for energy. I did really well at keeping my Blood Sugar down through walking and eating right for the remainder of my pregnancy. I had to still take insulin though, because they were concerned she was still gaining weight too rapidly.

After she was born, I was back to eating crap as the diabetes left my system. In the back of my mind I knew that I had a higher chance of developing Type 2 diabetes, but didn't care enough. I was tired, I had a newborn. Snacks, pop, and take out were the easiest options especially when my husbands was gone on nightshift. After tons of headaches, several bouts of high blood pressure, a couple of scares, and a hospitalization, I was done. It was time to get healthy. You know the rest.

A few positives about this weight...

I have not seen this number since around October or November of 2010.

I have lost 28 lbs to date

I am 2 lbs away from 30 gone

It is a far cry from where I was 6 months ago.

So I will continue to forge on. Look for a special post when I hit that 30 lbs. Progression pictures, a letter to those 30 lbs, and how I plan to lose many, many more!

On another note...I want to say Hi to all of my new followers!! There are lots of you that are new to here and don't know me personally, but I rely on them just as much as I think they rely on me. So in an effort to get to know me better...here are a few things about me...

1. I am a mommy to a beautiful and fiery almost 2 year old. She keeps us on our toes constantly. And I love every single minute.

2. I am a wife to a police officer. He went to school to work in construction, and did for several years. But in an effort to move back to our hometown and provide for me and our future children who would need insurance and job security, he chose to go this route. I do not envy his job and am proud of the Officer he has become. Sure his job is hard on him, me, and our daughter. We don't get to see each other as often as we would like and sometimes he works ungodly hours. We know he could get called out on a moments notice, or that we have to cancel plans we made because something happened and he has to stay for hours past shift change. But I know that what he does matters, that the people he helps really need it, and that while we are his top priority, sometimes we do need to come in second. I am okay with that.

3. I am a daycare provider to some pretty awesome kiddos! And get to spend every day watching my own daughter grow up.

4. Running is my therapy. Lifting weights is my anger management.

5. I come from a VERY large extended family. My mom has 7 siblings, and my dad had 4. So needless to say I have lots of cousins! I have always had built in friends and love my family dearly!

6. My mom has become my best friend through this journey. She has always been there for me, regardless of things I have said or done. If I can be the kind of mother that she was to us, to my own daughter, I will count it as a success. She is also the Best Nana to Lenae. She spoils her rotten and loves her like she's her own. And my dad is, and always will be my Super Hero! He will work from sun up, past sun down and not complain. On his time off he does stuff around the yard, takes care of maintenance issues at the daycare, he's my car mechanic, and my bug killer. He is an amazing Papa to Lenae, and she loves him more than words. And I appreciate everything he does.

7. I have an older brother, 27, and a younger sister, 17. My brother and I had the typical sibling relationship. What I haven't ever told him is that I look up to him very much so and am very proud of the life he has made for himself, and how great of a daddy he is to my nephew. He married a pretty awesome girl too! My sister has been my little tag-along since she was born(I say that with nothing but love Jordyn! :)) I spent every summer hanging out with her and taking her to the pool when she was younger. I cherish those days. She now returns the favor and hangs out with Lenae all the time so that I can go workout or do things I need to do.

8. I am a homebody. When I'm not at the daycare or running, I like to be at home. Either my home or my parents home. I enjoy the time spent cuddling with my daughter and the low amount of drama that is involved. Don't get me wrong...I love to hang out with friends every now and then...because everyone needs that. And when you can find good friends that are just interested in getting to know you and as a bonus, have kids too, you make time! But all in all...when faced with the choice of going out to the bar or staying in and watching a Locked Up marathon? Show me some prison brawls!

Again...thanks for taking the time to read about my life and my struggles with weight!

Here's what we've been fighting at our house the past 2 days. Fever and sore throat...breaks my heart to be away from her.

Happy Wednesday

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Things that have changed...

“Those who have no time for healthy eating will sooner or later have to find time for illness.” – Edward Stanley

I have been considering recently about all of the things that have changed in my way of thinking since starting this healthy(er) lifestyle.(Notice how I did not say "Since dieting") It is a HUGE difference in how my mind worked before. Here are some examples...

At the Grocery store:

Instead of loading up on Little Debbie Snacks or remember those Personal Ice Creams I talked about? I instead found myself searching the store for Rice Cakes last night. No...I didn't find them, but I still managed to stay away from the Snackies. Instead, I remembered my Low Calorie "Ice Cream Sandwiches" that I made the night before, and decided if I had a sweet tooth, that one of those would suffice. (Those "sandwiches" are 1/2 container of Light Cool Whip mixed with either Fat Free Sugar Free Vanilla or Chocolate Instant pudding. Put a spoonful between the squares of graham crackers and freeze. Yummy snack for right around 100 calories!)

I used to have popcorn covered with butter at LEAST 3 -4 times a week. It would give me horrible stomach aches the day after, but I never cared. Now...I completely avoid that section of the store altogether so that I 1.)Don't eat that heartattack in a bowl anymore and 2.) So that I can avoid a stomachache that affects my run the next day. 2 years ago I would have laughed if someone would have told me that last one.

Instead of grabbing the regular hamburger, patio steaks, and pork chops from the meat department, I scoured the section for lean meats. Last nights choice was Sirloin Steaks(that I cut up and added peppers to for fajitas...without the tortilla! No added Carbs!) I also threw in 2 servings of Tilapia. Excited to try it! For the longest time I have only eaten "muddy water" fish, so it will be something new!

And finally, instead of the normal plain Wheat Bread, I bought myself a loaf of Whole Grain Sara Lee Bread, for those times that I just need a darn ham sandwich or piece of toast. At least it will be the healthier option!


A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world.” – Paul Dudley White

At the gym:

The 2 previous times I have payed for memberships, I went an average of 3 or 4 times and stopped. This time, I am now going on month 4 of going at least 3-4 times a week. I am getting my money's worth and then some!

While at the gym I would always do the bare minimum before. I would think "Oh 10 minutes on the Elliptical? I worked hard! That's enough for today!" Well sometimes, for some people, that may be all that they need. Not this girl...not even close. Now I will do close to 45 minutes on the treadmill which between my warm up walk and cool down walk will usually get me 3.5 miles. After that, I will then go and lift weights. Big difference

When lifting, I would do the least amount of weight that I thought I could get away with before. Now? I want results. I will do the max amount that I know that my body can handle, and do 3 sets of 12-15 reps each. No excuses.

At the Daycare:

I would eat EVERYTHING in sight. Made extra breakfast? Gone. 2 Chicken Quesadillas left? Yes please! And on top of that...I would then make myself more for lunch after the kids went down. It was horrible! I would chug pop after pop after pop, stuff my face during nap time. It's actually a wonder I didn't gain 10 lbs/week. Yuck. Now...I chug bottle of water after bottle of water. I try not to make too much extra of lunch so that I will not be tempted. I keep a bag of frozen chicken here so that for lunch I will just boil one and eat it with some veggies. AND I do 30 Day Shred while the kids go down for a nap.

At home:

Honestly, I try to stay away from home as much as possible. When I am at home, I eat. So this requires me to go to the gym, take Lenae over to see Nana and Papa, or find errands to run. I try to wait until at least 7 or 7:30 to go home(Yes I do feed my child before leaving, or if she stays home with her dad or grandparents they feed her). Staying away for that long leaves me just enough time to eat supper before I need to start the bath/bed time routine for Lenae. I will have a quick "Ice Cream Sandwich" to satisfy my sweet tooth, and then call it a night.

I wait to have my 1 allowed Diet Coke until supper time. I know, this is crazy because of the Caffiene at night. Sue me. At least I have gotten down to just 1 a day! For some reason...I'm not willing yet to give up that one vice.

I feel bad for Shelby because as they say "When Momma's on a Diet...so is everyone else!" It reminds me of that commercial where the 2 kids are worried because they see their mom with her earphones in and doing her "aerobics", so now they know they will all have to eat healthy too. Well for a little while he will have to fend for himself, until I can find some good healthy recipes that he will eat too. Sorry Dear!

Lastly....On Pinterest:

In my past life I would pin every Cheesy, Creamy, or Sugary recipe there was. I would make a couple of them...and yes they were AMAZING. Yesterday, I caught myself glancing at one wondering "Good Lord...how many calories are in that?!" It literally clogged my arteries just looking at it. Instead, I have been in search of good healthy meals that also include Lean Meat. Am I going to go completely 100% clean eating? Uhhhh...NO.  There's no way I could ever physically, mentally, or taste buddedly(I just made that up to make it flow with the sentence) do it. I would feel deprived and about a week into it would give up completely.

I'm not really certain that there was a definite reason, or point to why these thoughts started to take over my mindset. The only thing I can think of is that I believe that it has to do with the "Waterfall Effect." One healthy choice one day....could lead to 2 the next day...and so on. I started out this journey by making the choice to start running, and because I wanted to have energy and feel good when I ran, I slowly began to want to eat right. I would replace one meal of crap with Lean Meat and veggies. I cut out 1, then 2, then 3 pops from my normal 4 a day. So while I am not 100% Healthy...I would say this new way of thinking has put me at a comfortable 75%. I can live with that. Trust me, I still and will make unhealthy eating choices, I have bad days, I have days where I am so physically and mentally exhausted that I know it would actually be unhealthy for me to go run. I am just taking this one day, one pound, one workout at a time. That is what has helped me keep my motivation and not get burned out.

"If you don't take care of yourself, the undertaker will overtake that responsibility for you" - Carrie Latet

Some other happenings...I was able to cut my BP med Dosage in half!! Holla!! I WILL be off of them in the future...mark my words. I am also down another LB...making it 3 more before I hit the 30 lb marker! And thanks to Jillian, I am down another inch in my waist and hips. She's tough...but Lord does she know what she's talking about.

And at the end of every single day...all that really ever matters to me is that I get to come home to this

And all is right in the world.
P.S. After proof reading this...I realized just how disgusting and piggyish my eating habits were. I am appalled. That is not an easy thing to admit to.... Pin It

Halfway through 30 Day Shred---Seeing Results!

So as I mentioned in an earlier post, I have been Jillian's victim subject, for 15 days now. It has not been fun, it has not been easy. What it has been, is rewarding. Even though I am only halfway through it...(and may or may not have taken at least 2 days of it off to rest up for a race), I am definitely seeing results. I have seen 3  pounds come off...for a total of 26.(I think...this week has gone up and down a bit...which is a perfectly normal yet extremely irritating monthly thing.) I have lost another inch off of my waist and hips... and 3/4 of an inch off of my thighs just since starting. Thanks to all of those lunges!!!!!!!!! Here are my before and midway pictures.....

While it isn't completely drastic, I can see change in the top pictures in the smaller "love handles" In the bottom pictures is where I see the most change. The "crease" is becoming less and less visible near my back, and my stomach is starting to tighten up...thank you ab circuits! So there is the proof I need to know that this really does work and that I am going to continue with it. And after that, who knows...there is always Ripped in 30 :). I should also add that on top of the 30 Day Shred, I have continued to run, watch what I eat, and lift some weights(not as much as before I started the Shred). Check back at the end of the month for full results...I can't wait!!

This Saturday marked our 3rd 5K in 3 weekends. It was in Concordia, bright and early Saturday morning. Big Brothers Big Sisters put on a Big Color Big Fun Run. At first we weren't sure if it was going to still be going on as it was pouring rain as we were leaving, but as soon as we got there it stopped! Our "team" consisted of my Mom, myself, and my friends Schaefer and Becky. One thing I learned not even a mile into it is that I highly dislike hills. So far I had been running courses that are primarily flat or on the treadmill, so hills definitely were not in my repertoire. Had to stop and walk up a few of the hills to conserve some of my almost non existent energy. Again...it did not help a whole lot that my energy levels were already lacking(cue female understanding). All in all...we had a good time...got lots of color on us...and got in some exercise. All for a great cause. And I added a new challenge to my to do list...Conquer Hills. Pictures will soon follow as they are uploaded from Mom's camera!

I believe that I am still on track to having one of the worst hands in the Wellness Center Hold Em challenge...but my main goal is to just complete each weeks challenges. I found a group exercise class that I think I will continue to go to, as I can definitely tell it worked some of my major problem areas. It will definitely be beneficial to keep that up! And as for my Online Challenge, I am our group captain and am ready to get this thing started with our first official day on Wednesday. Time to buckle down!

Sorry if this seemed all over the place! Had to get everything out that was bouncing around in my head and set it all straight! I'll leave you with a cute little story from the other day. Those of you who are friends with my on FB or in the FitCamp group may have heard this already, so bear with me. When I got home the other night from a run and sat down, Lenae instantly put my shoes on and went and opened the front door. I asked her where she thought she was going and without missing a beat she yelled "Running!!" We had to let her run around outside for a little while(all while wearing my big shoes) before she would finally come in. Just further proof that children do as they see. I hope that she sees me doing these runs and really trying to eat the right foods and grows up to do somewhat of the same things someday! She is the main reason for all of this, after all!

Have a great week!

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I refuse to "Diet"

There are 2 very different meanings of the word "Diet."  To get completely technical "Diet" is a term for the sum of food consumed by a living organism or group. "Dieting" is the act of deliberately selecting food to control the body weight or nutrient intake. For as long as I can remember I had been searching and trying every kind of dieting gimic out there. Some would work temporarily, and then when I would start to stray from the particular "dieting" technique, the weight would come back twofold.

I have gotten to the point that I am DONE doing the popular gimics, pills, shakes, and everything else. I refuse to spend anymore money or get my hopes up on something that will not help me in the long term. (I am not bashing anyone who does these. I am simply saying that they do not work for me and sometimes only gives me the quick satisfaction instead of what I am searching for overall). I refuse to adhere to an Atkins, or South Beach, or blah blah blah. It's time to stop dieting and start living healthy and I just plain refuse to keep looking for quick fixes. I needed something to change my mind permanently about how I feel about foods, portions, and creating some eating rules for myself. And for me, that was my health and my family.

I have always considered myself to be somewhat picky. I am not a big fan of many vegetables, I enjoy carbs entirely too much, and have a sweet tooth for chocolate and peanut butter like you wouldn't believe. Basically, if it's really good for you, I'm really not interested. So it will be a matter of retraining my mind on what I consider a "snack" or what I consider "side dishes".(I'm not saying that lately I have been pigging out on anything and everything. I have still been drinking a ton of water, eat at least 1 pretty healthy meal a day, and watch my snacks. But there is a lot of room to improve.) I think in soceity, we see snacks to be things like cookies, ice cream, chips, etc. When in turn we should think carrots, cucumbers, apples, grapes, etc. I need to also think out of the box when fixing meals at home and trying to decide what we will have for side dishes. My arsenal usually includes Mashed Potatoes, corn, pasta salad, chips, bread(for pasta), etc. I have recently within the past couple of months been doing many more salads, green and red peppers, and other veggies. Something that really made me think the other day was when I was fixing Lenae's supper I had steamed some broccoli and she offered me a bite with the sweetest little look on her face. If it was anything other than broccoli I wouldn't have thought twice about accepting her sweet offering. But BROCCOLI?! I usually gag at the smell of it...let alone the taste. Wanting to be healthier version of myself and not wanting to discourage her love of this veggie, I accepted a bite. I smiled the whole way through it. And you know what? The taste really wasn't as bad as I remember it being the last time I tried it. After being pregnant with Lenae, I all of a sudden developed a tolerance for many many foods that I once got sick at the thought of even touching them. Anyways....Children are sponges. They will soak up every single thing that you say, face that you make, and action that you perform. What do you think it would have taught her had I snarled my nose and said "Ew Mommy doesn't like broccoli!"? She would have adopted my same aversion to it, because naturally she wants to do everything that I do. So just a reminder that your love or distaste for a certain food will be passed onto your child eventually, whether through seeing you eat it a lot, or by watching you chow down happily at next weeks meal.

I really have started to cut a LOT of salt out of my diet(there's that word again...but in the right context for me!). I have started to be very conscious of how much or any salt that I put in dishes, or sprinkle on meat, and even the butter that I sometimes use for my toast or baked potato. I really don't eat very many chips, really watching the intake of deli meats with all of the added sodium. In turn...I'm seeing a significant lowering in my BP. I don't feel so lethargic or out of energy. I'm seeing that it really is about the little choices that you make daily, that make the biggest difference in the overall picture.

As for portions, I have mentioned it before that I try to use a child's plate when eating meals. It really does not allow you to put enough food on the plate to overeat, and then by putting the food away before you sit down to eat, you avoid going back for seconds. Just being conscious of how many scoops of that chili you put in a bowl or how many chips that you pull out of that bag can really start to add up and make a difference. If you start eating a little bit less at each meal, your stomach will start to adjust to this newer amount and you will soon start feeling full.

As for new eating rules, the one major one that I HAVE to start making myself do is shutting down my kitchen after 8. Yes Mom, I know you have been telling me this for AGES. I never used to eat after 8 until meeting my husband and moving in together. He was always used to eating before bed, which ended up being 8:30, 9, or sometimes even 10. I quickly fell into this pattern because sometimes he was the one having to cook while I was working or at school, or more recent taking care of Lenae.(She always eats around 6). It's also hard when Shelby is on nights because he takes his "lunch" break around 8:30 so that he can see Lenae right before she goes to bed. Its nice to be able to eat with him, but I know that in order for myself to see more of a change and stay on the right track, I need to do this for me. I did it last night and it really was not that hard. I am guilty of always thinking I need a bedtime snack, so giving that up last night was a little bit of a challenge. I know though that the more I resist, the easier it will be.

I need to start gathering healthier recipes and letting go of old habits. I need to remind myself that this is mind over matter. I have changed MANY of them already(I am not sulking about my weight on the couch anymore, I am incorporating more and more healthy foods daily, I have cut my soda intake from 6 a day down to 1/2 a can). I'd say that's a pretty good start, but now that we are set to begin a weight loss challenge in the group I am in, it's time to buckle down and get serious! And in closing...Instead of choosing to do the "Dieting", I will instead change my "Diet."

On a related note, I am down another 3 lbs and am up to 6 inches lost off my stomach! Holla!! I think this had something to do in part with adding the 30 day shred fully into my days. I do this while the kids first go down for a nap and still have plenty of time to get other things done too. I still do my running on top of this...although these last couple of weeks I haven't been running as much because of the 5K's at the end of each week and not wanting to be overtired for them. We do our 3rd this weekend which will be another "Color Run" only at a smaller scale and not the official ones. Hopefully the weather holds out and it won't be as cold as last weekend!!

Here is our after picture that we got ahold of...

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The Happiest 5K on the Planet

Wow...is all that I can say. Leading up to this weekend I was pretty excited with all of the stories I was hearing about how awesome The Color Run is and how much fun everyone has, but I don't think I realized just how much fun it would really be. My Mom, Dad, sister Jordyn, my husband, and Lenae all packed up and headed out first thing on Saturday morning to Topeka to my Aunt Rita and Uncle Dana's house. Rita and my cousin Amber went and got our packets Friday night to save us some line time(I would strongly encourage anyone to do this as the crowd on Saturday is kind of crazy!). We arrived in Lawrence at about 2, 2 hours before the race. We walked around a bit, taking in the sights and looking at what crazy outfits that other people wore. Let me tell  you, there were some VERY interesting people there that added to the entertainment.

They started to usher people into the "Start Chute" around 3 and began the Pre Race Party which included music, dancing, the Emcee starting chants and telling jokes, and throwing out free Color Run merchandise. While that part was really run, an hour smushed in tight with thousands and thousands of people, some who smelled, who didn't have manners, or were just really really into the music, made it seem like it was a really really long hour. The last 10 minutes seemed to fly by pretty quick though and before we knew it, it was time to lock arms and get started! I say lock arms because we literally had to lock our arms together as to not be separated by the hundreds of people that were let go into the first wave. After about a block we were able to let go and settle into a comfortable jog and reach the first zone of yellow. Now I knew that people said to close your eyes and mouth while going through these color zones, but it's honestly really hard to not laugh or scream when they are throwing powder all over you, so some of that yellow powder ended up in the mouth. It does not taste good. We walked a little after that zone as dodging people gets a little energy consuming at times, and the very cold air made it a little hard to breathe. We picked it back up for the next color zone of orange made it through there...laughing the entire time. We even mananged to see Dr. Maroza's and her husband from here in Beloit taking pictures, so she snapped a couple for us! (We saw them a couple of times throughout the race.) There was a guy however who did not laugh and actually got pretty angry after being hit by some of the color(although he seemed like he was making it out to be a competition). He was screaming every expletive in the book while there were tons of little kids around...very classy. Anyways...we walked a little bit more before the 3rd zone of blue and picked it up right before. I made the mistake of sniffing during the blue zone and yes...everytime I blew my nose for the rest of the day it was blue(TMI? :)) On the way to the last zone, you double back the way you came which lets you run by the people who have just left the orange zone...so there were lots of high fives, yelling, laughter, and just plain happiness. The last zone of pink was probably the craziest for me because it seemed to be a little thicker than the other colors, which made it to where I could not see but a foot in front of me, so I was just really hoping that no one had stopped for me to run into!

We were nearing the end of the Run and still laughing from all of the craziness that had taken place throughout. We reached the end, grabbed a water bottle to wash down all of the powder in our mouths, and headed to the festival to participate in the "Color Throw". In your packets you receive a packet of the colored powder that is used in the zones and if you hold on to it til the end, there is an all at once throw. So we hurried to the center of everyone and counted down and then everyone threw there packets into the sky. It was really cool because it felt like you were in a giant game of the parachute throw up, where you all have a handle of a large parachute and while holding onto it, you throw it up. It was a cloak of color for about 2 seconds and then you had to make sure and close your eyes and mouth because it all came raining back down on top of you...drenching you in powdered color. We made our way back to the husbands and Lenae, and once Lenae saw me she just started giggling. I figured she would be a little standoffish and scared...but nope! She was giggling and wanting to touch my face to see what was all over it...I changed shirts really quick before going into the blower stations, as I want to preserve the color on mine, and headed back to the cars. I still had blue coloring all of my face and hair when we stopped to eat at KFC...not the healthiest choice but we were starving and it sounded good...sue us! Shelby, Lenae, and I then proceeded to head to Walmart to grab a pair of sweats for me to sleep in as I left my extra pair that I meant to pack at home. Not to my surprise...only 1 person stared at me. I think that there are more interesting individuals that enter that place on a daily basis. After a quick shower back at my Aunt's, and another face cleaning after my uncle so lovingly pointed out that I missed some :), we had a margarita and headed to bed.

All in all...it was a wonderfully, awesome, colorful time. It really was the Happiest 5K I've ever done :) I would highly recommend The Color Run to ANYONE. Walk, run, crawl...anyone of any age can do it and have a blast. It honestly seemed like it was only a half a mile because it was that much fun. I wanted to do more when we were done. But best of all...I got to spend time and do something fun with my Mom, Sister, Cousin, and Aunt. Couldn't ask for anything better!!! Next weekend my Mom, a couple of friends, and I are doing a "color run" in Concordia that Big Brothers Big Sisters is putting on. Can't Wait!!

Have a great Monday...here are some pictures of the event!!

 The shirts that my cousin's husband designed!

Getting ready for the Start!

All of us girls together!

People lining up

See? I wasn't lying about interesting costumes(some even wore wedding dresses!)

The Emcee and "Kyle" who threw out the goodies

The amount of people behind us!

How close we were to the front

Waiting....

More waiting....

Amber photobombing her mom...she kept doing this throughout the waiting..and got caught once by someone!



After the first zone!

Approaching the Blue Zone

Some afters and the color throw! Will try to get a better "After" picture when we locate the few that were taken!!

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To Finish something that was started....

“The truth of the matter is that there's nothing you can't accomplish if: (1) You clearly decide what it is that you're absolutely committed to achieving, (2) You're willing to take massive action, (3) You notice what's working or not, and (4) You continue to change your approach until you achieve what you want, using whatever life gives you along the way.” -Anthony Robbins

Pre Race

Well...what can I say? Other than we freaking DID it!!!! We conquered something that 6 months ago we thought was impossible. We did our first 5K. We finished our first 5K. We finished our first 5K without stopping to walk. I still can't really believe it. I mean sure, we've ran that far before without stopping, but never in a situation like that where we are excited, nervous, going against others. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be to concentrate on my own run. I get distracted very easily and wasn't able to focus on my breathing, steps, or even my music. There were so many times I was going to stop...going to just walk for a minute, but I looked at my mom still going, remembered everyone that has followed my journey thus far, and then remembered that my little girl was waiting for me at the finish line. I wanted to prove to everyone that I could do this, but mostly just to myself that I could do it.

Another thing that kept me going is the sheer awesomeness of the other who ran the race. People that had reached the halfway point and were starting their way back met us as we were about to that point. I would say the majority of them were all giving thumbs up, encouraging words, and big smiles that kept me going. They don't know exactly how much I needed that, at those very moments. It got my mind off of the cramps in my legs, the ache in my side, and thoughts of stopping. When we came within the last .25 mile my legs felt like complete jello...but seeing that finish line was a sweet sight. I couldn't care less about my time, but I have always liked to finish strong. So I started sprinting the last leg like the biggest bear in history was chasing me. I didn't even hear my time...like I said, I couldn't have cared any less. All I cared about was that I was done. I didn't really get to enjoy those few seconds because I was wrestling with the very real possibility of heaving all over my shoes. After a lady at the finish line shoved some gatorade at me, that feeling passed, and on came the sheer joy of accomplishing something that we had been working so hard for. I even did it in 39 minutes at 51 seconds. Previously I had been running it in an average of 41 minutes or more. We started something, made a goal, and finished it. Sounds simple, right? Ha...not so much. Anyways...that one is done and in the books. Mission accomplished.

Post Race

Next week....The Color Run in Lawerence. You can't even imagine how excited I am for this. I keep hearing from everyone how incredibly awesome it is, just have a look for yourself at the official video. It's gonna be a crazy awesome time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EERSfHiqT8

We also are signing up for another 5K on the 13th. It's a smaller scale kind of Color Run that Big Brothers, Big Sisters is putting on in Concordia. Mom and I are on a team with a couple of friends...so a busy few weekends...but that's okay!! At least it's healthy fun :)

On another note...today starts a different challenge in the Online group. It's called 31 days of Making Jillian my B. I shortened the last word for obvious purposes...but I'm excited to start it and keep doing it. I've done the 30 Day Shred several times now...but as a supplement workout. Never the full 30 day program. So I took before shots this morning and measurements, and will do the first round today! Can't wait to see the changes! Shelby is also going to come and watch the kiddos today so that I can go do Zumba today to get points for the Wellness Center Challenge. Sooo many challenges in a short period of time...but that's what keeps me going!

I had to step back on the scale this morning to get a preweight for the Jillian Challenge and was happy to see another pound gone...so that's 23...and hopefully many more will melt off with this challenge!

Have a great week! Pin It